High-Speed Room Temperature Terahertz Detectors Based on InP Double Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors

Compact and fast detectors, for imaging and wireless communication applications, require efficient rectification of electromagnetic radiation with frequencies approaching 1 THz and modulation bandwidth up to a few tens of GHz. This can be obtained only by using a mature technology allowing monolithic integration of detectors with low-noise amplifiers. One of the best candidates is indium phosphide bipolar transistor (InP HBT) technology. In this work, we report on room temperature high sensitivity terahertz detection by InP double-heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) operating in a large frequency range (0.25-3.1 THz). The performances of the DHBTs as terahertz sensors for communications were evaluated showing the modulation bandwidth of investigated DHBTs close to 10 GHz.