Terahertz Radiation Detection Using Glow Discharge Detectors by Electrical and Optical Modes

Based on the phenomenon that the incident terahertz (THz) radiation can increase the discharge current and luminescent intensity of a glow discharge detector (GDD), the electrical and optical modes were used to detect the THz wave. The influence of GDD’s discharge current, orientation, size, phosphor coating, and polarization sensitivity were investigated in detail. The results show that the electron density, the receiving efficiency to THz wave and effectively collecting the output signals of GDD are important to improve the responsivity of GDD.