A frequency-selective terahertz radiation detector based on a semiconductor superlattice with a resonator

Abstract

We propose the new design of the terahertz detector, which must have frequency selection property and operate at room temperature. The idea is based on a standing wave enhancement of detector responsivity. The detector contains lateral semiconductor superlattice, broadband bow tie THz antenna and THz resonator. As compared with well-known variant we change a technology of antenna attachment to the superlattice that allows additionally growing up THz resonator. We performed numerical analyze of the structure based on the relaxation time approximation of electron transport in superlattice and wave line description for matching between antenna and superlattice. We choose the superlattice parameters, which are technically available today and show that the detector responsivity can be enhanced several hundred times in comparison to well known existent variants of a such detector, also the frequency selection quality can achieve a very high value (F/-F/spl sim/10/sup 3/).