Characterization of a Bow-Tie Antenna Integrated UTC-Photodiode on Silicon Carbide for Terahertz Wave Generation

This work presents the fabrication and characterization of a bow-tie antenna integrated uni-traveling carrier photodiode (UTC-PD) on a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate for efficient terahertz (THz) wave generation. The proposed device exploits the superior thermal conductivity and mechanical robustness of SiC to overcome the self-heating limitations associated with conventional indium phosphide (InP)-based photodiodes. An epitaxial layer transfer technique was utilized to bond InP/InGaAs UTC-PD structures onto SiC. The study systematically examines the influence of critical geometric parameters, specifically the mesa diameter and length between the antenna arms, on the emitted THz intensity in the 300 GHz frequency band. Experimental results show that the THz radiation efficiency is primarily governed by the mesa diameter, reflecting the trade-off between light absorption, device capacitance, and bandwidth, while the length between the antenna arms exhibits only a weak influence within the investigated parameter range. The fabricated device demonstrates strong linearity between photocurrent and THz output power up to 7.5 mA, after which saturation occurs due to space-charge effects. This work provides crucial insights for optimizing SiC-based bow-tie antenna integrated UTC-PD devices to realize robust, high-power THz sources vital for future high-data-rate wireless communication systems such as beyond 5G and 6G networks.