Field Effect Transistors Based Terahertz Detectors 25 Years History, State of the Art and Future Directions

An overview of main results concerning THz detection related to plasma nonlinearities in nanometer field effect transistors will be presented. In particular, the physical limits of the responsivity, speed, and the dynamic range of these detectors will be discussed. We will also present applications of the FETs as THz detectors for construction of focal plane arrays and nondestructive quality control and security screening scanners based on them. Finally, we present some new results with FETs in which THz radiation modulates both size and conductivity of the channel.