Terahertz Emission Amplitude Research Articles

Surface plasmon resonance enhanced terahertz spin current emission in Au nanoparticles/ferromagnet thin film heterostructure

We present a design of an ultrafast spin current emitter utilizing the Au nanoparticles/Co/Pt heterostructures, which facilitate significant enhancement in terahertz radiation. Using Au nanoparticles synthesized by thermal annealing and embedded in Co/Pt bilayers, we show that the Au nanoparticles fulfill surface plasmon resonance conditions under the illumination of femtosecond laser pulses, and enhanced terahertz spin currents are generated in the Co thin film. The terahertz signal amplitude of Au nanoparticles/Co/Pt sample exhibits an enhancement of 70% and 45% compared to that observed in Au thin film/Co/Pt and Co/Pt samples, respectively. By integrating experimental analysis and numerical calculations, we ascribe the enhancement of terahertz emission amplitude to the contribution of spin current generated by surface plasmon resonance in the Co thin film, which may result from the magnetization enhancement induced by surface plasmon-excited electromagnetic fields at the Au nanoparticles/Co interface, and the plasmon-induced spin current density is approximately 1 × 1029 electrons s−1 m−2. This plasmon-induced spin current establishes a connection between the fields of plasmonic and spintronic physics, thereby promoting the development of spintronic terahertz emitters.

Enhanced Optically–Excited THz Wave Emission by GaAs Coated with a Rough ITO Thin Film

In this study, we report enhancement of terahertz (THz) radiation with indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin-film deposited on semi-insulating gallium arsenide substrate (SI-GaAs). The amplitude of THz emission from both ITO/SI-GaAs and bare SI-GaAs substrate as a function of optical pump (i) incident angle, (ii) polarization angle, and (iii) power were investigated. The enhancement of peak amplitude of a THz pulse transmitted through the ITO/SI-GaAs sample in comparison to bare SI-GaAs substrate varied from 100% to 0% when the pump incidence angle changed from 0° to 50°. The maximum enhancement ratio of peak amplitude for a coated sample relative to the bare substrate is approximately up to 2.5 times at the minimum pump intensity of 3.6 TW/m2 and gradually decreased to one at the maximum pump intensity of 20 TW/m2. From outcomes of these studies, together with data on surface and material characterization of the samples, we show that THz emission originates from the ITO/GaAs interfaces. Further, both interface-field-induced transient current and field-induced optical rectification contribute to the observed THz signal. Observed enhancement was tentatively attributed to surface-plasmon-induced local field enhancement, coupled with constructive interference of forward and retro-reflected backward THz emission from the ITO/GaAs interfaces. The polarity-flip reported previously for very thin Au-coated GaAs was not observed. This was explained by the wide-bandgap, transparency and lower free carriers of ITO. For best results, the incident angle should be in the range of 0 to 30° and the incident polarization should be 0 to 45°. We further predict that the ITO thin film of suitable thickness or with engineered nanostructures, post-annealed under optimum conditions may lead to further enhancement of THz radiation from ITO-coated semiconductor surfaces.

Noncontact evaluation of the interface potential in VO2/Si heterojunctions across metal–insulator phase transition

This study conducted laser-induced terahertz emission spectroscopy on a VO2/Si heterojunction. Consequently, rapid estimation of the local interface potential was realized and the work function of VO2 was obtained as 5.17–5.25 eV with increasing temperature from 320 to 380 K. Moreover, an obvious terahertz emission variation was observed across the metal–insulator phase transition of VO2, and the doping conditions of the Si substrate largely influenced the terahertz emission. These results imply a strong relationship between the terahertz emission amplitude and the interface electric field, which supports the rapid performance of terahertz emission spectroscopy in estimating the work function of VO2.

Terahertz Spectral Signatures of Ultrafast Spin Transports in Ferromagnetic Heusler Alloy

AbstractAlthough the Co‐based Heusler compounds are predicted to be half‐metals, their sub‐picosecond demagnetization dynamics upon laser excitation show a transition‐metal‐like behavior. Any possible role of ultrafast nonlocal spin transport on the ultrafast demagnetization of half‐metallic Heusler compounds has only been inferred indirectly by time‐resolved magneto‐optical Kerr effect. Here, an ultrafast optically driven spin current traveling from Co2FeSi half metal into an adjacent Pt layer by using terahertz (THz) emission time‐domain spectroscopy (TDS) is demonstrated. By varying the magnetic field and excitation symmetry, the sizable THz generation from Co2FeSi/Pt stack arises from optically induced spin transport across the Co2FeSi/Pt interface in conjunction with spin‐to‐charge current conversion, via the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). The chemical ordering, interface roughness and magnetization of the samples become vital to engineer the THz emission properties. The amplitude of THz emission is comparable to that of CoFeB/Pt stack, thereby indicating Co2FeSi as an efficient ultrafast light‐driven spin current injector. Finally, by varying the pumping energy, the contributions are distinguished to the ultrafast spin current from thermalization and optical excitation of majority spins in Heusler alloy. This work illustrates THz emission TDS as a powerful tool to investigate the ultrafast spintronic properties of Heusler alloy/normal‐metal bilayers.

