Terahertz detection with an antenna-coupled highly-doped silicon quantum dot

Abstract

Nanostructured dopant-based silicon (Si) transistors are promising candidates for high-performance photodetectors and quantum information devices. For highly doped Si with donor bands, the energy depth of donor levels and the energy required for tunneling processes between donor levels are typically on the order of millielectron volts, corresponding to terahertz (THz) photon energy. Owing to these properties, highly doped Si quantum dots (QDs) are highly attractive as THz photoconductive detectors. Here, we demonstrate THz detection with a lithographically defined and highly phosphorus-doped Si QD. We integrate a 40 nm-diameter QD with a micrometer-scale broadband logarithmic spiral antenna for the detection of THz photocurrent in a wide frequency range from 0.58 to 3.11 THz. Furthermore, we confirm that the detection sensitivity is enhanced by a factor of ~880 compared to a QD detector without an antenna. These results demonstrate the ability of a highly doped-Si QD coupled with an antenna to detect broadband THz waves. By optimizing the dopant distribution and levels, further performance improvements are feasible.