Tunneling-based heterostructure devices for millimeter-wave and THz sensing

Sensing and imaging at millimeter-wave and THz frequencies is promising for a wide range of applications, including security, industrial control, healthcare, and scientific metrology. The development of high-sensitivity, low noise detectors based on interband tunneling in III-V heterostructure devices, and their integration into subsystems is promising for realizing the potential of these applications. This paper describes recent work on both heterostructure backward diodes and tunneling field-effect transistors as sensitive detectors in the microwave through THz frequency ranges, as well as their integration into tunable pixel elements and focal plane arrays for imaging and sensing applications.