Rapid, noncontact, sensitive, and semiquantitative characterization of buffered hydrogen-fluoride-treated silicon wafer surfaces by terahertz emission spectroscopy

Advances in modern semiconductor integrated circuits have always demanded faster and more sensitive analytical methods on a large-scale wafer. The surface of wafers is fundamentally essential to start building circuits, and quantitative measures of the surface potential, defects, contamination, passivation quality, and uniformity are subject to inspection. The present study provides a new approach to access those by means of terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy. Upon femtosecond laser illumination, THz radiation, which is sensitive to the surface electric fields of the wafer, is generated. Here, we systematically research the THz emission properties of silicon surfaces under different surface conditions, such as the initial surface with a native oxide layer, a fluorine-terminated surface, and a hydrogen-terminated surface. Meanwhile, a strong doping concentration dependence of the THz emission amplitude from the silicon surface has been revealed in different surface conditions, which implies a semiquantitative connection between the THz emission and the surface band bending with the surface dipoles. Laser-induced THz emission spectroscopy is a promising method for evaluating local surface properties on a wafer scale.

THz emission from Fe/Pt spintronic emitters with L10-FePt alloyed interface

SummaryRecent developments in nanomagnetism and spintronics have enabled the use of ultrafast spin physics for terahertz (THz) emission. Spintronic THz emitters, consisting of ferromagnetic (FM)/non-magnetic (NM) thin film heterostructures, have demonstrated impressive properties for the use in THz spectroscopy and have great potential in scientific and industrial applications. In this work, we focus on the impact of the FM/NM interface on the THz emission by investigating Fe/Pt bilayers with engineered interfaces. In particular, we intentionally modify the Fe/Pt interface by inserting an ordered L10-FePt alloy interlayer. Subsequently, we establish that a Fe/L10-FePt (2 nm)/Pt configuration is significantly superior to a Fe/Pt bilayer structure, regarding THz emission amplitude. The latter depends on the extent of alloying on either side of the interface. The unique trilayer structure opens new perspectives in terms of material choices for the next generation of spintronic THz emitters.

Spintronic terahertz emitters exploiting uniaxial magnetic anisotropy for field-free emission and polarization control

We explore the terahertz (THz) emission from CoFeB/Pt spintronic structures in the below-magnetic-saturation regime and reveal an orientation dependence in the emission, arising from in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA) in the ferromagnetic layer. Maximizing the UMA during the film deposition process and aligning the applied magnetic field with the easy axis of the structure allow the THz emission to reach saturation under weaker applied fields. In addition, the THz emission amplitude remains at saturation levels when the applied field is removed. The development of CoFeB/Pt spintronic structures that can emit broadband THz pulses without the need for an applied magnetic field is beneficial to THz magneto-optical spectroscopy and facilitates the production of large-area spintronic emitters. Furthermore, by aligning the applied field along the hard axis of the structure, the linear polarization plane of the emitted THz radiation can be manipulated by changing the magnitude of the applied field. We, therefore, demonstrate THz polarization control without the need for mechanical rotation of external magnets.

High\u2013Bias\u2013Field Operation of GaAs Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters

We demonstrate experimentally the increase of optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency for GaAs-based photoconductive terahertz emitters. This increase is achieved by preventing device breakdown through series resistors, which act as a current limiter. Pulsed photoexcitation and potential current fluctuations result in heat dissipation leading to local heating, which further increases the current and may lead to device breakdown. We manage to increase the maximum bias field before device breakdown by a factor of 3 under illuminated conditions. For a laser system with 250-kHz repetition rate, the terahertz emission amplitude increases linearly with applied bias field up to 120 kV/cm bias field, which results in 3 times higher signal as compared to the standard device. Furthermore, we have also achieved this expanded breakdown prevention at 78-MHz repetition rate, where an integrated on-chip resistance leads to an enhancement of the terahertz field amplitude by 70%. This simple technique can increase the performance of almost all photoconductive terahertz emitters by using appropriate resistances according to the emitter capacitance and laser repetition rate.

