Resonant plasmonic detection of terahertz radiation in field-effect transistors with the graphene channel and the black-As $$_x$$ x P $$_{1-x}$$ 1 - x gate layer

Abstract

Abstract We propose the terahertz (THz) detectors based on field-effect transistors (FETs) with the graphene channel (GC) and the black-Arsenic (b-As) black-Phosphorus (b-P), or black-Arsenic-Phosphorus (b-As $$_x$$ x P $$_{1-x}$$ 1 - x ) gate barrier layer. The operation of the GC-FET detectors is associated with the carrier heating in the GC by the THz electric field resonantly excited by incoming radiation leading to an increase in the rectified current between the channel and the gate over the b-As $$_x$$ x P $$_{1-x}$$ 1 - x energy barrier layer (BLs). The specific feature of the GC-FETs under consideration is relatively low energy BLs and the possibility to optimize the device characteristics by choosing the barriers containing a necessary number of the b-As $$_x$$ x P $$_{1-x}$$ 1 - x atomic layers and a proper gate voltage. The excitation of the plasma oscillations in the GC-FETs leads to the resonant reinforcement of the carrier heating and the enhancement of the detector responsivity. The room temperature responsivity can exceed the values of $$10^3$$ 10 3 A/W. The speed of the GC-FET detector’s response to the modulated THz radiation is determined by the processes of carrier heating. As shown, the modulation frequency can be in the range of several GHz at room temperatures.