Radiation patterns from lens-coupled terahertz antennas

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Antenna Engineering
• Terahertz Technology

Background:

• Terahertz (THz) antennas are crucial for THz applications.
• Understanding radiation patterns is key for efficient THz system design.
• Silicon lenses are used to shape THz beams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the angular distribution of radiation from a THz antenna system with a truncated spherical silicon lens.
• To compare theoretical calculations with experimental measurements of the radiation pattern.
• To characterize the THz beam emitted by the system.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical calculation of the radiation pattern using wide-angle interference and Huygens-Fresnel diffraction.
• Experimental determination of the radiation pattern via spatially resolved terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.
• Analysis of beam characteristics and comparison with Gaussian beam models.

Main Results:

• The study achieved good agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental results.
• The radiation pattern of the THz antenna system was accurately determined.
• The emitted THz beam was successfully represented as a Gaussian beam.

Conclusions:

• The truncated spherical silicon lens effectively shapes the THz radiation.
• The experimental and theoretical results validate the use of interference and diffraction principles for pattern calculation.
• The THz beam can be modeled as a Gaussian beam originating from an aperture equivalent to the lens diameter.