THz Source Research Articles

Variable Repetition Rate THz Source for Ultrafast Scanning Tunneling Microscopy.

Broadband THz pulses enable ultrafast electronic transport experiments on the nanoscale by coupling THz electric fields into the devices with antennas, asperities, or scanning probe tips. Here, we design a versatile THz source optimized for driving the highly resistive tunnel junction of a scanning tunneling microscope. The source uses optical rectification in lithium niobate to generate arbitrary THz pulse trains with freely adjustable repetition rates between 0.5 and 41 MHz. These induce subpicosecond voltage transients in the tunnel junction with peak amplitudes between 0.1 and 12 V, achieving a conversion efficiency of 0.4 V/(kV/cm) from far-field THz peak electric field strength to peak junction voltage in the STM. Tunnel currents in the quantum limit of less than one electron per THz pulse are readily detected at multi-MHz repetition rates. The ability to tune between high pulse energy and high signal fidelity makes this THz source design effective for exploration of ultrafast and atomic-scale electron dynamics.

Voltage-driven mutual phase locking of planar nano-oscillators

Phase locking is a common phenomenon related to coupled oscillators that play an important role in various natural and artificial systems. In this study, we analyzed the possibility of dynamically controlling such a phenomenon between Gunn-effect-based planar nanooscillators via an ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) method. We found that between two oscillators in parallel with each other, there are two coupling paths, which could be opened or closed via structure determined inner-field effect. One of the paths results in in-phase locking, and whereas the other gives rise to anti-phase locking. Furthermore, by combining the inner-field effect and a top-gate effect, one could dynamically control the phase locking via the top gate’s bias. EMC results showed that the transition time from in-phase to anti-phase locking can be less than 0.2 ns. Accompanied by this was a signal-frequency doubling, from approximately 0.33 THz to approximately 0.66 THz. Based on Adler’s theory, we confirmed the phase locking and concluded that the phase-locking transition could not be properly modeled unless electron-scattering noise was included. Moreover, we obtained the locking range and the frequency fluctuation due to electron-transport noise. The proposed method is convenient and may be applied to other electronic oscillators, thereby aiding in developing high-speed beam-steerable THz sources.

Fractal Graphene Patch Antennas and the THz Communications Revolution

Fractal antennas have and are continuing to receive attention in regard to the future of wireless communications. This is because of their wide- and multi-band capabilities, the opportunity of fractal geometries to drive multiple resonances, and, the ability to make smaller and lighter antennas with fewer components and radiative elements with higher gains. Small scale (i.e. on the micro- and nano-scale) and ultra high frequency (in the Terahertz or THz range) fractal antennas composed of Graphene have the potential to enhance wireless communications at a data rate that is unprecedented, i.e. ∼ 1012 bits per second. A Fractal Graphene antenna is a high-frequency tuneable antenna for radio communications in the THz spectrum, enabling unique applications such as wireless nano-networks. This is because (mono-layer) Graphene is a one-atom-thick two-dimensional allotrope of Carbon with the highest known electrical conductivity that is currently unavailable in any other material, including metals such as Gold and Silver. Thus, combining the properties of Graphene with the self-affine characteristics of a fractal at the micro- and nano-scale, provides the potential to revolutionise communications, at least in the near field (the order of a few metres) for low power systems. In this paper, we consider the basic physics and some of the principle mathematical models associated with the development of this new disruptive technology in order to provide a guide to those engaged in current and future research, a fractal Graphene antenna being an example of an advanced material for demanding applications. This includes some example simulations on the THz field patterns generated by a fractal patch antenna composed of Graphene whose conductivity is taken to scale with the inverse of the frequency according to a ‘Drude’ model. The approach to generating THz sources using Graphene is also explored based on Infrared laser pumping to induce a THz photo-current.

