Pushing Si toward THz applications

The recent development of Si semiconductor technologies has led to Si-based devices with record fmax up to 500 GHz. Such speed enhancement of devices has enabled Si-based circuits operating well beyond 100 GHz, pushing them into the THz regime of frequency spectrum. The THz band, roughly defined as 0.1 THz to 1 THz, has long been dominated by optics-based approaches. However, the increased semiconductor device speed now accelerates the electronics-based approaches for THz applications, Si technology being one of the competent candidates. In this talk, an overview of electronics-based approaches for THz applications is provided, along with related research highlights recently achieved at Korea University, with major focus on Si-based activities.
Jae-Sung Rieh received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electronics engineering from Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, in 1991 and 1995, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, in 1999. In 1999, he joined IBM Semiconductor R & D Center, where he was responsible for the research and development activities for the high frequency SiGe HBT technologies. Since 2004, he has been with the School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea, where he is currently a professor. Dr. Rieh is a recipient of 2004 IBM Faculty Award and a co-recipient of 2002 and 2006 IEEE EDS George E. Smith Award. He has served as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters and is currently serving as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. His current research interest lies in mm-wave and THz devices and circuits.