Photoconductive Antenna Research Articles

Autocorrelation Measurement of Picosecond Pulses with Two-Photon Absorption

In this work, an autocorrelation measurement method is proposed to obtain the key information of picosecond pulses using the two-photon absorption (TPA) effect. The autocorrelation measurement process is simulated with a linear tuning of the pulse repetition frequency (PRF). Given the dispersion of picosecond pulses, the profile of the autocorrelation signal is broadened symmetrically. Moreover, the dispersive distribution in time-frequency domain of picosecond pulses and the different bandwidth of the TPA spectrum of materials should bring in sub pulses in the autocorrelation signal with the relative different delay. As shown in simulations, with an ideal broadband two-photon response spectrum, only the broadening of autocorrelation trace appears. But the detection with a narrowband two-photon response spectrum displays the greater sensitivity for pulse dispersion of the edge of the pulse, benefiting from the more sub pulses. Detections of picosecond pulses within the space wireless communication band region generally employ the photoconductive antenna and electro-optic effect in free space. However, with respect to the TPA effect in the specific materials, we could build an extremely compact autocorrelation measurement configuration for the key information extraction of picosecond pulses in space wireless communication and astronomical measurement, which would provide the same information as conventional detections about the autocorrelation signal of picosecond pulses.

Performance characterization of a self-made terahertz photoconductive antenna.

A terahertz (THz) photoconductive antenna is prepared using, to the best of our knowledge, a novel method, which has high yield and strong stability. It eliminates the stripping process of a thin-film THz antenna and effectively prevents the toxicity of the corrosion solution, the easy damage in the transfer process, and the weak bonding with the substrate. First, a 200 µm copper wire is bundled on a low-temperature GaAs epitaxial wafer, and then the electrode of the photoconductive antenna is fabricated using the vacuum evaporation method. Finally, the THz time-domain signal with a high signal-to-noise ratio and good repeatability is obtained using an 800 nm laser. Additionally, the influence of pump light and detection light power on THz signal intensity is studied when the total optical power is unchanged. Results show that when the total power of the laser is greater than a certain value, there is an optimal ratio between the pump power and the detection power, which can maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the THz wave. This provides a basis for the effective application of a THz antenna and lays a foundation for improving the detection sensitivity of samples.

Operation of quantum dot based terahertz photoconductive antennas under extreme pumping conditions

Photoconductive antennas deposited onto GaAs substrates that incorporate InAs quantum dots have been recently shown to efficiently generate both pulsed and CW terahertz radiation. In this Letter, we determine the operational limits of these antennas and demonstrate their extreme thermal breakdown tolerance. Implanted quantum dots serve as free carrier capture sites, thus acting as lifetime shorteners, similar to defects in low-temperature grown substrates. However, unlike the latter, defect-free quantum-dot structures possess perfect lattice quality, thus not compromising high carrier mobility and pump intensity stealth. Single gap design quantum dot based photoconductive antennas are shown to operate under up to 1 W of average pump power (∼1.6 mJ cm−2 energy density), which is more than 20 times higher than the pumping limit of low-temperature grown GaAs based substrates. Conversion efficiency of the quantum dot based photoconductive antennas does not saturate up to 0.75 W of pump power (∼1.1 mJ cm−2 energy density). Such a thermal tolerance suggests a glowy prospect for the proposed antennas as a perspective candidate for intracavity optical-to-terahertz converters.

A High Performance Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna Array Detector With High Synthesis Efficiency

A 2 × 2 terahertz photoconductive antenna (PCA) array detector with high efficiency synthesis characteristic that improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the detected signals has been reported in this paper. By processing the substrate material through a special micromachining process, the current signal generated by the adjacent antenna elements as opposed to that generated by the antenna gap is eliminated. Experiments show that the amplitude of the current signal output by the PCA array detector is consistent with the amplitude of the synchronous superposition of the current signals output by antenna elements, and the synthesis efficiency of the device achieves 93.7%. At the same time, the antenna array detector has low current noise, and its highest SNR is 62 dB under the excitation of different light energy, which is related to the number of antenna array elements.

