Scanless Spectral Imaging of Terahertz Vortex Beams Generated by High-Resolution 3D-Printed Spiral Phase Plates

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Terahertz (THz) Technology
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Terahertz technology is rapidly advancing, necessitating specialized optical components for radiation manipulation.
• Traditional 3D printing methods are limited to low-frequency terahertz applications due to resolution constraints.
• Two-photon polymerization lithography (TPL) offers high resolution and low surface roughness, suitable for high-frequency terahertz optics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of using TPL for fabricating high-frequency terahertz optical components.
• To design and produce spiral phase plates operating at 1 THz using TPL.
• To characterize the fabricated components and compare experimental results with numerical simulations.

Main Methods:

• Design of spiral phase plates for 1 THz operation.
• Fabrication of the designed optics using two-photon polymerization lithography (TPL).
• Characterization using a rapid, scanless terahertz imaging technique for hyperspectral analysis.
• Numerical simulations for comparison with experimental data.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of spiral phase plates operating at 1 THz via TPL.
• Experimental characterization showed good agreement with numerical simulations.
• Identified terahertz loss in TPL polymers as a current limitation.

Conclusions:

• TPL is a viable technique for fabricating high-frequency terahertz optical devices with high precision.
• The study provides a proof of principle for TPL in advanced terahertz optics.
• Further research is needed to mitigate terahertz loss in TPL polymers for improved device performance.