We report on the resonant, voltage tunable emission of terahertz radiation (0.4–1.0 THz) from a gated two-dimensional electron gas in a 60 nm InGaAs high electron mobility transistor. The emission is interpreted as resulting from a current driven plasma instability leading to oscillations in the transistor channel (Dyakonov–Shur instability).

Graphene is a one-atom-thick planar sheet of a honeycomb carbon crystal. Its gapless and linear energy spectra of electrons and holes lead to nontrivial features such as giant carrier mobility and broadband flat optical response. In this paper, recent advances in graphene-based devices in terahertz science and technology are reviewed. First, the fundamental basis of the optoelectronic properties of graphene is introduced. Second, synthesis and crystallographic characterization of graphene material are described, particularly focused on the authors' original heteroepitaxial graphene-on-silicon technology. Third, nonequilibrium carrier relaxation and recombination dynamics in optically or electrically pumped graphene are described to introduce a possibility of negative-dynamic conductivity in a wide terahertz range. Fourth, recent theoretical advances towards the creation of current-injection graphene terahertz lasers are described. Fifth, the unique terahertz dynamics of the two-dimensional plasmons in graphene are described. Finally, the advantages of graphene devices for terahertz applications are summarized.

Plasmonic terahertz detection by a double-grating gate field-effect transistor structure with an asymmetric unit cell is studied theoretically. Detection responsivity exceeding 8 kV/W at room temperature in the photovoltaic response mode is predicted for strong asymmetry of the structure unit cell. This value of the responsivity is an order of magnitude greater than reported previously for the other types of uncooled plasmonic terahertz detectors. Such enormous responsivity can be obtained without using any supplementary antenna elements because the double-grating gate acts as an aerial matched antenna that effectively couples the incoming terahertz radiation to plasma oscillations in the structure channel.

Strong plasmon resonances have been observed in the terahertz transmission spectra (1–5 THz) of large-area slit-grating-gate AlGaN/GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) structures at temperatures from 10 to 170 K. The resonance frequencies correspond to the excitation of plasmons with wave vectors equal to the reciprocal lattice vectors of the metal grating, which serves both as a gate electrode for the HEMT and a coupler between plasmons and incident terahertz radiation. Wide tunability of the resonances by the applied gate voltage demonstrates potential of these devices for terahertz applications.

Recent advances in emission and detection of terahertz radiation using two-dimensional (2D) electron systems in III-V semiconductors and graphene are described. First the 2D plasmon resonance is presented to demonstrate intense broadband terahertz emission and detection from InGaP/InGaAs/GaAs and InAlAs/InGaAs/InP material systems. The device structure is based on a high-electron mobility transistor and incorporates the author's original asymmetrically interdigitated dual-grating gates. Second topic focuses on graphene, a monolayer carbon-atomic honeycomb lattice crystal, exhibiting peculiar carrier transport and optical properties owing to massless and gapless energy spectrum. Theoretical and experimental studies toward the creation of graphene terahertz injection lasers are described.

We propose a novel concept of terahertz lasing based on stimulated generation of plasmons in a planar array of graphene resonant micro/nanocavities strongly coupled to terahertz radiation. Due to the strong plasmon confinement and superradiant nature of terahertz emission by the array of plasmonic nanocavities, the amplification of terahertz waves is enhanced by many orders of magnitude at the plasmon resonance frequencies. We show that the lasing regime is ensured by the balance between the plasmon gain and plasmon radiative damping.