Frequency Multiplication in Terahertz Band Using AlGaN/GaN Plasmonic Crystals

The plasma oscillations in high-mobility field-effect transistors (HEMTs) have emerged as a key physical mechanism for manipulating electromagnetic radiation in the sub-terahertz (sub-THz) and THz frequency ranges. These collective electron excitations can be excited and tuned electrically, offering a compelling route to compact, integrable components for a wide range of next-generation technologies, including sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks, high-resolution biomedical and chemical spectroscopy, industrial process monitoring, and advanced security and defense systems. For these applications, plasmonic crystals — periodic arrays of many strongly coupled FET channels — are particularly promising. In this work, we report on a new class of collective excitations in plasmonic crystals, termed rotonic plasmons, which arise at plasmonic mode crossings and exhibit a parabolic dispersion law reminiscent of soft-mode and roton-like spectra. We show that uniform gate modulation across plasmonic crystal unit cells induces periodic variations in the sheet carrier concentration and, consequently, in the plasma frequency. This time-periodic modulation drives nonlinear plasmonic parametric resonances, enabling RF-to-THz conversion. By solving the generalized Mathieu equation with damping, we demonstrate that high-amplitude gate pumping enables frequency multiplication and, at cryogenic temperatures (77 K), leads to parametric instabilities due to enhanced electron mobility. In plasmonic crystals with lower mobility, RF-to-THz conversion can instead be realized via periodic short-pulse excitation, a regime we introduce as Time-Domain Frequency Multiplication (TDFM). Investigations of AlGaN/GaN low–high plasmonic crystals confirm their potential as tunable, compact THz sources.