Sistema de blogs Diarium
Universidad de Salamanca
Tomás González
Áea de Electrónica - Departamento de Física Aplicada
 
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SA022U16

 

Junta de Castilla y León – Consejería de Educación (2016-2018)

Emisores y detectores de terahercios basados en nanodiodos semiconductores para comunicaciones e imagen médica y de seguridad

The THz band, corresponding to frequencies between microwaves and infrared in the electromagnetic spectrum, presents great possibilities for the development of new technologies in areas of great social interest, like communications, biomedicine, security, industrial control, etc. However, current THz sources, coming from optic and electronic fields, whether provide very little power or are not operative at room temperature, what limits the progress of such technologies. From the electronic side, efforts focus on the design of small size devices with the lowest possible parasitic effects working as THz detectors; and, what is more important, also able to operate as continuous wave room temperature sources of THz signals, providing enough power, with tunable frequency, of compact size and low cost.

The present project tackles this problem, and aims at the design, fabrication and characterization of THz emitters and detectors based on semiconductor planar nanodiodes using two different material systems, with InGaAs and GaN channels. The principle of detection will be the non-linearity of the diodes response, while emission will be achieved by the generation of Gunn oscillations. The reference operation frequency targeted in the project is 300 GHz, even if operation at higher frequencies will be explored.

The physical modelling of the devices will be carried out by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The design of circuits and waveguides where the devices will be assembled will be performed by means of commercial software tools (ADS, HFSS). Fabrication and characterization of the devices will take place at the facilities of the NANOLAB from the University of Salamanca, cluster of laboratories recently launched, which comprises a clean room, and RF and THz characterization laboratories. Once the correct performance of the devices is checked, they will be assembled in modules, which, with the collaboration of the company MC2-Technologies, will be employed in tests for three specific applications: ultrafast communications, medical and security imaging.

 

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