TaIrTe₄ photodetectors show promise for sensitive room-temperature THz sensing

Summary

High-performance THz sensing based on the strong THz nonlinear electrodynamics in a layered correlated topological semimetals TaIrTe4. Credit: Xin (Zoe) Zou Terahertz radiation (THz), electromagnetic radiation with frequencies ranging between 0.1 and 10 THz, could be leveraged to develop various new technologies, including imaging and communication systems. So far, however, a lack of fast and sensitive detectors that can detect radiation across a wide range of frequencies has limited the development of these THz-sensing technologies. In a recent paper published in Nature Electronics, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Tennessee and other institutes have introduced new photodetectors made of tantalum iridium telluride (TaIrTe₄), a 2D-correlated topological semimetal that exhibits advantageous properties. Most notably, this material exhibits a strong nonlinear Hall effect, a physical effect that entails a transverse voltage in the absence of an external magnetic field, which is nonlinearly proportional to an applied electric field or current. "THz technology is critical in quantum information technology and biomedical sensing because its frequency resonates with low-energy collective excitations in quantum materials and molecular vibrations in biological matters," Jun Xiao, senior author of the paper, told Phys.org. "Moreover, the ultra-high bandwidth of the THz band could enable desired high-speed wireless communication. However, the widespread application of THz technologies has been hindered due to the lack of simultaneous sensitive, broadband, and fast THz detection in state-of-the-art detectors such as thermal bolometers and electronic Schottky diodes." Existing photodetectors capable of detecting THz radiation are either too slow, not sensitive enough, or only capable of detecting signals at some frequencies. Xiao and his colleagues thus set out to develop new photodetectors based on alternative materials, which could overcome ...