Abstract-Ultrasensitive Room‐Temperature Terahertz Direct Detection Based on a Bismuth Selenide Topological Insulator

Weiwei Tang,   Antonio Politano,  Cheng Guo,   Wanlong,  Guo,   Changlong Liu,   Lin Wang,  Xiaoshuang Chen,  Wei Lu,

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adfm.201801786

Despite their huge application capabilities, millimeter‐ and terahertz‐wave photodetectors still face challenges in the detection scheme. Topological insulators (TIs) are predicted to be promising candidates for long‐wavelength photodetection, due to the presence of Dirac fermions in their topologically protected surface states. However, photodetection based on TIs is usually hindered by the large dark current, originating from the mixing of bulk states with topological surface states (TSSs) in most realistic samples of TIs. Here millimeter and terahertz detectors based on a subwavelength metal–TI–metal (MTM) heterostructure are demonstrated. The achieved photoresponse stems from the asymmetric scattering of TSS, driven by the localized surface plasmon‐induced terahertz field, which ultimately produces direct photocarriers beyond the interband limit. The device enables high responsivity in both the self‐powered and bias modes even at room temperature. The achieved responsivity is over 75 A/W, with response time shorter than 60 ms in the self‐powered mode. Remarkably, the responsivity increases by several orders of magnitude in the biased configuration, with the noise‐equivalent power (NEP) of 3.6 × 10−13 W Hz−1/2 and a detectivity of 2.17 × 1011cm Hz−1/2 W−1 at room temperature. The detection performances open a way toward realistic exploitation of TIs for large‐area, real‐time imaging within long‐wavelength optoelectronics.

Abstract-Towards sensitive terahertz detection via thermoelectric manipulation using graphene transistors

Changlong Liu, Lei Du, Weiwei Tang, Dacheng Wei, Jinhua Li, Lin Wang, Gang Chen, Xiaoshuang Chen,  Wei Lu

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41427-018-0032-7

Graphene has been highly sought after as a potential candidate for hot-electron terahertz (THz) detection benefiting from its strong photon absorption, fast carrier relaxation, and weak electron-phonon coupling. Nevertheless, to date, graphene-based thermoelectric THz photodetection is hindered by low responsivity owing to relatively low photoelectric efficiency. In this work, we provide a straightforward strategy for enhanced THz detection based on antenna-coupled CVD graphene transistors with the introduction of symmetric paired fingers. This design enables switchable photodetection modes by controlling the interaction between the THz field and free hot carriers in the graphene-channel through different contacting configurations. Hence a novel “bias-field effect” can be activated, which leads to a drastic enhancement in THz detection ability with maximum responsivity of up to 280 V/W at 0.12 THz relative to the antenna area and a Johnson-noise limited minimum noise-equivalent power (NEP) of 100 pW/Hz0.5at room temperature. The mechanism responsible for the enhancement in the photoelectric gain is attributed to thermophotovoltaic instead of plasma self-mixing effects. Our results offer a promising alternative route toward scalable, wafer-level production of high-performance graphene detectors.

Abstract-Graphene-based broadband terahertz detector integrated with a square-spiral antenna

Wanlong Guo, Lin Wang, Xiaoshuang Chen, Changlong Liu, Weiwei Tang, Cheng Guo, Jin Wang, and Wei Lu

https://www.osapublishing.org/ol/abstract.cfm?uri=ol-43-8-1647

Raising interest in terahertz radiation (loosely defined as the 0.1∼10  THz$0.1\sim 10\mathrm{THz}$ frequency range) for the application-oriented issues in everyday life requires progressive development of fast, sensitive, and portable photodetectors. In this Letter, a broadband graphene-based terahertz detector with good integrability and sensitivity at room temperature is proposed. It is based on the chemical vapor deposited-grown graphene integrated with a square-spiral metal antenna which, on one hand, improves the efficiency for electromagnetic coupling and, on the other hand, facilitates the hot-electron photo-thermoelectric process for photodetection. Sensitivity over 28 V/W at room temperature and noise-equivalent power of less than 0.35  nW/Hz0.5$0.35\mathrm{nW}/{\mathrm{Hz}}^{0.5}$ are demonstrated in reference to the incident power. The presented results appealingly open an alternative way to realize chip-level graphene-based terahertz optoelectronics with good scalability and expected performance for targeted terahertz applications.

© 2018 Optical Society of America

Abstract-Toward Sensitive Room-Temperature Broadband Detection from Infrared to Terahertz with Antenna-Integrated Black Phosphorus Photoconductor

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.201604414/abstract;jsessionid=6D6EEA515BD415551858CA0C703C0EFC.f01t01?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+Journal+subscribe+and+renew+pages+for+some+journals+will+be+unavailable+on+Wednesday+11th+January+2017+from+06%3A00-12%3A00+GMT+%2F+01%3A00-07%3A00+EST+%2F+14%3A00-20%3A00+SGT+for+essential+maintenance.+Apologies+for+the+inconvenience

Graphene-like two-dimensional materials (graphene, transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs)) have received extraordinary attention owing to their rich physics and potential applications in building nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. Recent works have concentrated on increasing the responsivity and extending the operation range to longer wavelengths. However, the weak absorption of gapless graphene, and the large bandgap (>1 eV) and low mobility in TMDCs have limited their spectral usage to only a narrow range in the visible spectrum. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time a high-performance, antenna-integrated, black phosphorus (BP)-based photoconductor with ultra-broadband detection from the infrared to terahertz frequencies. The good trade-off between the moderate bandgap and good mobility results in a broad spectral absorption that is superior to that of graphene. Different photoconductive mechanisms, such as photothermoelectric (PTE), bolometric, and electron–hole generation can be distinguished depending on the device geometry, incident wavelength, and power. Especially, the photoconductive response remains highly efficient, even when the photon energy is extended to the terahertz (THz) band at room temperature, which is driven by the thermoelectric-induced well. The proposed photodetectors have a superior performance with an excellent sensitivity of over 300 V W−1, low noise equivalent power (NEP) (smaller than 1 nW Hz−0.5(10 pW Hz−0.5) with respect to the incident (absorbed) power), and fast response, all of which play key roles in multispectral biological imaging, remote sensing, and optical communications.