Interdigitated photoconductive terahertz antenna for future wireless communications

AbstractRecently, the technology buzz on utilization of terahertz (THz) technology in beyond 5G and 6G communication is growing due to the demands for large network capacity, bandwidth, and ultrahigh data rates. The THz frequencies are prudent for short‐range future wireless communication systems as they provide extraordinary channel capacity with data rates from few Gb/s to Tb/s due to its ultra‐wide spectrum bandwidth. However, there exists many challenges in designing devices that operate under THz frequencies. The photo‐conductive antenna (PCA) is one of the crucial components that support realization of ultrafast wireless THz communications. In this paper, investigations on photoconductive antennas with interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) have been presented for THz communications with an equivalent circuit model for IPCA with corresponding solved expressions. The results show that the maximum THz field strength of 4.41 × 105 V/m is achievable by a 10 μm interdigitated teeth length IPCA with larger spectrum bandwidth of about ~8 THz. The antenna module makes the possibility of miniaturization of the THz sources and detectors for the emerging variety of wireless THz applications.

Terahertz photoconductive antenna based on antireflection dielectric metasurfaces with embedded plasmonic nanodisks.

By taking advantage of dielectric metasurfaces and plasmonic nanostructures, a terahertz photoconductive antenna (THz-PCA) is proposed and investigated in detail. The designed dielectric metasurfaces can reduce the optical reflection down to 1.4% and accelerate the switching process (electric conductive to resistive) that broadens the THz spectrum emitted from THz-PCA. Simultaneously, the embedded plasmonic nanostructures can realize 11.2 times enhancement in local electric field without affecting the switching process and the damage threshold of the THz-PCA. Simulated results indicate that the proposed THz-PCA is 70.56 times stronger in THz radiation power than that of the traditional THz-PCA. The significant enhancement ensures the proposed THz-PCA has great prospects in promoting THz technology based on the THz-PCA.

A new hybrid metasurface design for performance improvement of thin film unbiased terahertz photoconductive source

In this paper, a new bias free hybrid structure is proposed to improve the performance of unbiased bimetallic terahertz photoconductive antenna (PCA). Each element of unbiased bimetallic emitters consists of an asymmetric metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) that is made of two side by side dis-similar Schottky contacts. Engineering the surface of low temperature gallium arsenide (LT-GaAs) layer by different kind of nanostructure metasurfaces in combination with bimetallic nanostructure located underneath the LT-GaAs have been used to enhance the 800 nm femtosecond laser beam absorption inside the LT-GaAs layer and so boost the terahertz wave generation. Solving the Maxwell’s equation in combination with drift-diffusion/Poisson’s using finite element method have been applied to investigate the optical and electrical response and optimize the performance of proposed structure. According to the simulation results, using optimized metasurface on LT-GaAs decreases the reflection to less than 0.8% compared to the 29% of the conventional PCA. Moreover, proposed structure shows 83% photocurrent enhancement compared to unbiased PCA without metasurface and with Si3N4 antireflection coating.

Terahertz generation and detection of 1550-nm-excited LT-GaAs photoconductive antennas

Terahertz generation and detection is the key means to explore terahertz spectrum, one of which is the application of photoconductive antenna. In this study, a low-temperature gallium arsenide (LT-GaAs) epitaxial wafer antenna and an LT-GaAs thin-film antenna were fabricated. The LT-GaAs epitaxial wafer antenna was fabricated using an epitaxial wafer composed of LT-GaAs, AlAs,GaAs, and semi-insulating GaAs. An LT-GaAs thin film was obtained by etching the AlAs layer in the epitaxial wafer and then transferring it to a clean silicon wafer to fabricate the LT-GaAs thin-film antenna. The LT-GaAs epitaxial wafer and thin-film antennas were used as the generation and detection antennas, respectively. The two antennas were directly aligned at a distance of 2 mm from each other and placed into a self-made measurement system for detection. A THz spectrum of approximately 2.5 THz was obtained under 1550-nm laser excitation, thus verifying the antenna performance.

