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Terahertz detection with an antenna-coupled highly-doped silicon quantum dot
Takuya Okamoto1,2, Naoki Fujimura1,2, Luca Crespi1,2
1Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan.
Scientific Reports
|December 11, 2019
Summary
Highly doped silicon quantum dots (QDs) show promise for terahertz (THz) detection. Integrating a QD with an antenna significantly enhances THz photocurrent detection sensitivity across a broad frequency range.
Area of Science:
- Solid-state physics
- Nanotechnology
- Terahertz (THz) technology
Background:
- Nanostructured silicon (Si) transistors with dopant-based donor bands offer potential for advanced photodetectors and quantum devices.
- The millielectron volt energy levels in highly doped Si align with terahertz (THz) photon energies, making them suitable for THz photoconductive detectors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate terahertz (THz) detection using a lithographically defined, highly phosphorus-doped silicon quantum dot (QD).
- To investigate the performance enhancement of a silicon quantum dot (QD) THz detector when integrated with a broadband antenna.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a 40 nm-diameter, highly phosphorus-doped silicon quantum dot (QD).
- Integration of the silicon quantum dot (QD) with a micrometer-scale broadband logarithmic spiral antenna.
- Measurement of THz photocurrent detection across a frequency range of 0.58 to 3.11 THz.
Main Results:
- Successful demonstration of THz detection using the integrated silicon quantum dot (QD) and antenna system.
- Achieved a significant enhancement in detection sensitivity, approximately 880 times greater than a QD detector without an antenna.
- Confirmed broadband THz wave detection capabilities from 0.58 to 3.11 THz.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms that a highly doped silicon quantum dot (QD) coupled with an antenna can effectively detect broadband terahertz (THz) waves.
- Further performance improvements in THz detection are achievable through optimization of dopant distribution and energy levels within the silicon quantum dot (QD).
