Field-Effect Transistor Based Detectors for Power Monitoring of THz Quantum Cascade Lasers

We report on circuit simulation, modeling, and characterization of field-effect transistor based terahertz (THz) detectors (TeraFETs) with integrated patch antennas for discrete frequencies from 1.3 to 5.7 THz. The devices have been fabricated using a standard 90-nm CMOS technology. Here, we focus in particular on a device showing the highest sensitivity to 4.75-THz radiation and its prospect to be employed for power monitoring of a THz quantum cascade laser used in a heterodyne spectrometer GREAT (German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies). We show that a distributed transmission line based detector model can predict the detector's performance better than a device model provided by the manufacturer. The integrated patch antenna of the TeraFET designed for 4.75 THz has an area of 13 × 13 μm
²
and a distance of 2.2 μm to the ground plane. The modeled radiation efficiency at the target frequency is 76% with a maximum directivity of 5.5, resulting in an effective area of 1750 μm
²
. The detector exhibits an area-normalized minimal noise-equivalent power of 404 pW/√Hz and a maximum responsivity of 75 V/W. These values represent the state of the art for electronic detectors operating at room-temperature and in this frequency range.