Dmitry Veksler

Measurement of the optical absorption spectra of epitaxial graphene from terahertz to visible

We present experimental results on the optical absorption spectra of epitaxial graphene from the visible to the terahertz frequency range. In the terahertz range, the absorption is dominated by intraband processes with a frequency dependence similar to the Drude model. In the near-IR range, the absorption is due to interband processes and the measured optical conductivity is close to the theoretical value of e2/4ℏ. We extract values for the carrier densities, the number of carbon atom layers, and the intraband scattering times from the measurements.

Room-temperature plasma waves resonant detection of sub-terahertz radiation by nanometer field-effect transistor

We report on room-temperature, resonant detection of 0.6THz radiation by 250nm gate length GaAs∕AlGaAs heterostructure field-effect transistor. We show that the detection is strongly increased (and becomes resonant) when the drain current increases and the transistor is driven into the current saturation region. We interpret the results as due to resonant plasma wave detection that is enhanced by increasing the electron drift velocity.

Temperature dependence of plasmonic terahertz absorption in grating-gate gallium-nitride transistor structures

Strong plasmon resonances have been observed in the terahertz transmission spectra (1–5 THz) of large-area slit-grating-gate AlGaN/GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) structures at temperatures from 10 to 170 K. The resonance frequencies correspond to the excitation of plasmons with wave vectors equal to the reciprocal lattice vectors of the metal grating, which serves both as a gate electrode for the HEMT and a coupler between plasmons and incident terahertz radiation. Wide tunability of the resonances by the applied gate voltage demonstrates potential of these devices for terahertz applications.

Plasma wave resonant detection of femtosecond pulsed terahertz radiation by a nanometer field-effect transistor

We report on the room-temperature, resonant detection of femtosecond pulsed terahertz radiation obtained by optical rectification in a ZnTe crystal. The detection was realized using a 250nm gate length GaAs∕AlGaAs heterostructure field-effect transistor. We show that physical mechanism of the detection is related to the plasma waves excited in the transistor channel. The detection is strongly enhanced by increasing the drain current and driving the transistor into the plasma wave instability region. Our results clearly show that plasma wave nanometer transistors can be efficient and fast detectors for terahertz spectroscopic imaging based on the femtosecond pulsed THz sources.

Spectroscopic characterization of explosives in the far-infrared region

Far infrared spectra of 14 commonly used explosive samples have been measured by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and THz Time-Domain Spectroscopy (THz TDS). New absorption resonances between 20 cm-1 and 650 cm-1 are reported. Below 20 cm-1, no clear absorption resonances are observed in all the explosives. There is a good consistency of far-IR spectrum measured by Far-FTIR and by THz TDS in explosives 3,5-DNA and 2,4-DNT. Observed far-IR spectrum of TNT is compared with a previously reported theoretical calculation.

Enhanced Plasma Wave Detection of Terahertz Radiation Using Multiple High Electron-Mobility Transistors Connected in Series

We report on enhanced room-temperature detection of terahertz radiation by several connected field-effect transistors. For this enhanced nonresonant detection, we have designed, fabricated, and tested plasmonic structures consisting of multiple InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic high electron-mobility transistors connected in series. Results show a 1.63-THz response that is directly proportional to the number of detecting transistors biased by a direct drain current at the same gate-to-source bias voltages. The responsivity in the saturation regime was found to be 170 V/W with the noise equivalent power in the range of 10-7 W/Hz0.5. The experimental data are in agreement with the detection mechanism based on the rectification of overdamped plasma waves excited by terahertz radiation in the transistor channel.

Nanometer Scale Complementary Silicon MOSFETs as Detectors of Terahertz and Sub-terahertz Radiation

We demonstrate, for the first time, THz detection by Si CMOS, i.e. by both p-channel and n-channel Si MOS devices. Previous work demonstrated that Si n-MOS devices detect THz and sub-THz radiation via the excitation of plasma waves in the device channel, with responsivity and Noise Equivalent Power on the order of commercial pyroelectric detectors but capable of operating at much greater speed as shown by a theory of temporal response predicting the maximum operating frequency. The CMOS responsivity is a strong increasing function of the drain current. Our experimental data and modeling results allow us to understand the effects of device geometry and bias on the Si CMOS THz detector performance.

Strained-Si modulation doped field effect transistors as detectors of terahertz and sub-terahertz radiation

Strained-Si modulation doped field effect transistors have been studied as detectors of 0.2 THz and 1.6 THz electromagnetic radiation at room temperature. The difference in the gate voltage dependences for 0.2 THz and 1.6 THz radiation and spatial pattern of the transistor response to focused 1.6 THz radiation confirms that the mechanism of detection is linked to the excitations of the two-dimensional electrons in the device channel.

Gate dielectric degradation: Pre-existing vs. generated defects

We consider the possibility that degradation of the electrical characteristics of high-k gate stacks under low voltage stresses of practical interest is caused primarily by activation of pre-existing defects rather than generation of new ones. In nFETs in inversion, in particular, defect activation is suggested to be associated with the capture of an injected electron: in this charged state, defects can participate in a fast exchange of charge carriers with the carrier reservoir (substrate or gate electrode) that constitutes the physical process underlying a variety of electrical measurements. The degradation caused by the activation of pre-existing defects, as opposed to that of new defect generation, is both reversible and exhibits a tendency to saturate through the duration of stress. By using the multi-phonon assisted charge transport description, it is demonstrated that the trap activation concept allows reproducing a variety of experimental results including stress time dependency of the threshold v...

Grating-gate tunable plasmon absorption in InP and GaN based HEMTs

Gate-voltage tunable plasmon resonances in the two dimensional electron gas of high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) fabricated from the InGaAs/InP and AlGaN/GaN materials systems are reported. Gates were in the form of a grating to couple normally incident THz radiation into 2D plasmons. Narrow-band resonant absorption of THz radiation was observed in transmission for both systems in the frequency range 10 - 100 cm-1. The fundamental and harmonic resonances shift toward lower frequencies with negative gate bias. Calculated spectra based on the theory developed for MOSFETs by Schaich, Zheng, and McDonald (1990) agree well with the GaN results, but significant differences for the InGaAs/InP device suggest that modification of the theory may be required for HEMTs in some circumstances.