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An on-chip near-field terahertz probe and detector

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Abstract

The advantageous properties of terahertz waves, such as their transmission through objects opaque to visible light, are attracting attention for imaging applications1,2. A promising approach for achieving high spatial resolution is the use of near-field imaging3,4. Although this method has been well established in the visible5,6 and microwave7,8 regions, it is challenging to perform in the terahertz region. In the terahertz techniques investigated to date9,10,11, detectors have been located remotely from the probe, which degrades sensitivity, and the influence of far-field waves is unavoidable. Here we present a new integrated detection device for terahertz near-field imaging in which all the necessary detection components—an aperture, a probe and a terahertz detector—are integrated on one semiconductor chip, which is cryogenically cooled. This scheme allows highly sensitive, high-resolution detection of the evanescent field alone and promises new capabilities for high-resolution terahertz imaging.

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Figure 1: Detector-integrated THz–NI device.
Figure 2: Numerical analysis of the THz electric-field distribution.
Figure 3: THz transmission signal as a function of the THz-NI device position.
Figure 4: Evaluation of the spatial resolution of the THz-NI device.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support from Japan Science and Technology Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Device Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan

    Yukio Kawano & Koji Ishibashi

  2. PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan

    Yukio Kawano

Authors
  1. Yukio Kawano
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  2. Koji Ishibashi
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Contributions

Y.K. performed the experimental work, calculations and project planning. K.I. dealt with wafer supply.

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Correspondence to Yukio Kawano.

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Kawano, Y., Ishibashi, K. An on-chip near-field terahertz probe and detector. Nature Photon 2, 618–621 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2008.157

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2008.157

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