Heterogeneous integration of terahertz electronics

Abstract: Compact heterodyne receivers operating in the terahertz range are needed for earth observation instruments, space science missions (e.g. ESA’s “Jupiter icy moons explorer - JUICE”) and in the millimeter wave region for ground-based applications such as security scanners. Existing terahertz heterodyne receivers are usually bulky due to complex hybrid integration and there is a strong need for a terahertz monolithic integration circuit (“TMIC”) platform that allows for higher circuit functionality, ease of assembly, and low loss at terahertz frequencies. Moreover, this part of the electromagnetic spectrum, where optical and microwave techniques meet, call for an integration scheme that can support both active THz electronics & photonics. A possible solution is heterogeneous integration of THz devices (III-V, graphene) on a silicon carrier, which also allows for advanced micromaching of passive components and interconnects such as waveguides and antennas. This talk provides an overview of research on integrated diode circuits for terahertz applications. Progress on heterogeneous integration of HBV multipliers and Schottky diode mixers on silicon substrates (SOI) will be presented