Material and process considerations for terahertz planar nanodevices

Using a two-dimensional ensemble Monte Carlo method, we have studied the capacitances in a planar nano-diode, called the self-switching device (SSD) that is based on an asymmetric nanochannel. We show that the terahertz (THz) response of the SSD can be affected by the dielectric constant and width of the insulating trenches that confine the nanochannel of the diode. The simulations reveal that the capacitive coupling over the insulating trenches has little influence on the device RF properties below 100 GHz, but significantly affects the device performance around and beyond 1 THz. We show that the capacitance is more sensitive to the dielectric constant of the substrate but is relatively less sensitive to the width of the insulating trench or the dielectric constant of the infill material in the insulating trenches. This differs significantly from a conventional capacitor with two parallel plates. The findings in this work provide useful implications in optimizing the material and lithography parameters of such and similar nanodevices for THz applications.