Continuous wave generation up to 1.3 THz using antenna-coupled silicon-integrated Ge photodiodes

We report continuous wave emission up to 1.3 THz using antenna-coupled silicon-integrated germanium photodiodes fabricated using an industrial SOI process. The optical-to-THz conversion efficiency of about 1% at 100 GHz is attributed to the high responsivity of up to 1.2 A/W and small capacitance (10±5 fF) of the photodiodes. Such devices are suitable for the fabrication of highly efficient phased THz emitter arrays based on photomixing.