Introduction To Terahertz Electronics

This book provides a practical guide to terahertz electronics, especially for readers with an electronics background. The author guides readers through the all the key concepts of terahertz electronics, including terahertz sources, detectors, and waveguides, together with reviews on key terahertz applications on spectroscopy, imaging, communication, and radar. This book will serve as a handy reference for graduate students and engineers in the field of terahertz with a viewpoint from electronics. Presents the topic of terahertz from electronics viewpoint; Designed to be particularly helpful for the readers familiar with semiconductor devices and circuits; Enables optics-based terahertz researchers to understand terahertz electronics; Based on the author's extensive experience from both industry and academia.

This book provides a practical guide to terahertz electronics, especially for readers with an electronics background. The author guides readers through the all the key concepts of terahertz electronics, including terahertz sources, detectors, and waveguides, together with reviews on key terahertz applications on spectroscopy, imaging, communication, and radar. This book will serve as a handy reference for graduate students and engineers in the field of terahertz with a viewpoint from electronics. Presents the topic of terahertz from electronics viewpoint; Designed to be particularly helpful for the readers familiar with semiconductor devices and circuits; Enables optics-based terahertz researchers to understand terahertz electronics; Based on the author’s extensive experience from both industry and academia.

Terahertz (THz) radiation, which is electromagnetic radiation in a frequency int- val from 0.3 to 10 THz (1 mm–30 ?m wavelength), is the next frontier in science and technology. This band occupies a large portion of the electromagnetic sp- trum between the infrared and microwave bands. Basic research, new initiatives, and developments in advanced sensing and imaging technology with regard to the THz band remain unexplored compared to the relatively well-developed science and technology in the microwave and optical frequencies. Historically, THz technologies were used mainly within the astronomy c- munity for studying the background of cosmic far-infrared radiation, and by the laser-fusion community for the diagnostics of plasmas. Since the ?rst demonstration of THz wave time-domain spectroscopy in the late 1980s, there has been a series of signi?cant advances (particularly in recent years) as more intense THz sources and higher sensitivity detectors provide new opportunities for understanding the basic science in the THz frequency range.

The book describes distinctive features of the terahertz radiation interaction with various materials, including the Earth’s atmosphere, liquids, dielectrics, superconductors, semiconductors, metals and 2D-structures. It discusses all types of terahertz sources, including lasers, photoconductive antennas, semiconductor diode and transistor generators and amplifiers, and considers terahertz band vacuum devices. The text offers a comparative analysis of these devices and their perspectivity in the terahertz band, and describes the basic types of terahertz detectors. Also investigated here are the reasons for the appearance of the so-called “terahertz gap” and the means of increasing working frequency and output power of the sources of terahertz radiation. The book also considers the electromagnetics and electron-optical systems of vacuum terahertz devices and their manufacturing technology.

The last research frontier in high frequency electronics now lies in the so-called THz (or submillimeter-wave) regime between the traditional microwave and infrared domains. Significant scientific and technical challenges within the terahertz (THz) frequency regime have recently motivated an array of new research activities. During the last few years, major research programs have emerged that are focused on advancing the state of the art in THz frequency electronic technology and on investigating novel applications of THz frequency sensing. This book serves as a detailed reference for the new THz frequency technological advances that are emerging across a wide spectrum of sensing and technology areas.

The last research frontier in high frequency electronics now lies in the so-called THz (or submillimeter-wave) regime between the traditional microwave and infrared domains. Significant scientific and technical challenges within the terahertz (THz) frequency regime have recently motivated an array of new research activities. During the last few years, major research programs have emerged that are focused on advancing the state of the art in THz frequency electronic technology and on investigating novel applications of THz frequency sensing. This book serves as a detailed reference for the new THz frequency technological advances that are emerging across a wide spectrum of sensing and technology areas. Contents: THz Technology: An Overview (P H Siegel); Two-Terminal Active Devices for Terahertz Sources (G I Haddad et al.); Multiplier and Harmonic Generator Technologies for Terahertz Applications (R M Weikle II et al.); Submicron InP-Based HBTs for Ultra-High Frequency Amplifiers (M Urteaga et al.); THz Generation by Photomixing in Ultrafast Photoconductors (E R Brown); Silicon-Germanium Quantum-Cascade Lasers (R W Kelsall & R A Soref); Plasma Wave Electronics (M S Shur & V Ryzhii); T-Ray Sensing and Imaging (S P Mickan & X-C Zhang); Multistatic Reflection Imaging with Terahertz Pulses (T D Dorney et al.). Readership: Undergraduates, graduate students, academics and researchers in electrical & electronic engineering.

Key advances in Semiconductor Terahertz (THz) Technology now promises important new applications enabling scientists and engineers to overcome the challenges of accessing the so-called "terahertz gap". This pioneering reference explains the fundamental methods and surveys innovative techniques in the generation, detection and processing of THz waves with solid-state devices, as well as illustrating their potential applications in security and telecommunications, among other fields. With contributions from leading experts, Semiconductor Terahertz Technology: Devices and Systems at Room Temperature Operation comprehensively and systematically covers semiconductor-based room temperature operating sources such as photomixers, THz antennas, radiation concepts and THz propagation as well as room-temperature operating THz detectors. The second part of the book focuses on applications such as the latest photonic and electronic THz systems as well as emerging THz technologies including: whispering gallery resonators, liquid crystals, metamaterials and graphene-based devices. This book will provide support for practicing researchers and professionals and will be an indispensable reference to graduate students in the field of THz technology. Key features: Includes crucial theoretical background sections to photomixers, photoconductive switches and electronic THz generation & detection. Provides an extensive overview of semiconductor-based THz sources and applications. Discusses vital technologies for affordable THz applications. Supports teaching and studying increasingly popular courses on semiconductor THz technology.

Graphene demonstrates interesting electrical, optical, and optoelectronic properties. A number of other one-atom-thick material structures have been discovered and studied. Industrially applicable technologies for these structures are currently under active development. In spite of enormous research in the area of devices based on graphene, the number of extensive review publications on THz devices based on graphene is small. This review volume would fill the gap. Researchers and engineers working in the fields of electronics and plasmonics can use it to understand the influence of plasmonics on device performance. The book can be also be used as a required text for doctorate courses and as a supplementary material for postgraduate courses. The material presented in the book is reviewed in detail in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 discusses the electronic and plasmonic properties of graphene and heterostructures based on graphene for all devices. Chapters 3–7 focus on the concepts of detectors and emitters with a special emphasis on plasmonic enhancement of those devices as well as on population inversion and lasing.