20-THz Far-Infrared Imaging Using an Antenna-Coupled Schottky Barrier Diode in a Foundry CMOS

This letter presents the implementation of a 20-terahertz (THz) far-infrared (FIR) imager using an antenna-coupled Schottky barrier diode (SBD) structure fabricated in a 130-nm foundry CMOS process without any process modifications. The detector’s performance is characterized using a 15.1-
$\mu $
m quantum-cascade laser (QCL) source. At a modulation frequency of 13 Hz, the detector achieves a peak optical responsivity (
$R_{v}$
) of 35.2 V/W, which is ~six times higher than that of CMOS detectors operating in a similar frequency range. The measured shot-noise limited noise equivalent power (NEP) is 1.8 nW/
$\surd $
Hz, which is comparable to that of commercially available thermopile detectors that are 47000 times larger in area.