Resonant Bolometric Detection of Broadband Terahertz Signals

Bolometric detection of broadband terahertz radiation using a heterostructure consisting of a sequence of conducting and dielectric layers of a doped and undoped semiconductor (gallium arsenide, germanium) is discussed. This structure comprises a photonic crystal with allowed and forbidden (absorption and transmission) bands. By choosing the thicknesses of the conducting and nonconducting layers and the doping levels, it is possible to form spectral intervals of effective absorption, which allows one to detect pulses in the range of frequencies of ≥10 12 Hz with a spectral width on the order of the carrier frequency.