Optoelectronic signal processing offers great potential for generation and detection of ultra-broadband waveforms in the terahertz range (so-called T-waves). However, fabrication of the underlying devices still relies on complex processes using dedicated III–V semiconductor substrates. This severely restricts the application potential of current T-wave transmitters and receivers and impedes co-integration of these devices with advanced photonic signal processing circuits. Here, we demonstrate that these limitations can be overcome by plasmonic internal-photoemission detectors (PIPEDs). PIPEDs can be realized on the silicon photonic platform, which allows exploiting the enormous opportunities of the associated device portfolio. In our experiments, we demonstrate both T-wave signal generation and coherent detection at frequencies up to 1 THz. To prove the viability of our concept, we monolithically integrate PIPED transmitters and receivers on a common silicon chip and use them to measure the complex transfer impedance of an integrated T-wave device.

光电信号处理为太赫兹范围内的超宽带波形（所谓的T波）的产生和检测提供了巨大的潜力。但是，底层设备的制造仍然依赖于使用专用III–V半导体衬底的复杂工艺。这严重限制了当前T波发射器和接收器的应用潜力，并阻碍了这些设备与先进的光子信号处理电路的集成。在这里，我们证明这些限制可以通过等离子体内部光发射检测器（PIPEDs）克服。可以在硅光子平台上实现PIPED，从而可以利用相关设备组合的巨大机会。在我们的实验中，我们演示了在高达1 THz的频率下T波信号的产生和相干检测。