SiGe Intersubband Detectors for Terahertz Communication and Sensing

Abstract

We report on the design and fabrication of THz detectors based on silicon germanium nanostructures grown by MBE to obtain intersubband transitions in the energy range from 4.1 meV to 4.1 meV (1 to 10 THz). The absorption and photoresponse was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and simulated using a 6 band k*p band structure calculation. A multistep SiGe quantum well structure was designed and fabricated to have transitions between two heavy hole (HH) states. The best device, SGC 439, had an absorption spectrum that agreed reasonably with the photocurrent spectrum and showed response peaks at 280 and 360/cm (8.4 THz and 10.8 THz) with the sample temperature at 77 K. It is concluded that SiGe quantum well devices are feasible as THz detectors.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA413737

Entities

People

  • J. Kolodzey

Organizations

  • University of Delaware

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption
  • Absorption Spectra
  • Band Structures
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Electronics
  • Energy Bands
  • Fermi Levels
  • Germanium
  • Infrared Spectroscopy
  • Materials
  • Quantum Wells
  • Semiconductors
  • Spectra
  • Spectroscopy
  • Terahertz Radiation
  • Transitions

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.
  • Spectroscopy.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Quantum Computing