A terahertz plasmon cavity detector

Sensitivity of a plasmonic detector is enhanced by integrating a broadband log-periodic antenna with a two-dimensional plasma cavity that is defined by source, drain, and multiple gates of a GaAs/AlGaAs high electron mobility transistor. Both narrow-band terahertz detection and a rich harmonic spectrum are evident. With a bolometric sensor in the channel, we report responsivity, on resonance at 235-240 GHz and at 20 K, of up to 7 kV/W and a noise equivalent power of 5 x 10(-10) W/Hz(1/2). (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3513339]