DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A High-Power Broadband Terahertz Source Enabled by Three-Dimensional Light Confinement in a Plasmonic Nanocavity

Abstract

The scope and potential uses of time-domain terahertz imaging and spectroscopy are mainly limited by the low optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency of photoconductive terahertz sources. State-of-theart photoconductive sources utilize short-carrier-lifetime semiconductors to recombine carriers that cannot contribute to efficient terahertz generation and cause additional thermal dissipation. Here, we present a novel photoconductive terahertz source that offers a significantly higher efficiency compared with terahertz sources fabricated on short-carrier-lifetime substrates. The key innovative feature of this source is the tight three-dimensional confinement of the optical pump beam around the terahertz nanoantennas that are used as radiating elements. This is achieved by means of a nanocavity formed by plasmonic structures and a distributed Bragg reflector. Consequently, almost all of the photo-generated carriers can be routed to the terahertz nanoantennas within a sub-picosecond time-scale. This results in a very strong, ultrafast current that drives the nanoantennas to produce broadband terahertz radiation. We experimentally demonstrate that this terahertz source can generate 4 mW pulsed terahertz radiation under an optical pump power of 720 mW over the 0.1–4 THz frequency range. This is the highest reported power level for terahertz radiation from a photoconductive terahertz source, representing more than an order of magnitude of enhancement in themore » optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency compared with state-of-the-art photoconductive terahertz sources fabricated on shortcarrier- lifetime substrates.« less

Authors:
 [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Electrical Engineering Department
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1429327
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0016925
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 7; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING; 77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY; Nanocavities; Nanophotonics and plasmonics

Citation Formats

Yardimci, Nezih Tolga, Cakmakyapan, Semih, Hemmati, Soroosh, and Jarrahi, Mona. A High-Power Broadband Terahertz Source Enabled by Three-Dimensional Light Confinement in a Plasmonic Nanocavity. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-04553-4.
Yardimci, Nezih Tolga, Cakmakyapan, Semih, Hemmati, Soroosh, & Jarrahi, Mona. A High-Power Broadband Terahertz Source Enabled by Three-Dimensional Light Confinement in a Plasmonic Nanocavity. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04553-4
Yardimci, Nezih Tolga, Cakmakyapan, Semih, Hemmati, Soroosh, and Jarrahi, Mona. Fri . "A High-Power Broadband Terahertz Source Enabled by Three-Dimensional Light Confinement in a Plasmonic Nanocavity". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04553-4. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1429327.
@article{osti_1429327,
title = {A High-Power Broadband Terahertz Source Enabled by Three-Dimensional Light Confinement in a Plasmonic Nanocavity},
author = {Yardimci, Nezih Tolga and Cakmakyapan, Semih and Hemmati, Soroosh and Jarrahi, Mona},
abstractNote = {The scope and potential uses of time-domain terahertz imaging and spectroscopy are mainly limited by the low optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency of photoconductive terahertz sources. State-of-theart photoconductive sources utilize short-carrier-lifetime semiconductors to recombine carriers that cannot contribute to efficient terahertz generation and cause additional thermal dissipation. Here, we present a novel photoconductive terahertz source that offers a significantly higher efficiency compared with terahertz sources fabricated on short-carrier-lifetime substrates. The key innovative feature of this source is the tight three-dimensional confinement of the optical pump beam around the terahertz nanoantennas that are used as radiating elements. This is achieved by means of a nanocavity formed by plasmonic structures and a distributed Bragg reflector. Consequently, almost all of the photo-generated carriers can be routed to the terahertz nanoantennas within a sub-picosecond time-scale. This results in a very strong, ultrafast current that drives the nanoantennas to produce broadband terahertz radiation. We experimentally demonstrate that this terahertz source can generate 4 mW pulsed terahertz radiation under an optical pump power of 720 mW over the 0.1–4 THz frequency range. This is the highest reported power level for terahertz radiation from a photoconductive terahertz source, representing more than an order of magnitude of enhancement in the optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency compared with state-of-the-art photoconductive terahertz sources fabricated on shortcarrier- lifetime substrates.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-017-04553-4},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 7,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jun 23 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Fri Jun 23 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 63 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