Broadband THz Sources from Gases to Liquids

Matters are generally classified within four states: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Three of the four states of matter (solid, gas, and plasma) have been used for THz wave generation with short laser pulse excitation for decades, including the recent vigorous development of THz photonics in gases (air plasma). However, the demonstration of THz generation from liquids was conspicuously absent. It is well known that water, the most common liquid, is a strong absorber in the far infrared range. Therefore, liquid water has historically been sworn off as a source for THz radiation. Recently, broadband THz wave generation from a flowing liquid target has been experimentally demonstrated through laser-induced microplasma. The liquid target as the THz source presents unique properties. Specifically, liquids have the comparable material density to that of solids, meaning that laser pulses over a certain area will interact with three orders more molecules than an equivalent cross-section of gases. In contrast with solid targets, the fluidity of liquid allows every laser pulse to interact with a fresh area on the target, meaning that material damage or degradation is not an issue with the high-repetition rate intense laser pulses. These make liquids very promising candidates for the investigation of high-energy-density plasma, as well as the possibility of being the next generation of THz sources.

Trapping Nanoparticles Using Localized Surface Plasmons of Graphene Nanodisks

Given the sub-wavelength trapping challenges in the optical tweezers, the plasmonic tweezers serve as a bridge by breaking the diffraction limit. Hence, the development of plasmonic tweezers can open up many potential applications in biology, medicine, and chemistry. In this paper, using localized surface plasmons (LSPs) of graphene nanodisk with a resonance frequency of 20 THz, we design a lab-on-a-chip optophoresis system, which can be utilized to effectively trap the nanoparticles. The LSPs of graphene nanodisk generate a large field gradient in the deep sub-wavelength area around the resonance frequency. We show that by an appropriate choice of chemical potentials of the graphene nanodisks, the strong optical near-field forces desired for trapping can be generated under the illumination of the THz source when the polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles are located in the vicinity of graphene nanodisks. Numerical simulations show that the designed system with graphene nanodisks of 250 nm in diameter and chemical potentials of $\mu _{c} = 0.6$ eV can trap the PS nanoparticles of 12 nm in diameter and larger with a THz source intensity of 19 $mW/{\mu } {m^{2}}$ , demonstrating acceptable sensitivities for variations in the nanoparticle diameter and refractive index. Moreover, at the same source intensity, the graphene nanodisks with $\mu _{c} = 0.7$ eV can trap the PS nanoparticle as small as 9.5 nm in diameter.

Superradiant Cherenkov-wakefield radiation as THz source for FEL facilities.

An electron beam passing through a tube of small inner diameter which is lined on the inside with a dielectric layer will radiate energy in the THz range due tothe interaction with the boundary. The resonant enhancement of certain frequencies is conditioned by structure parameters such as tube radius and the permittivity and thickness of the dielectric layer. In low-loss structures narrow-band radiation is generated which can be coupled out by suitable antennas. For higher frequencies, the coupling to the resistive outer metal layer becomes increasingly important. The losses in the outer layer prohibit reaching higher frequencies with narrow-band conditions. Instead, short broad-band pulses can be generated with still attractive power levels. In the first section of the paper, a general theory of the impedance of a two-layer structure is presented and the coupling to the outer resistive layer is discussed. Approximate relations for the radiated energy, power and pulse length for a set of structure parameters are derived and compared with numerical results in the following section. Finally, the first numerical result of the out-coupling of the radiation by means of a Vlasov antenna and estimates of the achieved beam quality are presented.

High-Power Lensless THz Imaging of Hidden Objects

The potential of pulsed THz radiation for time-of-flight imaging applications is well recognized. However, advances in this field are currently severely limited by the low average power of ultrafast THz sources. Typically, this results in impractically long acquisition times and a loss in resolution and contrast. These limitations make imaging of the objects in real-life scenarios impossible. Here, conclusively, the potential of state-of-the-art high-average power THz time-domain spectrometer (TDS), driven by a 100-W class, one-box ultrafast oscillator for imaging applications is shown by demonstrating lensless THz imaging in reflection mode of a dielectric sample with low reflectivity. Images obtained with our home-built 20-mW average power THz-TDS system show a significant contrast enhancement compared to a state-of-the-art commercial THz-TDS with less than $200~\mu \text{W}$ of average power. Our unique setup even allows us to obtain images of such an object with high-contrast hidden inside a medium-density fiberboard (MDF) box. This opens the door to THz time-of-flight imaging of concealed objects of unknown shape and orientation in various real-life scenarios which were so far impossible to realize.