Effects of Crystallographic Orientation of GaAs Substrate and the Period of Plasmon Grid on THz Antenna Performance

AbstractAn alternative approach is proposed to improve the conventional (based on the low‐temperature grown GaAs and Si‐doped GaAs superlattice) photoconductive antenna (PCA) performance by modification of the planar electrodes design and crystallographic orientations of the GaAs substrate ((100) and (111)‐A). The electrode scheme design includes a combination of logarithmic spiral, bow‐tie, and plasmonic antennas and results in appearance of sharp resonant peaks, high spectral bandwidth and high signal‐to‐noise ratio, and significant enhancement of the output terahertz (THz) power. The material design leads to significant increase in the THz output power (by 6.4 in GaAs (100), by 5.6 in GaAs (111)‐A PCAs) regarding to a conventional antenna. The substrate crystallographic cut direction influences the relaxation time constant of photoexcited charge carriers being an order of magnitude smaller in the sample grown on the GaAs (111)‐A than in the one on the GaAs (100). The simulation model supports experimental results demonstrating that the optimal period of the plasmonic antenna grid providing the highest efficiency of THz radiation generation, is about 200 nm. Comparison of the THz spectra in manufactured antennas against the conventional stripline PCA shows a broadening band toward the low‐frequency region down to 0.1 THz with a resonance at 0.2 THz.

Highly efficient terahertz photoconductive metasurface detectors operating at microwatt-level gate powers.

Despite their wide use in terahertz (THz) research and technology, the application spectra of photoconductive antenna (PCA) THz detectors are severely limited due to the relatively high optical gating power requirement. This originates from poor conversion efficiency of optical gate beam photons to photocurrent in materials with sub-picosecond carrier lifetimes. Here we show that using an ultra-thin (160 nm), perfectly absorbing low-temperature grown GaAs metasurface as the photoconductive channel drastically improves the efficiency of THz PCA detectors. This is achieved through perfect absorption of the gate beam in a significantly reduced photoconductive volume, enabled by the metasurface. This Letter demonstrates that sensitive THz PCA detection is possible using optical gate powers as low as 5 µW-three orders of magnitude lower than gating powers used for conventional PCA detectors. We show that significantly higher optical gate powers are not necessary for optimal operation, as they do not improve the sensitivity to the THz field. This class of efficient PCA THz detectors opens doors for THz applications with low gate power requirements.

Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna Based on a Topological Insulator Nanofilm

In this study, the efficient generation of terahertz radiation by a dipole photoconductive antenna, based on a thin island film of a topological insulator, was experimentally demonstrated. The performance of the Bi1.9Sb0.1Te2Se antenna was shown to be no worse than those of a semiconductor photoconductive antenna, which is an order of magnitude thicker. The current–voltage characteristics were studied for the photo and dark currents in Bi1.9Sb0.1Te2Se. The possible mechanisms for generating terahertz waves were analyzed by comparing the characteristics of terahertz radiation of an electrically biased and unbiased topological insulator.

Effect of heteroepitaxial growth on LT-GaAs: ultrafast optical properties

Epitaxial low temperature grown GaAs (LT-GaAs) on silicon (LT-GaAs/Si) has the potential for terahertz (THz) photoconductive antenna applications. However, crystalline, optical and electrical properties of heteroepitaxial grown LT-GaAs/Si can be very different from those grown on semi-insulating GaAs substrates (‘reference’). In this study, we investigate optical properties of an epitaxial grown LT-GaAs/Si sample, compared to a reference grown under the same substrate temperature, and with the same layer thickness. Anti-phase domains and some crystal misorientation are present in the LT-GaAs/Si. From coherent phonon spectroscopy, the intrinsic carrier densities are estimated to be 1015 cm−3 for either sample. Strong plasmon damping is also observed. Carrier dynamics, measured by time-resolved THz spectroscopy at high excitation fluence, reveals markedly different responses between samples. Below saturation, both samples exhibit the desired fast response. Under optical fluences ⩾54 μJ cm−2, the reference LT-GaAs layer shows saturation of electron trapping states leading to non-exponential behavior, but the LT-GaAs/Si maintains a double exponential decay. The difference is attributed to the formation of As–As and Ga–Ga bonds during the heteroepitaxial growth of LT-GaAs/Si, effectively leading to a much lower density of As-related electron traps.

Real-Time High Resolution THz Imaging with a Fiber-Coupled Photo Conductive Antenna and an Uncooled Microbolometer Camera.

