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Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Emitters
Published on: July 8, 2013
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Compact and ultra-efficient broadband plasmonic terahertz field detector
Yannick Salamin1, Ileana-Cristina Benea-Chelmus2,3, Yuriy Fedoryshyn4
1ETH Zurich, Institute of Electromagnetic Fields (IEF), 8092, Zurich, Switzerland. salamin@mit.edu.
Nature Communications
|December 6, 2019
Summary
Researchers developed a compact, fiber-coupled terahertz detector using silicon photonics. This device efficiently detects terahertz waves with low optical power, enabling new applications in medicine and communications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Terahertz Technology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Terahertz (THz) sources and detectors are crucial for applications in medicine and communications.
- Current efficient THz detection methods often involve complex free-space optics and high-power lasers.
- There is a need for more compact, efficient, and accessible THz detection systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel fiber-coupled, monolithic plasmonic terahertz field detector.
- To achieve high-efficiency THz detection using low optical probe power.
- To integrate THz detection onto a silicon-photonics platform.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a monolithic plasmonic detector on a silicon-photonics platform.
- Utilizing nonlinear mixing of THz waves with a low-power optical probe pulse.
- Employing on-chip guided plasmonic probe beams for efficient sampling.
Main Results:
- Achieved a detection bandwidth of 2.5 THz with a 65 dB dynamical range.
- Demonstrated efficient THz detection using only 63 nW of optical probe power.
- Obtained the highest conversion efficiency per unit length due to extreme field confinement and short interaction length (5 μm).
Conclusions:
- The developed detector offers a compact, efficient, and fiber-coupled solution for THz detection.
- The silicon-photonics-based approach eliminates the need for phase matching, simplifying the system.
- This technology has the potential to significantly advance THz applications in various fields.
