Abstract
Resonant frequencies of the two-dimensional plasma in field effect transistors (FETs) increase with the reduction of the channel dimensions and can reach the terahertz (THz) range for micrometer and sub-micrometer channel lengths. Non linearity of the gated electron gas in the transistor channel can be used for the detection of THz radiation. The possibility of tuneable narrow band detection in sub-THz and THz range, related to plasma resonances, has been demonstrated for nanometre gate length transistors at cryogenic temperatures. At room temperatures the plasma oscillations are usually strongly damped, but field effect transistors can still operate as an efficient broadband detectors in the THz range. We present an overview of experimental results on THz detection by field effect transistors made of III-V and Si materials, The material issue is discussed and first room applications of FETs for imaging at frequencies above 1 THz are demonstrated.