Terahertz detection with graphene field-effect transistors

Paper in proceeding, 2015

Detectors for quasi-optical and guide THz waves are key elements of any THz technology. In recent years, there has been much progress in their development. Notably, field-effect transistors (FETs) have been shown to be well suited for detector implementation at room temperature exploiting (self-)mixing effects in their channels [1]. They reach a typical noise-equivalent power (NEP) of several tens of pW/Hz^1/2 at 0.6 THz in CMOS and other technologies. First focal-plane arrays and cameras have been implemented. Frequency coverage to at least 5 THz has been demonstrated. Recently, this type of detection concept has been extended successfully to graphene-based FETs [2] opening the way to freely positionable THz detectors on a wide variety of substrates (also flexible plastics). We have improved the technology (see Fig. 1) [3] and reach, for GFETs on Si, an optical NEP of 150 pW/Hz^1/2 at 0.3 THz, with considerable room for improvement. An unusually strong thermoelectric contribution has been identified [2, 3] which may help to engineer enhanced detector performance.