Theory and measurement of plasmonic terahertz detector response to large signals

Abstract

Electron gas in the conduction channel of a Field Effect Transistor (FET) can support collective plasma oscillations tunable by the gate voltage. In the Dyakonov-Shur terahertz (THz) detector, nonlinearities in the plasma wave propagation in the gated channel of a FET lead to a constant source-to-drain voltage providing the detector output. We present the detector theory in the frame of the hydrodynamic model using the electron plasma Navier-Stokes and thermal transport equations, thus fully accounting for the hydrodynamic non-linearity, the viscosity, and pressure gradients in the detector response. Both resonant and broadband operations of the high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) based plasmonic detectors are described by this model. The relation between the electron channel density and gate voltage was modeled by the unified charge control model applicable both above and below the threshold voltage. The theoretical results are compared with the response measured in the short channel InGaAs HEMT and the analytical approximation. The THz source was operating at 1.63 THz, and the response was measured at varying signal intensities. The response of the detector operated in the open drain mode was measured above and below the threshold, and the theoretical and experimental results are shown to be in good agreement.