Circuit design of AC-powered glow discharge terahertz wave detector

Abstract

The glow discharge detector (GDD), which is based on the plasma generated by glow discharge to detect terahertz (THz) waves, has the advantages of fast response, small noise equivalent power, the ability to work at room temperature, and low price, which makes it a new type of THz detector with a good prospect. In this paper, different circuit parameters were tested under DC power supply to find out the best combination of resistance and capacitance values. GDDs of different sizes and GDDs with or without a phosphorescent layer were tested, and the effects of these factors on the responsivity of GDDs were analyzed. Based on the traditional circuit using DC power supply, the AC-powered detection method was proposed, and the unipolar modulation and bipolar modulation power supply circuit were designed, and THz signals were successfully obtained. This work pave a new way to enhance the detection performance of GDD.