Nanometric CMOS-SOI-NEMS Transistor for Uncooled THz Sensing

This paper reports the design (electrical, mechanical, and thermal), fabrication technology by post-complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) nano-machining, and characterization of CMOS-silicon on insulator (SOI)-nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) transistors fabricated in 180-nm technology. The thermally isolated, nanomachined CMOS-SOI-NEMS transistor reported here is designed for monolithic uncooled passive terahertz sensing and is dubbed TeraMOS, while the fabrication technology is dubbed CMOST. With responsivity of similar to 0.5 A/W, noise equivalent power (NEP) of the order of NEP/root Hzi1Hz = 7.8 pW/root Hz, D* of 0.34.10(10) cm root Hz/Watt, and evaluated noise equivalent temperature difference of similar to 1.25 K, this uncooled THz sensor in standard CMOS-SOI technology may enable monolithic uncooled passive THz imagers.