Terahertz electronics for sensing applications

Terahertz sensing is used for detection of hidden objects, explosives and biological and chemical hazardous agents, and for applications in radio astronomy, space research, biology and medicine. Emerging THz transistor sensing technology uses the rectification of electron density oscillations in short channel Si CMOS and FIN FETs and III-V and III-N High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs). Such plasma wave electronics detectors might be tunable by applied bias voltage and can be modulated at very high frequencies. Using synchronized THz plasmonic transistor arrays is expected to improve performance of THz electronic detectors by orders of magnitude.