Abstract-Room temperature ultrafast InGaAs Schottky diode based detectors for terahertz spectroscopy

Nart Daghestani, Kai Parow-Souchon, Diego Pardo, Hairui Liu, Nick Brewster, Mark Frogley, Gianfelice Cinque, Byron Alderman, Peter G.Huggard,



https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350449517307570

The design and characterisation of rectifying terahertz detectors, based on InGaAs zero-bias Schottky diodes, is reported. These uncooled devices offer a spectral detection range from tens of GHz to above 3 THz, high response speed, and the prospect of low cost for mass production and arrayed implementation. We describe the airbridged semiconductor devices, their incorporation into waveguide mounts and quasi-optical substrate lens / planar antenna structures. Noise equivalent powers of 5 pW/Hz1/2 at 100 GHz, increasing to 50 pW/Hz1/2 at 300 GHz been achieved, along with rise and fall times of tens of picoseconds. We shall discuss examples of the use of the detectors: characterising a picosecond transistor-based source, spectrally narrow and broad band sources in the laboratory and coherent THz synchrotron radiation in the range 0.15 to 1.4 THz at the MIRIAM beamline

B22 on the Diamond Light Source. The latter radiation was emitted from bunches of electrons circulating in the Diamond storage ring operating in THz-dedicated low-alpha mode. Spectral information on coherent synchrotron radiation originating from a single bunch of electrons is obtained, as well as the usefulness of this for spectroscopy, is evaluated.

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory wins Research Councils UK Business Plan prize

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SPACE scientists at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, in Harwell, have won £10,000 for their business plan to commercialise their bright idea for use in security scanners, telecoms and cancer detection.

They will use the Research Councils UK Business Plan prize to kickstart their marketing of components for ‘terahertz electronics’.

Astronomers are fascinated by terahertz waves, halfway between microwaves and the infra-red, because they can ‘see’ through space dust to distant stars. Emitted by everything, the waves penetrate dry, non-metallic materials such as clothing or sand, but are absorbed by water and metal.

Traditional electronic circuits such as transistors no longer function at the high frequencies of terahertz, and the RAL scientists are already selling their cutting-edge technology worldwide.

According to Dr Byron Alderman, the potential is enormous, from counter-terrorism security to telecoms and non-destructive testing, from examining cells for medical research to detecting cancerous tumours.

The same technology is being used by another Oxfordshire company, ThruVision, also spun out of the RAL space science team, in security scanners used in places like airports, border checkpoints, public buildings, sporting events and by the police.

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