Room-temperature terahertz detectors based on semiconductor nanowire field-effect transistors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) enable silicon integration for various devices like LEDs and photodetectors.
• NWs offer new approaches for next-generation nanoelectronic devices.
• Terahertz (THz) detection is crucial for various scientific and technological applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate semiconductor nanowires as building blocks for high-sensitivity THz detectors.
• To utilize the unique properties of III-V compounds for enhanced detector performance.
• To develop a novel 1D field-effect transistor (FET) configuration for THz detection.

Main Methods:

• Indium arsenide (InAs) nanowires were grown using vapor-phase epitaxy and doped with selenium.
• A 1D FET configuration was employed, with THz radiation fed via gate-source electrodes and wideband antennas.
• Detection mechanism relies on the nonlinearity of transfer characteristics, rectifying THz signals into a DC drain voltage.

Main Results:

• Significant responsivity values exceeding 1 V/W at 0.3 THz were achieved.
• Noise equivalent powers (NEP) below 2 × 10⁻⁹ W/(Hz)¹/² were obtained at room temperature.
• The devices demonstrated competitive performance for terahertz detection.

Conclusions:

• Semiconductor nanowires are effective building blocks for high-sensitivity THz detectors.
• The developed InAs nanowire FETs show promise for future THz sensing technologies.
• Potential for scalability to higher frequencies and realization of multipixel arrays makes these devices highly competitive.