7.5% Optical-to-Terahertz Conversion Efficiency Offered by Photoconductive Emitters With Three-Dimensional Plasmonic Contact Electrodes
journal, September 2014

  • Yang, Shang-Hua; Hashemi, Mohammad R.; Berry, Christopher W.
  • IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, Vol. 4, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1109/TTHZ.2014.2342505

Next generation 15 µm terahertz antennas: 
mesa-structuring of 
InGaAs/InAlAs photoconductive layers
journal, January 2010

  • Roehle, H.; Dietz, R. J. B.; Hensel, H. J.
  • Optics Express, Vol. 18, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1364/OE.18.002296

Subpicosecond, freely propagating electromagnetic pulse generation and detection using GaAs:As epilayers
journal, April 1991

  • Warren, A. C.; Katzenellenbogen, N.; Grischkowsky, D.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 58, Issue 14
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.105162

Far-infrared vibrational modes of DNA components studied by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy
journal, October 2002


Materials for terahertz science and technology
journal, September 2002

  • Ferguson, Bradley; Zhang, Xi-Cheng
  • Nature Materials, Vol. 1, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/nmat708

Carrier dynamics in semiconductors studied with time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy
journal, June 2011


Terahertz pulse imaging in reflection geometry of human skin cancer and skin tissue
journal, October 2002

  • Woodward, Ruth M.; Cole, Bryan E.; Wallace, Vincent P.
  • Physics in Medicine and Biology, Vol. 47, Issue 21
  • DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/47/21/325

Far-infrared time-domain spectroscopy with terahertz beams of dielectrics and semiconductors
journal, January 1990

  • Grischkowsky, D.; Keiding, Søren; van Exter, Martin
  • Journal of the Optical Society of America B, Vol. 7, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1364/JOSAB.7.002006

T-ray imaging
journal, January 1996

  • Mittleman, D. M.; Jacobsen, R. H.; Nuss, M. C.
  • IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, Vol. 2, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1109/2944.571768

High-Power Terahertz Generation Using Large-Area Plasmonic Photoconductive Emitters
journal, March 2015

  • Yardimci, Nezih T.; Yang, Shang-Hua; Berry, Christopher W.
  • IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, Vol. 5, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1109/TTHZ.2015.2395417

Ultrabroadband terahertz radiation from low-temperature-grown GaAs photoconductive emitters
journal, October 2003

  • Shen, Y. C.; Upadhya, P. C.; Linfield, E. H.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 83, Issue 15
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.1619223

Exploring Dynamics in the Far-Infrared with Terahertz Spectroscopy
journal, April 2004

  • Schmuttenmaer, Charles A.
  • Chemical Reviews, Vol. 104, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1021/cr020685g

Terahertz pulsed spectroscopy and imaging for pharmaceutical applications: A review
journal, September 2011


Picosecond photoconducting Hertzian dipoles
journal, August 1984

  • Auston, D. H.; Cheung, K. P.; Smith, P. R.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 45, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.95174

Far-Infrared Dielectric Properties of Polar Liquids Probed by Femtosecond Terahertz Pulse Spectroscopy
journal, January 1996

  • Kindt, J. T.; Schmuttenmaer, C. A.
  • The Journal of Physical Chemistry, Vol. 100, Issue 24
  • DOI: 10.1021/jp960141g

Carrier dynamics in InGaAs with embedded ErAs nanoislands
journal, September 2008

  • Azad, Abul K.; Prasankumar, Rohit P.; Talbayev, Diyar
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 93, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2989127

Significant performance enhancement in photoconductive terahertz optoelectronics by incorporating plasmonic contact electrodes
journal, March 2013

  • Berry, C. W.; Wang, N.; Hashemi, M. R.
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 4, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2638