Optical Damage Threshold and THz Generation Efficiency of (Fe,CoFeB)/(Ta,Pt) Spintronic Emitters

THz pulses are generated from femtosecond pulse-excited ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic spintronic heterostructures via inverse spin Hall effect. The highest possible THz signal strength from spintronic THz emitters is limited by the optical damage threshold of the corresponding heterostructures at the excitation wavelength. For the thickness-optimized spintronic heterostructure, the THz generation efficiency does not saturate with the excitation fluence even up till the damage threshold. Bilayer (Fe, CoFeB)/(Pt, Ta) based FM/NM spintronic heterostructures have been studied for an optimized performance for THz generation when pumped by sub-50 fs amplified laser pulses at 800 nm. Among them, CoFeB/Pt is the best combination for an efficient THz source. The optimized FM/NM spintronic heterostructure on a quartz substrate, having α-phase Ta as the nonmagnetic layer, shows the highest damage threshold as compared to those with Pt, irrespective of their generation efficiency. The damage threshold of the Fe/Ta heterostructure on a quartz substrate is ~85 GW/cm2.

THz wave emission from the Cu2O/Cu interface under femtosecond laser irradiation

Cu or Cu/Au (80 nm thick Cu, 50 nm thick Au) sputtered on Si were kept at 25 °C for a week or annealed at a temperature from 80 to 300 °C, then tested for THz emission under femtosecond laser irradiation (35 fs-800 nm). THz radiation was detected from samples annealed from 80 to 170 °C, which had a Cu2O/Cu interface as the THz source. Cu/Au/Si annealed at 80 °C emitted the highest THz radiation because of high laser absorption by the porous Cu2O layer formed at low temperature and the Au film reflected THz radiation and/or increased the laser absorption by the Fabry–Pérot effect.

InP-Based THz Beam Steering Leaky-Wave Antenna

For mobile THz applications, integrated beam steering THz transmitters are essential. Beam steering approaches using leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) are attractive in that regard since they do not require complex feeding control circuits and beam steering is simply accomplished by sweeping the operating frequency. To date, only a few THz LWAs have been reported. These LWAs are based on polymer or graphene substrates and thus, it is quite impossible to monolithically integrate these antennas with state-of-the-art indium phosphide (InP)-based photonic or electronic THz sources and receivers. Therefore, in this article, we report on an InP-based THz LWA for the first time. The developed and fabricated THz LWA consists of a periodic leaking microstrip line integrated with a grounded coplanar waveguide to microstrip line (GCPW-MSL) transition for future integration with InP-based photodiodes. For fabrication, a substrate-transfer process using silicon as carrier substrate for a 50-μm thin InP THz antenna chip has been established. By changing the operating frequency from 230 to 330 GHz, the fabricated antenna allows to sweep the beam direction quasi-linearly from −46° to 42°, i.e., the total scanning angle is 88°. The measured average realized gain and 3-dB beam width of a 1.5-mm wide InP LWA are ∼11 dBi and 10°. This article furthermore discusses the use of the fabricated LWA for THz interconnects.

An Alternative Phase-Sensitive THz Imaging Technique for Art Conservation: History and New Developments at the ENEA Center of Frascati

In recent years, THz imaging techniques have been used in several fields of application. At the beginning of the century, the low availability of powerful THz sources was one of the limiting factors to the advancement of THz technology. At the ENEA center in Frascati, two Free Electron Lasers (FELs) operating in the THz spectral region were available at that time, making it possible to exploit all the features of THz imaging. In this paper, we will describe an alternative THz imaging technique, developed over 15 years of studies at the ENEA center of Frascati, and its application in the art conservation field, reporting the latest results of such studies on the optical properties of pigments in the GHz-THz region of the spectrum, on the possibility of detecting biological weeds under mosaic tiles and on the THz analysis of ancient leather wallpapers. This alternative technique was first developed in the framework of a bilateral collaboration between Japan and Italy, the THz-ARTE Project, which involved NICT (Tokyo), NNRICP (Nara), ENEA (Frascati) and IFAC-CNR (Florence). Most of the THz imaging techniques at that time were based on THz-Time Domain (THz-TD) devices. In the paper will be described how this alternative technique is able to measure the phase of the reflected radiation, thus providing information on the optical properties of the materials under study, such as mural paintings and mosaics. This makes it possible to detect the presence of hidden artworks, additional elements under paint layers, and dielectric materials. To describe the potential and the limits of this alternative imaging technique we will start from a description of the first THz imaging setup at the ENEA center of Frascati, based upon a THz Free Electron Laser. A description of the theoretical principle underlying this technique will be given. The first results in the field of art conservation are summarized, while the new results of a systematic study on the optical properties of pigments are reported and the realization of a portable THz imaging device, and its application “on site” for the analysis of frescoes are shown. The success of this prototype lead to the identification of different types of artworks as possible targets to be studied. New results about the ability of detecting water, and possibly the water content of biological weeds, under mosaic tiles are described, while new experimental measurements on Leather Wallpapers, both “in situ” and in a laboratory environment, are discussed later. A final analysis on the pro and the cons of this alternative imaging technique and on its possible utilization with the developed prototype is carried out together with the considerations on possible future developments and its potential use as an extension of other imaging techniques.

