A 600-GHz CMOS focal-plane array for terahertz imaging applications

A 600-GHz single-chip focal-plane array (FPA) has been fully integrated in a 0.25-mum CMOS process technology. The 3times5 array achieves a room temperature responsivity of 50 kV/W and a noise equivalent power (NEP) of 400 pW/radicHz. Each pixel comprises of an on-chip antenna, an NMOS incoherent power detection circuit based on resistive self-mixing, and a 43-dB amplifier with a 1.6-MHz bandwidth. The pixel size is 150times150 mum
²
and the overall array size is 680times980 mum
²
including bondpads. The circuit topology makes it possible to fully integrate terahertz focal-plane arrays for 600-GHz video-rate imaging applications in a low-cost CMOS process technologies for the first time.