THz imaging and sensing for security applications—explosives, weapons and drugs
journal, June 2005

  • Federici, John F.; Schulkin, Brian; Huang, Feng
  • Semiconductor Science and Technology, Vol. 20, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1088/0268-1242/20/7/018

Cutting-edge terahertz technology
journal, February 2007


Fabrication of high resistivity cold-implanted InGaAsP photoconductors for efficient pulsed terahertz devices
journal, January 2011

  • Fekecs, André; Bernier, Maxime; Morris, Denis
  • Optical Materials Express, Vol. 1, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1364/OME.1.001165

Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging - Modern techniques and applications
journal, October 2010

  • Jepsen, P. U.; Cooke, D. G.; Koch, M.
  • Laser & Photonics Reviews, Vol. 5, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/lpor.201000011

T-Ray Tomography
conference, January 1997

  • Mittleman, D. M.; Hunsche, S.; Boivin, L.
  • Ultrafast Electronics and Optoelectronics
  • DOI: 10.1364/ueo.1997.uf5

Exploring Dynamics in the Far-Infrared with Terahertz Spectroscopy
journal, June 2004


Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging - Modern techniques and applications
journal, October 2010

  • Jepsen, P. U.; Cooke, D. G.; Koch, M.
  • Laser & Photonics Reviews, Vol. 5, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/lpor.201000011

Exploring Dynamics in the Far-Infrared with Terahertz Spectroscopy
journal, April 2004

  • Schmuttenmaer, Charles A.
  • Chemical Reviews, Vol. 104, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1021/cr020685g

Materials for terahertz science and technology
journal, September 2002

  • Ferguson, Bradley; Zhang, Xi-Cheng
  • Nature Materials, Vol. 1, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/nmat708

Subpicosecond, freely propagating electromagnetic pulse generation and detection using GaAs:As epilayers
journal, April 1991

  • Warren, A. C.; Katzenellenbogen, N.; Grischkowsky, D.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 58, Issue 14
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.105162

Carrier dynamics in InGaAs with embedded ErAs nanoislands
journal, September 2008

  • Azad, Abul K.; Prasankumar, Rohit P.; Talbayev, Diyar
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 93, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2989127

Picosecond photoconducting Hertzian dipoles
journal, August 1984

  • Auston, D. H.; Cheung, K. P.; Smith, P. R.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 45, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.95174

Far-infrared vibrational modes of DNA components studied by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy
journal, October 2002


Terahertz pulse imaging in reflection geometry of human skin cancer and skin tissue
journal, October 2002

  • Woodward, Ruth M.; Cole, Bryan E.; Wallace, Vincent P.
  • Physics in Medicine and Biology, Vol. 47, Issue 21
  • DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/47/21/325

T-ray imaging
journal, January 1996

  • Mittleman, D. M.; Jacobsen, R. H.; Nuss, M. C.
  • IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, Vol. 2, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1109/2944.571768

Advanced Photoconductive Terahertz Optoelectronics Based on Nano-Antennas and Nano-Plasmonic Light Concentrators
journal, May 2015


Emission characteristics of photoconductive antennas based on low-temperature-grown GaAs and semi-insulating GaAs
journal, January 1997

  • Tani, Masahiko; Matsuura, Shuji; Sakai, Kiyomi
  • Applied Optics, Vol. 36, Issue 30
  • DOI: 10.1364/ao.36.007853

Generation and detection of terahertz pulses from biased semiconductor antennas
journal, January 1996

  • Jepsen, P. Uhd; Jacobsen, R. H.; Keiding, S. R.
  • Journal of the Optical Society of America B, Vol. 13, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1364/josab.13.002424

Impact of substrate characteristics on performance of large area plasmonic photoconductive emitters
journal, January 2015

  • Yardimci, Nezih T.; Salas, Rodolfo; Krivoy, Erica M.
  • Optics Express, Vol. 23, Issue 25
  • DOI: 10.1364/oe.23.032035