Lithium niobate and lithium tantalate based scalable terahertz pulse sources in reflection geometry.

A new type of THz source, working in reflection geometry, is proposed, where the pulse-front-tilt is introduced by a periodically micro-structured metal profile. For optical coupling, high refractive index nanocomposite fluid is used between the nonlinear optical material and the structured metal surface. Numerical simulations predict ∼87 and ∼85% optimized diffraction efficiencies for lithium niobate and lithium tantalate at 1030 and 800 nm pump wavelengths. The largest diffraction efficiencies can be achieved for a larger refractive index of the nanocomposite fluid than the index of the nonlinear material, for both cases. THz generation efficiencies of ∼3 and ∼1% are predicted for lithium niobate and lithium tantalate, respectively.

Terahertz radiation processes in critically coupled graphene plasmonic nanostructures

Plasmonic excitations in graphene nanostructures provide a particularly effective means to enhance light–matter interactions at THz frequencies. Here, we investigate the use of graphene nanoribbons for narrowband THz light emission based on the excitation of plasmonic oscillations under current injection and their resonant decay into free-space radiation. A detailed theoretical model of the underlying plasmon-enhanced thermal emission mechanism is presented, whose predictions are in good agreement with the recent experimental demonstration of this phenomenon. This model highlights the key role played by the nanostructure absorption efficiency to maximize the output radiation at the plasmonic resonance frequency. Based on this idea, we explore the integration of graphene nanoribbons with nearby metallic antennas in an open cavity configuration in order to promote critical coupling to free-space radiation and correspondingly enhance the absorption (and, therefore, radiation) efficiency by up to two orders of magnitude. The simulation results indicate that this approach is promising for the development of novel THz sources with technologically relevant emission characteristics.

Beam Profiling of a Commercial Lens-Assisted Terahertz Time Domain Spectrometer

To undertake THz spectroscopy and imaging, and accurately design and predict the performance of quasi-optical components, knowledge of the parameters of the beam (ideally Gaussian) emitted from a THz source is paramount. Despite its proliferation, relatively little work has been done on this in the frame of broadband THz photoconductive antennas. Using primarily pinhole scanning methods, along with stepwise angular spectrum simulations, we investigate the profile and polarization characteristics of the beam emitted by a commercial silicon-lensintegrated THz photoconductive antenna and collimated by a TPX (polymethylpentene) lens. Our study flags the limitations of the different beam profiling methods and their impact on the beam Gaussianity estimation. A non-Gaussian asymmetric beam is observed, with main lobe beam waists along x and y varying from 8.4 ± 0.7 mm and 7.7±0.7 mm at 0.25THz,to1.4±0.7 mm and 1.4 ± 0.7 mm at 1 THz, respectively. Additionally, we report a maximum cross-polar component relative to the ON-axis co-polar component of -11.6 dB and -21.2 dB, at 0.25 THz and 1 THz, respectively.

Efficient Broadband Truncated-Pyramid-Based Metamaterial Absorber in the Visible and Near-Infrared Regions

We present a design of an ultra-broadband metamaterial absorber in the visible and near- infrared regions. The unit cell structure consists of a single layer of metallic truncated-pyramid resonator-dielectric-metal configuration, which results in a high absorption over a broad wavelength range. The absorber exhibits 98% absorption at normal incidence spanning a wideband range of 417–1091 nm, with >99% absorption within 822–1054 nm. The broadband absorption stability maintains 95% at large incident angles up to 40° for the transverse electric (TE)-mode and 20° for the transverse magnetic (TM)-mode. Furthermore, the polarization-insensitive broadband absorption is presented in this paper by analyzing absorption performance with various polarization angles. The proposed absorber can be applied for applications such as solar cells, infrared detection, and communication systems thanks to the convenient and compatible bandwidth for electronic THz sources.

