While there has been much research into THz technology, the team says one missing piece has been a complementary detection technology. To solve this problem, the researchers used an approach that exploits the excitation of plasma waves in the channel of field effect transistors (FET). Alongside creating the first FET detectors based on semiconductor nanowires, the team also developed the first THz detectors made of mono- or bilayer graphene.
"Our work shows that nanowire FET technology is versatile enough to enable 'design' via lithography of the detector's parameters and its main functionalities," said Miriam Serena Vitiello, leader of the Terahertz Photonics Group in the Nanoscience Institute at CNR and Scuola Normale Superiore.
According to the team, the nanowire detector operates at room temperature and can detect frequencies in excess of 3THz, with maximum modulation speed in the MHz range.
The team now plans to 'push the device's performance in the ultrafast detection realm', as well as integrating nanowire detectors with THz quantum cascade microlasers. Vitiello noted: "This will allow us to take THz photonics to a whole new level of 'compactness' and versatility, where it can finally begin to address many 'killer' applications."
