Frequency-tunable continuous-wave terahertz sources based on GaAs plasmonic photomixers
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)
We present frequency-tunable, continuous-wave terahertz sources based on GaAs plasmonic photomixers, which offer high terahertz radiation power levels at 50% radiation duty cycle. The use of plasmonic contact electrodes enhances photomixer quantum efficiency while maintaining its ultrafast operation by concentrating a large number of photocarriers in close proximity to the device contact electrodes. Additionally, the relatively high thermal conductivity and high resistivity of GaAs allow operation under high optical pump power levels and long duty cycles without reaching the thermal breakdown limit of the photomixer. We experimentally demonstrate continuous-wave terahertz radiation with a radiation frequency tuning range of more than 2 THz and a record-high radiation power of 17 μW at 1 THz through plasmonic photomixers fabricated on a low temperature grown GaAs substrate at 50% radiation duty cycle.
- OSTI ID:
- 22482159
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 13; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Ultrafast carrier dynamics in terahertz photoconductors and photomixers: beyond short-carrier-lifetime semiconductors
HIGH-SENSITIVITY AND BROADBAND TERAHERTZ FOCAL PLANE ARRAYS BASED ON PLASMONIC PHOTOCONDUCTIVE NANOCAVITIES