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Updated: Feb 11, 2026
10:54
Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
Published on: July 8, 2013
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Boosting Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna Performance with Optimised Plasmonic Nanostructures
Sergey Lepeshov1, Andrei Gorodetsky2,3,4, Alexander Krasnok5
1ITMO University, St.Petersburg, 197101, Russia.
Scientific Reports
|April 28, 2018
Summary
Researchers enhanced terahertz (THz) photoconductive antennas using nanophotonics. A novel hybrid antenna design achieved a 2-fold increase in optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency, enabling compact THz sources.
Area of Science:
- Nanophotonics and its cross-disciplinary applications in physics and biology.
- Development of advanced light-matter interactions at the nanoscale.
Background:
- Terahertz (THz) photoconductive antennas face limitations hindering practical applications.
- Nanoscale light-matter interactions offer a pathway to overcome these limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To numerically optimize and experimentally investigate a hybrid log-periodic THz photoconductive antenna coupled to a silver nanoantenna array.
- To enhance the performance of THz antennas by tailoring nanoantenna size and arrangement.
- To elucidate the operational principles of the novel hybrid THz antenna.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive numerical optimization of antenna design.
- Experimental investigation of a hybrid log-periodic THz photoconductive antenna with a silver nanoantenna array.
- Fabrication using a cost-effective thermal dewetting process for plasmonic nanostructures.
Main Results:
- Achieved a 2-fold enhancement in optical-to-THz conversion efficiency compared to previous results.
- Observed the strongest enhancement around 1 THz, a challenging frequency range for compact THz sources.
- Demonstrated a fabrication process that requires no post-processing.
Conclusions:
- The proposed hybrid THz antenna design significantly boosts performance.
- The developed fabrication method is cost-effective and suitable for mass production.
- This advancement brings compact and efficient THz sources closer to practical applications.
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