We present a real-time THz imaging method using a commercial fiber-coupled photo conductive antenna as the THz source and an uncooled microbolometer camera for detection. This new combination of state-of-the-art components is very adaptable due to its compact and uncooled radiation source, whose fiber coupling allows for a flexible placement. Using a camera with high sensitivity renders real-time imaging possible. As a proof-of-concept, the beam shape of a THz Time Domain Spectrometer was measured. We demonstrate real time imaging at nine frames per second and show its potential for practical applications in transmission geometry covering both material science and security tasks. The results suggest that hidden items, complex structures and the moisture content of (biological) materials can be resolved. We discuss the limits of the current setup, possible improvements and potential (industrial) applications, and we outline the feasibility of imaging in reflection geometry or extending it to multi-spectral imaging using band pass filters.

Highly Tunable Heterodyne Sub-THz Wireless Link Entirely Based on Optoelectronics

This article presents the experimental demonstration of a fully photonics-based heterodyne subterahertz (sub-THz) system for wireless communications. A p-i-n photodiode is used as a broadband transmitter to upconvert the signal to the sub-THz domain and a photoconductive antenna downconverts the received wave to an intermediate frequency around 3.7 GHz. The optical signals used for photomixing are extracted from two independent optical frequency combs with different repetition rates. The optical phase locking reduces the phase noise of the sub-THz signal, greatly improving the performance of the system when phase modulation formats are transmitted. The sub-THz carrier is tuned between 80 and 320 GHz in 40-GHz steps, showing a power variation of 21.8 dB. The phase noise at both ends of the communication link is analyzed and compared with the phase noise of the received signal with different wireless carriers. As a proof-of-concept, a 100-Mbit/s binary-phase-shift-keying signal is successfully transmitted over 80-, 120-, and 160-GHz carriers, achieving a bit error rate below 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-5</sup> in the first two cases. These results show the great potential of THz communications driven by photonics to cover an extensive portion of the THz range without relying on electronic components that limit the operating range of the system to a concrete frequency band.

Characteristics of Bow-Tie Antenna Structures for Semi-Insulating GaAs and InP Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters.

This work presents a study of photoconductive (PC) terahertz (THz) emitters based upon varied bow-tie (BT) antenna structures on the semi-insulating (SI) forms of GaAs and InP. The BT antennas have electrodes in the form of a Sharp BT, a Broad BT, an Asymmetric BT, a Blunted BT, and a Doubled BT. The study explores the main features of PC THz emitters for spectroscopic studies and sensors application in terms of THz field amplitude and spectral bandwidth. The emitters’ performance levels are found to depend strongly upon the PC material and antenna structure. The SI-InP emitters display lower THz field amplitude and narrower bandwidth compared to the SI-GaAs emitters with the same structure (and dimensions). The characterized Doubled BT structure yields a higher THz field amplitude, while the characterized Asymmetric BT structure with flat edges yields a higher bandwidth in comparison to the sharp-edged structures. This knowledge on the PC THz emitter characteristics, in terms of material and structure, can play a key role in future implementations and applications of THz sensor technology.

Comparison of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy based on photoconductive antenna and electro-optic sampling and the optical parameter measurement of GaSe nanofilm in THz band

Due to the advantages of THz wave in nondestructive examination (NDE) of materials, terahertz time-domain spectrometer (THz-TDS) has become a mature device for THz detection. Thus, improving signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and reliability of THz-TDS are considered as the vital work. In this paper, photoconductive antenna (PCA) and electro-optic sampling (EOS) were used to measure the intensity of THz wave. Under the same laser conditions, the residual pump laser and probe laser polarization in THz-TDS were studied for influence on the SNR of THz wave. The experimental results demonstrated the significance of the existing THz-TDS. In THz band, the refractive index of GaSe nanofilm varied from 3.3 to 4.1 with the frequency range from 0.3 THz to 0.6 THz.

