Title: 

THz Sensing

Presenter: 

Professor Michael Shur, RPI, USA: 

Michael Shur is Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts Professor at RPI. He received MSEE Degree (with honors) from St. Petersburg Electrotechnical Institute, and PhD. and Dr. Sc. Degrees from A. F. Ioffe Institute. He is Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors, IEEE, APS, OSA, SPIE, ECS, IET, MRS, WIF, AAAS, and Member of Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, ASEE, MTT, Sigma Xi, and Humboldt Society. Professor Shur served as Member-at-Large of the IEEE EDS Board of Governors, Vice-President of IEEE Sensors Council, Chair of the URSI US Commission D, and Associate Editor of IEEE ED Transactions. He is Editor-in-Chief of IJHSES and book series on Electronics and Systems, Member of the Editorial Board of physica status solidi, the Honorary Board of Solid State Electronics, and JSTS International Advisory Committee. He is Foreign Member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE EDS and IEEE Sensors Council. Dr. Shur is a co-founder and a former Vice-President of Sensor Electronics Technology, Inc. He received Tibbetts Award for Technology Commercialization, St. Petersburg Technical University and University of Vilnius Honorary Doctorates, IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award, IEEE Donald Fink Best Paper Award, IEEE Kirchmayer Award, Gold Medal of the Russian Education Ministry, van der Ziel Award, Senior Humboldt Research Award, Pioneer Award, RPI Engineering Research and Outstanding Engineering Professor Award, Wiley Award, and several Best Paper Awards.

Abstract:

Terahertz sensing is enabling technology for detection of biological and chemical hazardous agents, cancer detection, detection of mines and explosives, providing security in buildings, airports, and other public space, short-range covert communications (in THz and sub-THz windows), and applications in radioastronomy and space research. This tutorial will review the-state-of-the-art of existing THz sources, detectors, sensing systems, and applications.

Most existing terahertz sources have low power and rely on optical means of the terahertz radiation. THz quantum cascade lasers using over thousand alternating layers of gallium arsenide and aluminum gallium arsenide have achieved high THz powers generated by optical means. Improved designs and using quantum dot medium for THz laser cavities are expected to result in improved THz laser performance. Large THz powers are generated using free electron lasers or THz vacuum tubes.

High speed electronic devices (Schottky diodes, FETs and HBTs) have reached the THz range. A new approach called plasma wave electronics recently demonstrated terahertz emission and detection in GaAs-based and GaN-based HEMTs and in Si MOS, SOI, and FINFETs and in FET arrays, including the resonant THz detection.