Terahertz Si:B blocked-impurity-band detectors defined by nonepitaxial methods

The molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) fabrication of blocked-impurity-band detectors (BIB) has been a technologically complex and delicate matter ever since its demonstration in silicon, and has not been adapted for other material systems offering detection onsets at lower terahertz frequencies. We report the fabrication and characterization of a vertical Si:B BIB, circumventing the intrinsically troublesome MBE growth of an ultrapure blocking layer by employing ion implantation. We present a thorough characterization of our device, which exhibits highly competitive figures of merits. Our results not only increase the accessibility of BIB fabrication tools for ultrasensitive terahertz detection but also open a road to other material systems.