Effect of optical phonons on the spectral shape of terahertz quantum-well photodetectors

We calculate the spectral response of a terahertz (THz) quantum-well photodetector designed for 7 THz detection peak frequency. We incorporate the effect of GaAs optical phonons which give rise to a strong absorption in the region of 34-36 meV and result in an increase in reflection due to the large refractive index (n) change around this region. Comparing the calculated spectral shape with experiments, we show the improvement over the standard expressions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.