Pérez-Urquizo, J, Todorov, Y, Li, L orcid.org/0000-0003-4998-7259 et al. (5 more authors) (2021) Monolithic Patch-Antenna THz Lasers with Extremely Low Beam Divergence and Polarization Control. ACS Photonics, 8 (2). pp. 412-417. ISSN 2330-4022
Abstract
Arrays of patch antennas have impacted modern telecommunications in the RF range significantly, owing to their versatility in tailoring the properties of the emitted radiation such as beam width and polarization, along with their ease of fabrication. At higher frequencies, in the terahertz (THz) range, there is a pressing need for a similar monolithic platform to realize and enable the advanced functionalities available in the RF technology. This platform would benefit a wide variety of fields such as astronomy, spectroscopy, wireless communications, and imaging. Here, we demonstrate THz lasers made of arrays of 10 × 10 patch antenna microcavities that provide up to 25 mW output power with robust single mode frequency and spatial mode. This device architecture leads to an unprecedented beam divergence, better than 2° × 2°, which depends only on the number of resonators. This allows to functionalize the device while preserving a high quality far-field pattern. By interconnecting the symmetric square microcavities with narrow plasmonic wires along one direction, we introduce an asymmetry into the originally degenerate and cross-polarized TM01 and TM10 modes, leading to a precise control of the resonant frequency detuning between the TM modes. This feature allows devices to be designed that radiate with any coherent polarization states from linear to circular. Large-scale full-wave simulations of the emission from entire arrays support our experimental results. Our platform provides a solution to finally achieve monolithic terahertz emitters with advanced integrated functionalities such as active beam steering and polarization control.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 American Chemical Society. This is an author produced version of an article published in ACS Photonics. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | THz QCL; patch-antenna microcavities; surface emission; beam shaping; coherent polarization control |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Electronic & Electrical Engineering (Leeds) > Pollard Institute (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 23 Feb 2021 15:06 |
Last Modified: | 04 Feb 2022 01:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acsphotonics.0c01430 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:171392 |