Active Terahertz two-wire waveguides (market study).

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The current proposal deals with a market study related to the development of an active two-wire waveguide, operating in the Terahertz (THz) frequency range, by generating a THz electric field directly within the guiding structure. The development of waveguides with low dispersion as well as low losses at frequencies above 1 THz is essential to enable undistorted propagation of broadband sub-picosecond THz pulses and to realize interconnects for future THz communication networks, THz-time spectroscopy and sensing. Choosing the appropriate material and the suitable geometry for the realization of THz waveguides is thus becoming a fundamental challenge. Furthermore, depending on the geometry, efficient coupling of broadband propagating THz waves to the waveguide can be an issue due to a large mismatch between the waveguide mode and the free propagating incident mode. To date, several THz waveguides based on dielectric and metallic structures have been reported. On the one hand, dielectric based waveguides such as sapphire fibers, plastic ribbon waveguides and sub-wavelength fibers have been developed. On the other hand, metallic waveguides such as single wire waveguides, parallel plate waveguides (PPWG) and two wire waveguides can propagate single cycle THz pulses with low dispersion due to their ability to support an (almost) non-dispersive transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM). Among these configurations, the two-wire waveguide appears to be the most promising one, despite the fact that coupling efficiency issues still have to be addressed. However, an active two-wire waveguide made by the embodiment of a gallium arsenide piece (playing the role of the THz emitter) between the two metallic wires, results in the generation of a THz electric field directly within the guiding structure. By comparing the coupling efficiency of the active configuration with that of the standard case in which the radiation is generated outside the waveguide, we reported a 63 times higher energy throughput for a constant illumination power and applied potential. Such an advancement will thus certainly open new opportunities in further development of compact THz systems.