Antenna Enhanced Graphene THz Emitter and Detector

Recent intense electrical and optical studies of graphene have pushed the material to the forefront of optoelectronic research. Of particular interest is the few terahertz (THz) frequency regime where efficient light sources and highly sensitive detectors are very challenging to make. Here we present THz sources and detectors made with graphene field effect transistors (GFETs) enhanced by a double-patch antenna and an on-chip silicon lens. We report the first experimental observation of 1–3 THz radiation from graphene, as well as more than 3 orders of magnitude performance improvements in a half-edge-contacted GFET thermoelectric detector operating at ∼2 THz. The quantitative analysis of the emitting power and its unusual charge density dependence indicate significant nonthermal noise contribution from the GFET. The polarization resolved detection measurements with different illumination geometries allow for detailed and quantitative analysis of various factors that contribute to the overall detector performance. Our experimental results represent a significant advance toward practically useful graphene THz devices.