0.5 and 1.5 THz monolithic imagers in a 65 nm CMOS adopting a VCO-based signal processing

A new architecture of monolithic THz imager adopting a VCO-based signal processing is proposed, and the enhancement of signal-to-noise ratio is analyzed. The 0.5/1.5 THz imagers, implemented in a 65 nm CMOS, show the lower noise equivalent power (NEP) than that of the detector itself, presenting the best NEP among the state-of-the-art imagers. The fully integrated THz imagers do not require external equipment, illustrating its feasibility as a portable high resolution real-time THz camera.