PT Journal AU Kawano, Y Ishibashi, K TI An on-chip near-field terahertz probe and detector SO Nature Photonics JI Nature Photon PY 2008 BP 618 EP 621 VL 2 IS 10 DI 10.1038/nphoton.2008.157 DE single molecule; terahertz; THz; near-field; microscopy; imaging; 2DEG; GaAs/AlGaAs; detector; applications AB The advantageous properties of terahertz waves, such as their transmission through objects opaque to visible light, are attracting attention for imaging applications. A promising approach for achieving high spatial resolution is the use of near-field imaging. Although this method has been well established in the visible and microwave regions, it is challenging to perform in the terahertz region. In the terahertz techniques investigated to date, detectors have been located remotely from the probe, which degrades sensitivity, and the influence of far-field waves is unavoidable. Here we present a new integrated detection device for terahertz near-field imaging in which all the necessary detection components — an aperture, a probe and a terahertz detector — are integrated on one semiconductor chip, which is cryogenically cooled. This scheme allows highly sensitive, high-resolution detection of the evanescent field alone and promises new capabilities for high-resolution terahertz imaging. ER