Gate-Tunable Optical Nonlinearities and Extinction in Graphene/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Nanostructures.

We explore the ultrafast optical response of graphene subjected to intense (∼106 V/cm) local (∼10 nm) electric fields. Nanoscale gating of graphene is achieved using a voltage-biased, SrTiO3-based conductive nanowire junction "written" directly under the graphene and isolated from it by an insulating ultrathin (<2 nm) LaAlO3 barrier. Upon illumination with ultrafast visible-to-near-infrared (VIS-NIR) light pulses, the local field from the nanojunction creates a strong gate-tunable second-order nonlinearity in the graphene and produces a substantial difference-frequency (DFG) and sum-frequency generation (SFG) response detected by the nanojunction. Spectrally sharp, gate-tunable extinction features (>99.9%) are observed in the VIS-NIR and SFG spectral ranges, in parameter regimes that are positively correlated with the enhanced nonlinear response. The observed graphene-light interaction and nonlinear response are of fundamental interest and open the way for future exploitation in graphene-based optical devices such as phase shifters, modulators, and nanoscale THz sources.

Direct Visualization of Phase-Locking of Large Josephson Junction Arrays by Surface Electromagnetic Waves

Phase-locking of oscillators leads to superradiant amplification of the emission power. This is particularly important for development of THz sources, which suffer from low emission efficacy. In this work we study large Josephson junction arrays containing several thousands of Nb-based junctions. Using low-temperature scanning laser microscopy we observe that at certain bias conditions two-dimensional standing-wave patterns are formed, manifesting global synchronization of the arrays. Analysis of standing waves indicates that they are formed by surface plasmon type electromagnetic waves propagating at the electrode/substrate interface. Thus we demonstrate that surface waves provide an effective mechanism for long-range coupling and phase-locking of large junction arrays.

Broadband terahertz wave emission from liquid metal

Metals have been studied as terahertz sources for decades. Recent research has shown the potential of metals in generating extremely high THz pulse energy excited by intense laser pulses. To avoid the metal surface debris caused by laser pulses, here, we report the results of the broadband terahertz wave emission from a flowing liquid metal line excited by subpicosecond laser pulses. The THz signal emitted from the liquid gallium line shows the stronger field with the broader bandwidth compared to the signal from water under the identical optical excitation conditions. Our preliminary study suggests that the liquid metals have the potential to serve as efficient and powerful THz sources for the intense lasers with a high repetition rate.

Proposal for an integrated silicon-photonics terahertz gas detector using photoacoustics.

A design and multiphysical model is presented for an on-chip gas sensor that transduces terahertz gas absorption through sound generation into a mechanical motion that can be read out externally. The signal is triply enhanced by designing a structure that functions simultaneously as an optical, an acoustical and a mechanical resonator. The structure is made in high-resistivity silicon and can be fabricated using CMOS and MEMS fabrication technologies. The sensor is a purely passive element, so an external THz source and read-out are required. The chip has a footprint of 3 mm2. A detection limit of 234 ppb of methanol for a source power of 1 mW and an integration time of 1 ms is predicted.

A high-power, high-repetition-rate THz source for pump-probe experiments at Linac Coherent Light Source II.

Experiments using a THz pump and an X-ray probe at an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facility like the Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS II) require frequency-tunable (3 to 20 THz), narrow bandwidth (∼10%), carrier-envelope-phase-stable THz pulses that produce high fields (>1 MV cm-1) at the repetition rate of the X-rays and are well synchronized with them. In this paper, a two-bunch scheme to generate THz radiation at LCLS II is studied: the first bunch produces THz radiation in an electromagnet wiggler immediately following the LCLS II undulator that produces X-rays from the second bunch. The initial time delay between the two bunches is optimized to compensate for the path difference in THz transport. The two-bunch beam dynamics, the THz wiggler and radiation are described, as well as the transport system bringing the THz pulses from the wiggler to the experimental hall.