Characterisation of THz emission from double-metal-patterned gallium–arsenide multiple emitters

Multiplexed gallium-arsenide (GaAs)-based terahertz (THz) emitters fabricated with periodic double-metal structures are demonstrated and the effect of different metals on the THz output is investigated. THz emission originates from the lateral photo-Dember effect and from the different Schottky barrier heights of the chosen metal pair. The metal combinations used were Au-Al, Au-Pb and Cu-Cr. The emitters were characterised according to temperature and the highest peak-to-peak THz emission was achieved with the Cu-Cr metal pairing at 150 K.