Auston switch

[1] It is named after the physicist David H. Auston who first developed the technology at Bell Labs in the 1960s.

[2] An Auston switch consists of a transmission line antenna with a gap that is bridged by a semiconductor.

For terahertz generation, a DC bias voltage is applied across the antenna.

The induced acceleration from the photocurrent causes the charge carriers to radiate in terahertz frequencies, generating a pulse lasting several picoseconds.

[3][4] For use as a terahertz detector, the switch consists of the same geometry but without the applied bias voltage.