Fast and sensitive terahertz detection with a current-driven epitaxial-graphene asymmetric dual-grating-gate field-effect transistor structure

We designed and fabricated an epitaxial-graphene-channel field-effect transistor (EG-FET) featuring an asymmetric dual-grating-gate (ADGG) structure working as a current-driven terahertz detector and experimentally demonstrated a 10 ps-order fast response time and a high responsivity of 0.3 mA/W to 0.95 Terahertz (THz) radiation incidence at room temperature. The ADGG and drain–source bias dependencies of the measured photoresponse showed a clear transition between plasmonic detection under periodic electron density modulation conditions with depleted regions and photothermoelectric (PTE) detection under entirely highly doped conditions without depleted regions. We identified the PTE detection that we observed as a new type of unipolar mechanism in which only electrons or holes contribute to rectifying THz radiation under current-driven conditions. These two detection mechanisms coexisted over a certain wide transcendent range of the applied bias voltages. The temporal photoresponses of the plasmonic and PTE detections were clearly shown to be comparably fast on the order of 10 ps, whereas the maximal photoresponsivity of the PTE detection was almost twice as high as that of the plasmonic detection under applied bias conditions. These results suggest that the ADGG-EG-FET THz detector will be promising for use in 6G- and 7G-class high-speed wireless communication systems.