Terahertz emission increase in GaAs films exhibiting structural defects grown on Si (100) substrates using a two-layered LTG-GaAs buffer system

Terahertz (THz) emission increase is observed for GaAs thin films that exhibit structural defects. The GaAs epilayers are grown by molecular beam epitaxy on exactly oriented Si (100) substrates at three different temperatures (Ts = 320 °C, 520 °C and 630 °C). The growth method involves the deposition of two low-temperature-grown (LTG)-GaAs buffers with subsequent in-situ thermal annealing at Ts = 600 °C. Reflection high energy electron diffraction confirms the layer-by-layer growth mode of the GaAs on Si. X-ray diffraction shows the improvement in crystallinity as growth temperature is increased. The THz time-domain spectroscopy is performed in reflection and transmission excitation geometries. At Ts = 320 °C, the low crystallinity of GaAs on Si makes it an inferior THz emitter in reflection geometry, over a GaAs grown at the same temperature on a semi-insulating GaAs substrate. However, in transmission geometry, the GaAs on Si exhibits less absorption losses. At higher Ts, the GaAs on Si thin films emerge as promising THz emitters despite the presence of antiphase boundaries and threading dislocations as identified from scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. An intense THz emission in reflection and transmission excitation geometries is observed for the GaAs on Si grown at Ts = 520 °C, suggesting the existence of an optimal growth temperature for GaAs on Si at which the THz emission is most efficient in both excitation geometries. The results are significant in the growth design and fabrication of GaAs on Si material system intended for future THz photoconductive antenna emitter devices.

Photoconductive Semiconductor-Based Optoelectronic Devices for Generation of Terahertz Radiation

We report on the development and fabrication of a superlattice-based InAlAs/InGaAs heterostructure featuring an ultrashort photocarrier lifetime which has been used as a material base for a photoconductive antenna (PCA)-emitter with a frequency bandwidth of 10 GHz — 3.0 THz and dynamic range above 60 dB. We show an efficiency of plasmonic electrodes embedded into the 10 μm PCA’s gap demonstrating the enhancement of the emitted THz power up to 10 μW (at bias voltage 20—30 V and average pump power 10 mW). The results could open a pathway towards the development of the Russian THz spectroscopic and imaging systems.

Design and Comparative Analysis of Ultra-wideband and High Directive Antennas for THz Applications

This work presents a comprehensive detailed comparative study of the three ultra-wideband and high directive antennas for the THz imaging, spectroscopy, and communication applications. Three different types of photoconductive antennas (log-spiral, Vivaldi, and bowtie antennas) are designed and simulated in the frequency range of 1 to 6 THz in the CST microwave studio (MWS). The enhanced directivity of the designed PCAs is achieved with the integration of the hemispherical silicon-based lens with the PCA gold electrode and quartz substrate of the proposed antennas. The performance of the designed PCAs is compared in terms of impedance and axial ratio bandwidths, directivity, and radiation efficiency of the proposed antennas. The reported log spiral, Vivaldi PCAs with added silicon lens exhibit the -10 dB impedance bandwidth of 6 THz, 3dB AR bandwidth of 5 THz, 6 THz, and 6 THz and peak total radiation efficiencies of 45%, 65%, and 95% respectively.

Amplitude and phase imaging using incoherent free-running self-oscillating device in millimeter- and terahertz-wave bands

To improve the accuracy of material identification in millimeter- and terahertz-wave nondestructive imaging during security and other inspections, it is important to perform both amplitude and phase imaging. Highly coherent sources generated based on the frequency multiplication of stable microwave sources are promising for these applications. However, this method reduces the fidelity of the image due to the interference phenomenon with reflected waves on the sample surface. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate amplitude and phase imaging using an incoherent free-running self-oscillating device. We used a Gunn oscillator operating at 122.5 GHz as a millimeter-wave source and a photoconductive antenna as a detector. The frequency and phase noise of the source are canceled by the low-frequency electronics, which realize phase imaging using an incoherent source. We performed amplitude and phase imaging on low-loss polypropylene objects and obtained ∼22 times higher imaging contrast in the latter than in the former. Furthermore, we were able to obtain high-fidelity imaging results with less interference in both amplitude and phase imaging. The proposed system is reliable and inexpensive because the source operates with a DC power source only, and the frequency and phase noise-cancellation electronics consist of low-frequency circuits. Moreover, because the noise-cancellation electronics are independent of the RF frequency, the system is easily extendible to the higher frequency region to improve its spatial resolution. This paves the way for the realization of a diode-based, sensitive, and low-cost integrated system that allows both amplitude and phase imaging for material identification in security inspections.