Imaging with terahertz waves
journal, January 1995


T-ray tomography
journal, January 1997

  • Mittleman, Daniel M.; Hunsche, Stefan; Boivin, Luc
  • Optics Letters, Vol. 22, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1364/ol.22.000904

Works referencing / citing this record:

Nanostructure-Enhanced Photoconductive Terahertz Emission and Detection
journal, August 2018


Microwave plasmonic mixer in a transparent fibre–wireless link
journal, October 2018


Boosting Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna Performance with Optimised Plasmonic Nanostructures
journal, April 2018


Improvement of Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna using Optical Antenna Array of ZnO Nanorods
journal, February 2019

  • Bashirpour, Mohammad; Forouzmehr, Matin; Hosseininejad, Seyed Ehsan
  • Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38820-3

Skin cancer detection using non-invasive techniques
journal, January 2018

  • Narayanamurthy, Vigneswaran; Padmapriya, P.; Noorasafrin, A.
  • RSC Advances, Vol. 8, Issue 49
  • DOI: 10.1039/c8ra04164d

A high-responsivity and broadband photoconductive terahertz detector based on a plasmonic nanocavity
journal, December 2018

  • Yardimci, N. T.; Turan, D.; Cakmakyapan, S.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 113, Issue 25
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.5066243

Terahertz photoconductive emitter with dielectric-embedded high-aspect-ratio plasmonic grating for operation with low-power optical pumps
journal, January 2019

  • Lavrukhin, D. V.; Yachmenev, A. E.; Glinskiy, I. A.
  • AIP Advances, Vol. 9, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.5081119

Metallic and dielectric metasurfaces in photoconductive terahertz devices: a review
journal, December 2019

  • Yachmenev, Alexander E.; Lavrukhin, Denis V.; Glinskiy, Igor A.
  • Optical Engineering, Vol. 59, Issue 06
  • DOI: 10.1117/1.oe.59.6.061608

Comparative Efficiency and Power Assessment of Optical Photoconductive Material-Based Terahertz Sources for Wireless Communication Systems
journal, October 2018

  • Yazgan, Ayhan; Jofre, Lluis; Romeu, Jordi
  • Journal of Circuits, Systems and Computers, Vol. 28, Issue 01
  • DOI: 10.1142/s0218126619500051

Comparative study of equivalent circuit models for photoconductive antennas
journal, January 2018

  • Castañeda-Uribe, O. A.; Criollo, C. A.; Winnerl, S.
  • Optics Express, Vol. 26, Issue 22
  • DOI: 10.1364/oe.26.029017

Milliwatt-class broadband THz source driven by a 112 W, sub-100 fs thin-disk laser
journal, January 2019


Plasmonics-enhanced photoconductive terahertz detector pumped by Ytterbium-doped fiber laser
journal, January 2020

  • Turan, Deniz; Yardimci, Nezih Tolga; Jarrahi, Mona
  • Optics Express, Vol. 28, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1364/oe.386368

Sensitive detection of cancer cell apoptosis based on the non-bianisotropic metamaterials biosensors in terahertz frequency
journal, January 2018

  • Zhang, Zhang; Ding, Hongwei; Yan, Xin
  • Optical Materials Express, Vol. 8, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1364/ome.8.000659

Microwave plasmonic mixer in a transparent fibre–wireless link
journal, October 2018


Self-triggered Asynchronous Optical Sampling Terahertz Spectroscopy using a Bidirectional Mode-locked Fiber Laser
journal, October 2018


Improvement of Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna using Optical Antenna Array of ZnO Nanorods
journal, February 2019

  • Bashirpour, Mohammad; Forouzmehr, Matin; Hosseininejad, Seyed Ehsan
  • Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38820-3

A polarization-insensitive plasmonic photoconductive terahertz emitter
journal, November 2017

  • Li, Xurong; Yardimci, Nezih Tolga; Jarrahi, Mona
  • AIP Advances, Vol. 7, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.5006273

Boosting the Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna Performance with Optimized Plasmonic Nanostructures
text, January 2017