High Output Power Broadband 1.55 μm Waveguide-Integrated Terahertz MUTC-Photodiodes

Photonic generation of millimeter- and terahertz-waves (30 GHz - 10 THz) has gained increasing interest and photodiodes have become key components in this regard. Among other photodiode technologies, the uni-travelling carrier photodiode (UTC-PD) has been a breakthrough in reaching high speed and high output power simultaneously. Consequently, UTC-PDs have been employed in numerous photonic applications ranging from spectroscopic sensing to wireless communications. In this work, we present broadband waveguide-type modified uni-traveling-carrier photodiodes (MUTC-PDs) providing mW output power levels up to the terahertz range. The fabricated MUTC-PDs are indium phosphide (InP) based photodiodes with coplanar waveguide (CPW) outputs. Maximum output power levels measured by using a calorimeter (PM5B) at 30 GHz, 150 GHz and 320 GHz are +12.2 dBm, +6.1 dBm and −4.6 dBm, respectively.