Current-injection pumping in graphene makes carrier population inversion enabling lasing and/or amplification of terahertz (THz) radiation. We have recently demonstrated single-mode THz lasing at 100K in graphene-channel transistor laser structures. Introduction of a gated double-graphene-layered (G-DGL) van der Waals heterostructure is a promising route to further increase the operation temperature and radiation intensity via plasmon- and/or photon-assisted quantummechanical tunneling. We have proposed a cascading of the G-DGL unit element working as a new type of THz quantumcascade lasers. Numerical analyses demonstrate further increase of the quantum efficiency of THz lasing by orders of magnitude compared to a transistor or single G-DGL structure.
Linear and gapless energy spectrum of graphene carriers enables population inversion under optical and electrical pumping. We first theoretically discovered this phenomenon and demonstrated experimental observation of single-mode THz lasing with rather weak intensity at 100K in current-injection pumped graphene-channel field-effect transistors (GFETs). We introduce graphene surface plasmon polariton (SPP) instability to substantially boost the THz gain. We demonstrate our experimental observation of giant amplification of THz radiation at 300K stimulated by graphene plasmon instabilities in asymmetric dual-grating gate (ADGG) GFETs. Integrating the graphene SPP amplifier into a GFET laser will be a promising solution towards room-temperature intense THz lasing.
This paper reviews recent advances in the terahertz (THz) graphene-based 2D-heterostructure lasers and amplifiers. The linear gapless graphene energy spectrum enables population inversion under optical and electrical pumping giving rise to the negative dynamic conductivity in a wide THz frequency range. We first theoretically discovered these phenomena and recently reported on the experimental observation of the amplified spontaneous THz emission and single-mode THz lasing at 100K in the current-injection pumped graphene-channel field-effect transistors (GFETs) with a distributedfeedback dual-gate structure. We also observed the light amplification of stimulated emission of THz radiation driven by graphene-plasmon instability in the asymmetric dual-grating gate (ADGG) GFETs by using a THz time-domain spectroscopy technique. Integrating the graphene surface plasmon polariton (SPP) oscillator into a current-injection graphene THz laser transistor is the most promising approach towards room-temperature intense THz lasing.
This paper reviews recent advancement on the research toward graphene-based terahertz (THz) lasers. Optical and/or injection pumping of graphene can enable negative-dynamic conductivity in the THz spectral range, which may lead to new types of THz lasers. A forward-biased graphene structure with a lateral p-i-n junction was implemented in a distributed-feedback (DFB) dual-gate graphene-channel FET and observed a single mode emission at 5.2 THz at 100K. The observed spectral linewidth fairly agrees with the modal gain analysis based on DFB-Fabry-Perrot hybrid-cavitymode modeling. Although the results obtained are still preliminary level, the observed emission could be interpreted as THz lasing in population-inverted graphene by carrier-injection.
We study instability of plasmons in a dual-grating-gate graphene field-effect transistor induced by dc current injection using self-consistent simulations with the Boltzmann equation. With ultimately high-quality graphene where the electron scattering is only limited by acoustic phonons, it is demonstrated that a total growth rate of the plasmon instability, with the terahertz/mid-infrared range of the frequency, can exceed 4 X 1012 s-1 at room temperature, which is an order of magnitude larger than in two-dimensional electron gases based on usual semiconductors. We show that the giant total growth rate originates from cooperative promotion of the so-called Dyakonov-Shur and Ryzhii-Satou-Shur instabilities.
We study theoretically and experimentally the plasmonic THz detection by the asymmetric dual-grating-gate HEMT at room temperature without source-to-drain bias. We derive the analytical expressions of photocurrents due to the plasmonic drag and ratchet effects, and we discuss about their frequency dependences. We also compare the theory to the experimentally obtained frequency dependence. It is demonstrated that they agree qualitatively well.
This paper reviews recent advances in the research and development toward the graphene-based terahertz (THz) lasers. Mass-less Dirac Fermions of electrons and holes in gapless and linear symmetric band structures in graphene enable a gain in a wide THz frequency range under optical or electrical pumping. The excitation of the surface plasmon polaritons in the population-inverted graphene dramatically enhances the THz gain. Photon-emission-assisted resonant tunneling in a double-graphene-layered nano-capacitor structure also strongly enhances the THz gain. Novel graphene-based heterostructures using these physical mechanisms for the current-injection driven THz lasing are discussed. Their superior gain-spectral properties are analyzed and the laser cavity structures for the graphene THz laser implementation are discussed.
This paper reviews recent advances in graphene plasmonic heterostructures for new types of terahertz lasers. We
theoretically discovered and experimentally manifested that the excitation of surface plasmons in population-inverted
graphene by the terahertz photons results in propagating surface plasmon polaritons with a giant gain in a wide terahertz
range. Furthermore, double graphene layer heterostructures consisting of a tunnel barrier insulator sandwiched with a
pair of gated graphene monolayers are introduced. Photoemission-assisted quantum-mechanical resonant tunneling can
be electrically tuned to meet a desired photon energy for lasing, resulting in enormous enhancement of the terahertz gain.
Current injection structures are also addressed.
Interband photoexcitation in monolayer graphene can produce a weak gain in the terahertz range by only up to 2.3%, but
exciting the surface plasmon polaritons mediates the light-matter interaction, resulting in a giant terahertz gain.
