Low temperature grown photoconductive antennas for pulsed 1060 nm excitation: Influence of excess energy on the electron relaxation

We investigate properties of MBE grown photoconductive terahertz (THz) antennas based on the InGaAs/InAlAs/InP material system aimed for an excitation wavelength of approx. 1060 nm. Therefore, we analyze several different approaches concerning growth parameters, layer and material compositions as well as doping. The carrier dynamics are probed via transient white-light pump-probe spectroscopy as well as THz Time Domain Spectroscopy (TDS) measurements. We find that the electron capture probability is reduced for higher electron energies. By adjusting the material band gap this can be resolved and lifetimes of 1.3 ps are obtained. These short lifetimes enable the detection of THz TDS spectra with a bandwidth exceeding 4 THz.