Terahertz-Frequency Plasmonic-Crystal Instability in Field-Effect Transistors with Asymmetric Gate Arrays

TL;DR

This paper develops a theory predicting that asymmetric gate arrays in field-effect transistors can induce plasmonic crystal instabilities, enabling room-temperature THz emission with enhanced power due to coherent plasma oscillations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theoretical framework for plasmonic crystal instability in asymmetric gated transistors, highlighting potential for efficient THz radiation generation.

Findings

Bloch plasma waves exhibit Dyakonov-Shur instability across the Brillouin zone.

Structural asymmetry and electron drift velocity influence instability growth.

Potential for room-temperature, high-power THz emission via coherent plasma oscillations.

Abstract

We present a theory for plasmonic crystal instability in a semiconductor field-effect transistor with a dual grating gate, designed with strong asymmetry in the crystal elementary cell. Under the action of a dc current bias, we demonstrate that Bloch plasma waves in the resulting plasmonic crystal, formed in this transistor, develop the Dyakonov-Shur instability across the entire Brillouin zone. By calculating the energy spectrum of the plasmonic crystal and its instability increments, we analyze the dependence of the latter on the electron drift velocity and the extent of the structural asymmetry. Our results point to the possibility of exciting radiating steady-state plasma oscillations at room temperature, in transistors with asymmetric gate arrays that should be readily implementable via standard nanofabrication techniques. Long-range coherence of the unstable plasma oscillations, generated in the elementary cells of the crystal, should dramatically increase the radiated THz electromagnetic power, making this approach a promising pathway to the generation of THz signals.