Laser-enhanced 3D microstructured Weyl semimetal MoWTe<sub>2</sub> terahertz detector with room-temperature operation and 6G-compatible response

To address the critical challenges of insufficient light−matter interaction, high noise, and poor integration in traditional terahertz detectors, this paper proposes a laser-enhanced terahertz detector based on a 3D microstructure. The detector utilizes room-temperature Weyl semimetal MoWTe2 as the active layer and achieves monolithic integration on a silicon substrate, with core innovations including: (i) employing MoWTe2 as the active layer to enable efficient terahertz absorption and high carrier mobility at room temperature, eliminating the need for cryogenic cooling; (ii) fabricating a 3D rotating rectangular array microstructure on a silicon wafer via sub-pixel micro-scan micro-nano 3D printing technology to excite strong localized surface plasmon (LSP) effects — these effects confine terahertz fields at the subwavelength scale and synergistically enhance light-matter interaction with the topological metasurface effect; and (iii) introducing external laser fields to modulate carrier dynamics via the photoelectric effect and Floquet topological states, thereby further boosting detector performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the detector exhibits exceptional room-temperature performance: responsivity (Ra) reaches 41.96 A/W, noise-equivalent power (NEP) is as low as 11.86 pW/Hz1/2, detectivity (D*) maximizes at 26.67 × 109 cm·Hz1/2/W, the ultrafast carrier transit time is 0.4 picoseconds, and the broad spectral response width is 0.65 THz (covering the 6G communication band). Additionally, the silicon-based fabrication process is fully compatible with CMOS technology, facilitating high integration and large-scale production. This work provides a novel solution for the practical application of terahertz technology in 6G communication, real-time imaging, and high-sensitivity sensing.

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Publication Details

Journal
Frontiers of Physics
Published
2025-10-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.15302/frontphys.2026.044202
Primary Topic
Respiratory Support and Mechanisms
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Laser-enhanced 3D microstructured Weyl semimetal MoWTe2 terahertz detector with room-temperature operation and 6G-compatible response

Frontiers of Physics
Respiratory Support and Mechanisms
article

Laser-enhanced 3D microstructured Weyl semimetal MoWTe2 terahertz detector with room-temperature operation and 6G-compatible response

article en

Abstract

To address the critical challenges of insufficient light−matter interaction, high noise, and poor integration in traditional terahertz detectors, this paper proposes a laser-enhanced terahertz detector based on a 3D microstructure. The detector utilizes room-temperature Weyl semimetal MoWTe2 as the active layer and achieves monolithic integration on a silicon substrate, with core innovations including: (i) employing MoWTe2 as the active layer to enable efficient terahertz absorption and high carrier mobility at room temperature, eliminating the need for cryogenic cooling; (ii) fabricating a 3D rotating rectangular array microstructure on a silicon wafer via sub-pixel micro-scan micro-nano 3D printing technology to excite strong localized surface plasmon (LSP) effects — these effects confine terahertz fields at the subwavelength scale and synergistically enhance light-matter interaction with the topological metasurface effect; and (iii) introducing external laser fields to modulate carrier dynamics via the photoelectric effect and Floquet topological states, thereby further boosting detector performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the detector exhibits exceptional room-temperature performance: responsivity (Ra) reaches 41.96 A/W, noise-equivalent power (NEP) is as low as 11.86 pW/Hz1/2, detectivity (D*) maximizes at 26.67 × 109 cm·Hz1/2/W, the ultrafast carrier transit time is 0.4 picoseconds, and the broad spectral response width is 0.65 THz (covering the 6G communication band). Additionally, the silicon-based fabrication process is fully compatible with CMOS technology, facilitating high integration and large-scale production. This work provides a novel solution for the practical application of terahertz technology in 6G communication, real-time imaging, and high-sensitivity sensing.

Frontiers of PhysicsVol. 21(4)
Shenzhen University (CN), Liaocheng University (CN), Shenzhen Technology University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 34%
Respiratory Support and Mechanisms
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