Dynamic effects in double graphene-layer structures with inter-layer resonant-tunneling negative conductivity

TL;DR

This paper investigates the dynamic behavior of double graphene-layer structures with resonant-tunneling and negative differential conductivity, demonstrating their potential for highly responsive terahertz radiation detection through plasma oscillation resonance.

Contribution

The study develops a model accounting for plasma oscillations and shows the stability and high responsivity of double-GL RT structures for THz detection.

Findings

Electron-hole plasma is stable against self-excitation.

Resonant plasma oscillations enhance detector responsivity.

Maximum responsivity can exceed 10^4 V/W at room temperature.

Abstract

We study the dynamic effects in the double graphene-layer (GL) structures with the resonant-tunneling (RT) and the negative differential inter-GL conductivity. Using the developed model, which accounts for the excitation of self-consistent oscillations of the electron and hole densities and the ac electric field between GLs (plasma oscillations), we calculate the admittance of the double-GL RT structures as a function of the signal frequency and applied voltages, and the spectrum and increment/decrement of plasma oscillations. Our results show that the electron-hole plasma in the double-GL RT structures with realistic parameters is stable with respect to the self-excitation of plasma oscillations and aperiodic perturbations. The stability of the electron-hole plasma at the bias voltages corresponding to the inter-GL RT and strong nonlinearity of the RT current-voltage characteristics enable using the double-GL RT structures for detection of teraherz (THz) radiation. The excitation of plasma oscillations by the incoming THz radiation can result in a sharp resonant dependence of detector responsivity on radiation frequency and the bias voltage. Due to a strong nonlinearity of the current-voltage characteristics of the double-GL structures at RT and the resonant excitation of plasma oscillations, the maximum responsivity, $R_V^{max}$, can markedly exceed the values $(10^4 - 10^5)$~V/W at room temperature.