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CMOS-Compatible Room-Temperature Rectifier Toward Terahertz Radiation Detection

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Abstract

In this paper, we present a new rectifying device, compatible with the technology of CMOS image sensors, suitable for implementing a direct-conversion detector operating at room temperature for operation at up to terahertz frequencies. The rectifying device can be obtained by introducing some simple modifications of the charge-storage well in conventional CMOS integrated circuits, making the proposed solution easy to integrate with the existing imaging systems. The rectifying device is combined with the different elements of the detector, composed of a 3D high-performance antenna and a charge-storage well. In particular, its position just below the edge of the 3D antenna takes maximum advantage of the high electric field concentrated by the antenna itself. In addition, the proposed structure ensures the integrity of the charge-storage well of the detector. In the structure, it is not necessary to use very scaled and costly technological nodes, since the CMOS transistor only provides the necessary integrated readout electronics. On-wafer measurements of RF characteristics of the designed junction are reported and discussed. The overall performances of the entire detector in terms of noise equivalent power (NEP) are evaluated by combining low-frequency measurements of the rectifier with numerical simulations of the 3D antenna and the semiconductor structure at 1 THz, allowing prediction of the achievable NEP.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Aptina for allowing the realization of the test structure in the state-of-the-art CMOS IS technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information Engineering, Electronics, Telecommunications, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Volha Varlamava, Stefano Perticaroli, Rosario Rao & Fabrizio Palma

  2. LFoundry, Avezzano, Italy

    Giovanni De Amicis & Andrea Del Monte

Authors
  1. Volha Varlamava
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  2. Giovanni De Amicis
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  3. Andrea Del Monte
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  4. Stefano Perticaroli
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  5. Rosario Rao
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  6. Fabrizio Palma
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Correspondence to Volha Varlamava.

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Varlamava, V., De Amicis, G., Del Monte, A. et al. CMOS-Compatible Room-Temperature Rectifier Toward Terahertz Radiation Detection. J Infrared Milli Terahz Waves 37, 737–752 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-016-0265-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-016-0265-x

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