Plasmonic and bolometric terahertz detection by graphene field-effect transistor

Polarization dependence analysis of back-gated graphene field-effect transistor terahertz responsivity at frequencies ranging from 1.63 to 3.11 THz reveals two independent mechanisms of THz detection by graphene transistor: plasmonic, associated with the transistor nonlinearity, and bolometric, caused by graphene sheet temperature increase due to THz radiation absorption. In the bolometric regime, electron and hole branches demonstrate a very different response to THz radiation, which we link to the asymmetry of the current-voltage characteristics temperature dependence with respect to the Dirac point. Obtained results are important for development of high-efficiency graphene THz detectors. (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.