We report on terahertz wireless communication experiments at 0.2 THz, using a commercial GaAs field-effect-transistor as detector. For the first time, we will present the transmission of pseudo-random bit sequence at 0.2 THz using this commercial transistor and demonstrate open eye-patterns up to 1.5 Gbps. This transistor is integrated into a machined horn, so that its sensitivity is improved to 1 V/W, and has a 10 GHz cut-off frequency. We will discuss signal-to-noise ratio in the terahertz wireless data transmission.

We use two antenna model to develop a theory of the recently observed helicity-sensitive detection of terahertz radiation by FETs. The effect is due to the mixing of the ac signals produced in the channel by the two antennas. We obtain the helicity-dependent part of the photoresponse and its dependence on the antenna impedance, gate length, and gate voltage. © (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Cyclotron resonance (CR) study of HgCdTe-based quantum wells with both inverted and normal band structures in quantizing magnetic fields was performed. In normal-band sample in addition to electron CR transitions a strong absorption line presumably related to impurity transitions was discovered. Anticrossing of electron and hole Landau levels was observed in inverted-band sample. In semimetallic HgTe quantum wells with inverted band structure, a hole CR line was observed for the first The obtained results were interpreted within the Kane 8 × 8 model, the valence band offset of CdTe and HgTe, and the Kane parameter EP being adjusted.

Nanometer size field effect transistors can operate as efficient resonant or broadband terahertz detectors, mixers, phase shifters and frequency multipliers at frequencies far beyond their fundamental cut-of frequency. This work is an overview of some recent results concerning the low temperatures operation, linearity, and circular polarization studies of nanometer scale field effect transistors for the detection of terahertz radiation. Also first results on graphene transistors are discussed. © (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Magnetospectroscopy of HgTe Based Topological Insulators

We investigate experimentally transport in gated microsctructures containing a band-inverted HgTe/Hg0.3Cd0.7Te quantum well. Measurements of nonlocal resistances using many contacts prove that in the depletion regime the current is carried by the edge channels, as expected for a two-dimensional topological insulator. However, high and nonquantized values of channel resistances show that the topological protection length (i.e., the distance on which the carriers in helical edge channels propagate without backscattering) is much shorter than the channel length, which is ∼100 μm. The weak temperature dependence of the resistance and the presence of temperature dependent reproducible quasiperiodic resistance fluctuations can be qualitatively explained by the presence of charge puddles in the well, to which the electrons from the edge channels are tunnel-coupled.

We report on a Terahertz magnetospectroscopy study of a set of five HgTe quantum wells of different thickness, from below to above the critical thickness d(c). In quantizing magnetic fields up to 11 T, both intraband and interband transitions have been observed. In samples with inverted band structures, we confirm the observation of the crossing avoiding of the zero-mode Landau levels at a critical value of the magnetic field. In samples with non-inverted band structures, close to the critical thickness, we report on the square root dependence of the intraband transition energy on the magnetic field, as expected in the single-particle model of massless Dirac fermions. The obtained results are compared with the allowed transition energies calculated using the 8 x 8 Kane model.