Nonlinear carrier relaxation/recombination dynamics and resultant stimulated terahertz (THz) photon emission with
excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in photoexcited monolayer graphene has been experimentally studied
using optical-pump/THz-probe and optical-probe measurement. We observed the spatial distribution of the THz probe
pulse intensities under linear polarization of optical pump and THz probe pulses. It was clearly observed that intense
THz probe pulse was detected only at the area where the incoming THz probe pulse takes a TM mode being capable of
exciting the SPPs. The observed gain factor is in fair agreement with theoretical calculations.
This paper reviews recent advances in graphene active plasmonics and their applications to terahertz lasers and sensors.
We theoretically discovered and experimentally manifested that when the carrier population in graphene is inverted the
excitation of graphene plasmons results in propagating surface plasmon polaritons with giant gain in a wide THz range.
Furthermore, when graphene is patterned in a microribbon array by grating gate metallization, the structure provides
super-radiant plasmonic lasing with giant gain as well as ultrahigh sensitive detection at the plasmon modes in a wide
THz frequency range.
The recent advances in emission and detection of terahertz radiation using two-dimensional (2-D) plasmons in semiconductor nanoheterostructures for nondestructive evaluations are reviewed. The 2-D plasmon resonance is introduced as the operation principle for broadband emission and detection of terahertz radiation. The device structure is based on a high-electron-mobility transistor and incorporates the authors’ original asymmetrically interdigitated dual-grating gates. Excellent THz emission and detection performances are experimentally demonstrated by using InAlAs/InGaAs/InP and/or InGaP/InGaAs/GaAs heterostructure material systems. Their applications to nondestructive material evaluation based on THz imaging are also presented.
This paper reviews recent advances in graphene active plasmonic metamaterials for new types of terahertz lasers. We
theoretically discovered that when the population of Dirac Fermionic carriers in graphene are inverted by optical or
electrical pumping the excitation of graphene plasmons by the THz photons results in propagating surface plasmon
polaritons with giant gain in a wide THz range. Furthermore, when graphene is patterned in a micro- or nano-ribbon
array by grating gate metallization, the structure acts as an active plasmonic metamaterial, providing a super-radiant
plasmonic lasing with giant gain at the plasmon modes in a wide THz frequency range.
This paper reviews recent advances in emission and detection of terahertz radiation using two dimensional (2D) plasmons in semiconductor nano-heterostructures for nondestructive evaluations. The 2D plasmon resonance is introduced as the operation principle for broadband emission and detection of terahertz radiation. The device structure is based on a high-electron mobility transistor and incorporates the authors’ original asymmetrically interdigitated dual grating gates. Excellent terahertz emission and detection performances are experimentally demonstrated by using InAlAs/InGaAs/InP and/or InGaP/InGaAs/GaAs heterostructure material systems. Their applications to nondestructive material evaluation based on terahertz imaging are also presented.
The concept of THz detection based on excitation of plasma waves in two-dimensional electron gas in Si FETs is
one of the most attractive ones, as it makes possible the development of the large-scale integrated devices based
on a conventional microelectronic technology including on-chip antennas and readout devices integration. In this
work we report on investigations of Terahertz detectors based on low-cost silicon technology field effect
transistors and asymmetric unit cell double grating gate field effect transistor. Double-grating-gate field-effect
transistors have a great potential as terahertz detectors. This is because the double grating gate serves not only for
carrier density tuning but also as an efficient THz radiation coupler. In this paper, we present characterization of
these transistors using high magnetic fields. Low and high magnetic field data are used to determine the electron
mobility and electron concentration, respectively, in different parts of the transistor channel. We show that
detectors, consisting of a coupling antenna and a n-MOS field effect transistor as rectifying element, are efficient
for THz detection and imaging. We demonstrate that in the atmospheric window around 300 GHz, these detectors
can achieve a record noise equivalent power below 10 pW/Hz0.5 and responsivity above 90 kV/W once integrated
with on-chip amplifier. We show also that they can be used in a very wide frequency range: from ~0.2 THz up to
1.1 THz. THz detection by Si FETs paves the way towards high sensitivity silicon technology based focal plane
arrays for THz imaging.
We report on ultrahigh sensitive, broadband terahertz (THz) detectors based on asymmetric double-grating-gate (A-DGG)
high electron mobility transistors, demonstrating a record responsivity of 2.2 kV/W at 1 THz with a superior low
noise equivalent power of 15 pW/√Hz using InGaAs/InAlAs/InP material systems. When THz radiation is absorbed
strong THz photocurrent is first generated by the nonlinearity of the plasmon modes resonantly excited in undepleted
portions of the 2D electron channel under the high-biased sub-grating of the A-DGG, then the THz photovoltaic response
is read out at high-impedance parts of 2D channel under the other sub-grating biased at the level close to the threshold.
Extraordinary enhancement by more than two orders of magnitude of the responsivity is verified with respect to that for
a symmetric DGG structure.
In this work, the performance of InP-based HEMTs as a THz detector was experimentally studied. The nature
of the THz rectification by the two-dimensional plasmons in which the DC drain current variation ΔId becomes
maximal around the threshold voltage was observed. Based on the imaging measurement, it was confirmed
that our HEMTs device can work for sensitive THz imaging at 0.3 THz. The directivity of the detector was
characterized with the maximum responsivity of 26.1 V/W at θ = 160 degrees.
This paper reviews recent advances in emission and detection of terahertz (THz) radiation utilizing two-dimensional
plasmons in semiconductor heterostructures and their possible sensing and spectroscopic applications. The device is
introduced as a light source into a Fourier-transform THz spectrometer. Water-vapor absorption lines as well as
fingerprints of honey and maple syrup of sugar-group materials were successfully observed. Absolute sensitivity
characteristics and detection polarization are also presented, showing the possibility of new highly efficient THz
detectors.
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