TURANDOT · Tunable Radiation Tolerant 2D Terahertz bolometer

Tunable Radiation Tolerant 2D Terahertz bolometer

THz fingerprints of space objects are of a great value as they provide the insights into history of the Universe, formation and evolution of galaxies and their central supermassive black holes, and other fundamental problems of astrophysics. Detection and decoding of these ultra-weak signals currently rely on bolometers, the most sensitive detectors of the sub-millimetre wavelengths radiation. In particular, THz bolometers are key elements of Herschel Space Observatory, James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy . Since the durability and robustness are vital for these systems , in “The 2017 terahertz science and technology roadmap” ultrafast and ultrasensitive THz detectors for continuous and pulsed radiation are listed among the most important challenges. Bolometers require materials capable to efficiently absorb radiation and having a low heat capacitance. Correspondingly, the thermal resistance and heat capacity, which ultimately defines sensitivity and response time of the bolometer, respectively, are materials parameters of crucial importance. Another important issue for THz astronomy is necessity to tune the detection wavelength in a wide range in which the radiation of the astrophysics objects may occur. Finally, detection of the THz signals by space telescopes implies high resistance of the bolometer to ionizing radiation. Concluding, only materials that combine (i) high absorption ability, (ii) frequency tunability and (iii) radiation hardness can offer efficient platform for ultrafast and ultrasensitive THz bolometer for space applications. The primary goal of TURANDOT was to combine advantages of graphene and transition metals dichalcogenides (TMD) monolayers to approach the design concept for ultrathin, ultrasensitive and ultrafast THz bolometer, which paves the way towards new generation of THz detectors for space application having unprecedented tunability and remarkable radiation tolerance.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз