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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
Published on: July 8, 2013
All-optoelectronic continuous-wave terahertz systems
Torsten Löffler1, Karsten J Siebert, Holger Quast
1Physikalisches Institut, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Robert-Mayer-strasse 2-4, 60054 Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany. t.loeffler@physik.uni-frankfurt.de
Abstract:
We discuss the optoelectronic generation and detection of continuous-wave terahertz (THz) radiation by the mixing of visible/near-infrared laser radiation in photoconductive antennas. We review attempts to reach higher THz output-power levels by reverting from mobility-lifetime-limited photomixers to transit-time-limited p-i-n photodiodes. We then describe our implementation of a THz spectroscopy and imaging-measurement system and demonstrate its imaging performance with several examples. Possible application areas of THz imaging in the biomedical field and in surface characterization for industrial purposes are explored.