Observation of carrier concentration dependent spintronic terahertz emission from n-GaN/NiFe heterostructures

The development of terahertz (THz) spintronics has created a paradigm shift in the generation of THz radiation through the combination of ultrafast magnetism and spin-based electronics. However, research in this area has primarily focused on all-metallic devices comprising a ferromagnetic thin film adjacent to a non-magnetic heavy metal. Here, we report the experimental observation of spintronic THz emission from an n-doped wide bandgap semiconductor, n-GaN. We found that the amplitude of THz emission strongly depends on the carrier concentration of the semiconductor layer, which could be attributed to the tunable Rashba state occurring at the n-GaN/ferromagnet interface. Our work offers exciting prospects for pursuing wide bandgap semiconductor-based spintronic THz devices and demonstrating their intriguing spin Hall physics at the ultrafast timescale.

Photodoping of graphene/silicon van der Waals heterostructure observed by terahertz emission spectroscopy

Photodoping as a nonvolatile and reversible method can be used to modify the carrier distribution at the heterojunction interface. Herein, we explore the 2D/3D van der Waals (vdW) graphene/silicon (G/Si) heterostructure in real time by terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy. Photoinduced doping is introduced by a continuous wave laser, which leads to a screening effect to the built-in electric field at the interface. The resulting decrease in transient photocurrent reduces the THz emission amplitude from the G/Si heterostructure. The photoinduced doping effect suggests a 40% THz intrinsic modulation depth at external reverse bias. This work provides an effective way to actively control the THz emission process from the G/Si interface and paves the way for analyzing the interfacial process under photoinduced doping in vdW heterostructures.

Strong terahertz emission from copper oxides/silver micro thin film deposited on nanoparticles aggregation substrate

Terahertz emission properties of oxidized silver/copper micro thin film were investigated. Enhanced terahertz emission was observed from the oxidized micro thin film deposited on nanoparticles aggregation substrate due to the various directions of transient current surge. The amplitude of terahertz emission from the film was comparable to that from traditional non-external gallium arsenide. The sample, firstly, was synthesized by hydrothermal method to fabricate nanoparticles aggregation substrate. Next, the etched sample was treated by physical vapor deposition to grow silver/copper micro thin film and oxidized at 200 °C atmosphere environment. The space charge region was the dominant area for terahertz emission, built-in field at depletion layer played a key role in terahertz emission, and the contribution arising from optical rectification and photogalvanic was negligible due to the centrosymmetry structure; high band gap, low carriers concentration and mobility leads to the photon drag effect was not obvious; Because the differences of mobility and mass between hole and electron were not distinct, the Dember effect was also ineffective. The intensity of the terahertz emission was related to the thickness of the silver film because the silver film has a close relationship with the oxidation rate of the copper layer, leading to a dramatic influence on band gap structure, which produced a direct response on optical absorption at red zone. Compared with the planar substrate, the radiation of the nanoparticles substrate is 1.2 times that of the planar substrate, and the enhancement of the terahertz emission was ascribed to the various vibrated directions of photo-generated carriers. Our results could provide a potential portable terahertz emitter, which is economical, simple processing and operatable at room temperature.

Spintronic GdFe/Pt THz emitters

We present a spintronic terahertz emitter based on a ferrimagnetic gadolinium-iron alloy (GdxFe1−x) and platinum (Pt). We measure the magnetic-field-dependent terahertz emission of GdxFe1−x/Pt spintronic heterostructures in the entire composition range (0 ≤ x ≤ 1). Excellent agreement is found between the measured data and a theoretical model based on the ratio of in-plane and saturation magnetization, up to a Gd content of x = 0.4 for all applied fields. At a higher Gd content (x ≥ 0.6), the measured terahertz amplitudes and the model deviate, due to the increasing influence of Gd. The GdxFe1−x/Pt emitters share similar properties with TbxFe1−x/Pt emitters, such as a strong increase in terahertz emission for a small rare earth content. However, our systematic study demonstrates that the terahertz emission amplitude of GdxFe1−x/Pt is up to 17 times higher than that of TbxFe1−x/Pt, which is important for the use and further optimization of these spintronic emitters operating at room temperature.

