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Register a new userUnveiling the detection dynamics of semiconductor nanowire photodetectors by terahertz near-field nanoscopy
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Added by
Eva Arianna Aurelia Pogna
Publication date
2020
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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Semiconductor nanowire field-effect transistors represent a promising platform for the development of room-temperature (RT) terahertz (THz) frequency light detectors due to the strong nonlinearity of their transfer characteristics and their remarkable combination of low noise-equivalent powers (< 1 nW/Hz$^{1/2}$) and high responsivities (> 100 V/W). Nano-engineering a NW photodetector combining high sensitivity with high speed (sub-ns) in the THz regime at RT is highly desirable for many frontier applications in quantum optics and nanophotonics, but this requires a clear understanding of the origin of the photo-response. Conventional electrical and optical measurements, however, cannot unambiguously determine the dominant detection mechanism due to inherent device asymmetry that allows different processes to be simultaneously activated. Here, we innovatively capture snapshots of the photo-response of individual InAs nanowires via high spatial resolution (35 nm) THz photocurrent nanoscopy. By coupling a THz quantum cascade laser to scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and monitoring both electrical and optical readouts, we simultaneously measure transport and scattering properties. The spatially resolved electric response provides unambiguous signatures of photo-thermoelectric or bolometric currents whose interplay is discussed as a function of photon density and material doping, therefore providing a route to engineer photo-responses by design.
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Superconducting quantum circuits are one of the leading quantum computing platforms. To advance superconducting quantum computing to a point of practical importance, it is critical to identify and address material imperfections that lead to decoherence. Here, we use terahertz Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM) to probe the local dielectric properties and carrier concentrations of wet-etched aluminum resonators on silicon, one of the most characteristic components of the superconducting quantum processors. Using a recently developed vector calibration technique, we extract the THz permittivity from spectroscopy in proximity to the microwave feedline. Fitting the extracted permittivity to the Drude model, we find that silicon in the etched channel has a carrier concentration greater than buffer oxide etched silicon and we explore post-processing methods to reduce the carrier concentrations. Our results show that near-field THz investigations can be applied to quantitatively evaluate and identify potential loss channels in quantum devices.
Counting rate is a key parameter of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD) and is determined by the current recovery time of an SNSPD after a detection event. We propose a new method to study the transient detection efficiency (DE) and pulse amplitude during the current recovery process by statistically analyzing the single photon response of an SNSPD under photon illumination with a high repetition rate. The transient DE results match well with the DEs deduced from the static current dependence of DE combined with the waveform of a single-photon detection event. This proves that the static measurement results can be used to analyze the transient current recovery process after a detection event. The results are relevant for understanding the current recovery process of SNSPDs after a detection event and for determining the counting rate of SNSPDs.
We probe the local detection efficiency in a nanowire superconducting single-photon detector along the cross-section of the wire with a spatial resolution of 10 nm. We experimentally find a strong variation in the local detection efficiency of the device. We demonstrate that this effect explains previously observed variations in NbN detector efficiency as function of device geometry.
The acronym IBIC (Ion Beam Induced Charge) was coined in early 1990s to indicate a scanning microscopy technique which uses MeV ion beams as probes to image the basic electronic properties of semiconductor materials and devices. Since then, IBIC has become a widespread analytical technique to characterize materials for electronics or for radiation detection, as testified by more than 200 papers published so far in peer-reviewed journals. Its success stems from the valuable information IBIC can provide on charge transport phenomena occurring in finished devices, not easily obtainable by other analytical techniques. However, IBIC analysis requires a robust theoretical background to correctly interpret experimental data. In order to illustrate the importance of using a rigorous mathematical formalism, we present in this paper a benchmark IBIC experiment aimed to test the validity of the interpretative model based on the Gunns theorem and to provide an example of the analytical capability of IBIC to characterize semiconductor devices.
Intense terahertz (THz) electromagnetic fields have been utilized to reveal a variety of extremely nonlinear optical effects in many materials through nonperturbative driving of elementary and collective excitations. However, such nonlinear photoresponses have not yet been discovered in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), letting alone employing them as fast, cost effective,compact, and room-temperature-operating THz detectors and cameras. Here we report ubiquitously available LEDs exhibited gigantic and fast photovoltaic signals with excellent signal-to-noise ratios when being illuminated by THz field strengths >50 kV/cm. We also successfully demonstrated THz-LED detectors and camera prototypes. These unorthodox THz detectors exhibited high responsivities (>1 kV/W) with response time shorter than those of pyroelectric detectors by four orders of magnitude. The detection mechanism was attributed to THz-field-induced nonlinear impact ionization and Schottky contact. These findings not only help deepen our understanding of strong THz field-matter interactions but also greatly contribute to the applications of strong-field THz diagnosis.
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