Terahertz Electronics for Sensing and Imaging Applications

Short channel field effect transistors can detect terahertz radiation. Such detection is enabled by the excitation of the plasma waves rectified due to the device nonlinearities. The resulting response has nanometer scale spatial resolution and can be modulated in the sub THz range. This technology could enable a variety of sensing, imaging, and wireless communication applications, including detection of biological and chemical hazardous agents, cancer detection, short-range covert communications (in THz and sub-THz windows), and applications in radio astronomy. Field effect transistors implemented using III-V, III-N, Si, SiGe, and graphene have been used to detect THz radiation. Using silicon transistors in plasmonic regimes is especially appealing because of compatibility with standard readout silicon VLSI components.