Terahertz emission from biased conjugated polymers excited by femtosecond laser pulses

We perform terahertz emission spectroscopy to investigate the ultrafast motion of electrons and holes in conjugated polymer films excited by femtosecond laser pulses under in-plane bias electric field. The terahertz waveforms are found to exhibit not the features of free carrier acceleration along bias electric field but a characteristic shape reproduced well by the second time derivative of a delta-function-like polarization. Linear-to-quadratic relations between the terahertz emission amplitude and the excitation intensity are observed for three different conjugated polymers, indicating that the polarization is created by either exciton formation or optical rectification involving two-step excitation via localized states.

Polarized Terahertz Waves Emitted from In0.2Ga0.8As Nanowires.

We investigate the polarizability of terahertz (THz) waves emitted from undoped In0.2Ga0.8As nanowires (NWs). THz emission amplitude shows strong enhancement in vertically aligned NWs compared to less-aligned NWs. In particular, polarized THz waves are clearly demonstrated in aligned NWs via a drastic variation of amplitudes as a function of the axis angle in polarization-sensitive photoconductive antenna. In addition, phase reversal between aligned and less-aligned NWs substantiates the geometrical dependence of electronic diffusion in generating the transient THz electric fields.

Terahertz surface emission from Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin film photovoltaic material excited by femtosecond laser pulses

We observed efficient terahertz (THz) emission from sol-gel grown Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) thin films using THz time domain spectroscopy technique. The THz emission bandwidth exceeds 2 THz with a dynamic range of 20 dB in the amplitude spectrum. The THz emission amplitude from CZTSe is found to be independent of external magnetic fields. Comparing the polarity of THz emission waveforms of CZTSe and GaAs, we suggest that the acceleration of photo-carriers in the surface accumulation layer of CZTSe is the dominant mechanism of radiation emission. Optical excitation fluence dependence measurements show that the saturation fluence of the CZTSe thin film reaches 1.48 μJ/cm2.

Ionization currents and terahertz emission from the interaction of few-cycle laser pulses with gas targets

Based on a theoretical model and numerical simulations, the ionization currents and subsequent terahertz (THz) emission induced by the interaction of a few-cycle laser pulses with He gas targets are studied. It is shown that owing to the large transverse current generated by field ionization with few-cycle laser pulses, strong THz emission can be generated. The change of the carrier phase of the few-cycle laser pulses leads to the variation of the ionization currents. Correspondingly, the THz emission amplitude shows the characteristic as a periodic function of the carrier phase, which is also confirmed by one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. For a given carrier phase, the THz emission amplitude is not proportional to the laser amplitude. It shows at least two peaks at certain laser amplitudes. When the gas density profile is not uniform, the emission amplitude has a similar dependence on laser amplitude and carrier envelope phase, but the THz pulse duration and spectrum are quite different.

Effect of spin-polarized electrons on terahertz emission from photoexcited GaAs

The influence of elliptically and circularly polarized excitation on terahertz emission from unbiased bulk GaAs at normal incidence and room temperature is reported. Illumination of GaAs above the bandgap produces both spin-polarized electrons and shift currents. The induced currents are monitored via terahertz emission spectroscopy. The terahertz emission amplitude is compared to theoretical calculations as a function of excitation beam ellipticity. Exciting slightly above the bandgap (800 nm at room temperature) with elliptical polarization generates shift currents that deviate substantially from theoretical predictions. On the other hand, exciting either below the bandgap (835 nm at 77 K) to produce optical rectification or far above the bandgap (400 nm at room temperature) to produce shift currents generates emission in agreement with theoretical calculations. Spin-polarized electrons created by elliptically polarized excitation are the source of the observed discrepancy.

Visualization of photoassisted polarization switching and its consequences in BiFeO3 thin films probed by terahertz radiation

The principle of terahertz radiation emission from multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films was employed to acquire high-resolution images of their photoassisted ferroelectric polarization switching. These images are evidence that poling in “electric-field assisted by illumination of band gap light” enhances the terahertz-emission amplitude by creating additional switchable ferroelectric dipoles.

Excitation wavelength dependence of terahertz emission from semiconductor surface

The authors have measured terahertz radiation from InSb, InAs, and InGaAs excited by femtosecond optical pulses at wavelengths of 1560, 1050, and 780nm. The amplitude of the terahertz field strongly depends on the pump wavelengths. Among the materials, the InSb emitter shows the largest terahertz emission amplitude at high power 1560nm excitation, whereas 780nm excitation provides the weakest. With increasing photon energy, the increase in emission amplitude from InAs is less as compared to that from InGaAs. The decrease from InSb and InAs originates in low mobilities of L or X valley carriers generated by intervalley scatterings.