Release Date: October 5, 2006 BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Sensors and
detectors that would work in the terahertz range of the
electromagnetic spectrum promise a range of tantalizing
properties, from precise identification of concealed weapons to
the ability to distinguish between different tissue types for
disease screening. But because signals in the terahertz range
have traditionally been incompatible with conventional
microelectronics, this potential has been slow to realize. Now,
University at Buffalo researchers and their collaborators at
other institutions have been awarded a four-year, $1.2 million
National Science Foundation grant, under the NSF Nanoscale
Interdisciplinary Research Teams (NIRT) initiative, to develop
semiconductor-based terahertz detectors that can be integrated
seamlessly with conventional electronics. The grant is one of
only 10 that the NSF has funded from more than 400 applications
received. Applications for the detectors are wide-ranging: from
more secure signal-processing in telecommunicat