Anomalous transmission of terahertz wave through one-dimensional lamellar metallic grating

The anomalous transmission through one-dimensional lamellar metallic gratings was investigated in terahertz (THz) regime. The extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) is identified to originate from two possible ways: coupling of incident light with waveguide resonances and coupling of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the upper and lower interfaces of metal grating. The dual effects of SPPs have been clarified in this study: (i) the excitation of SPP modes at each individual interface results in the weakness of the THz wave transmission; and (ii) the coupling of SPP modes at two interfaces of metal grating is attributed to enhancement of THz wave transmission. The enhanced transmission is dominated by the coupling of incident light with transverse waveguide resonances. Numerical simulation based on finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) agrees well with experimental results.     

Nanofocusing of terahertz wave on conical metal wire waveguides

The nanofocusing of the terahertz (THz) radiation energy is studied. By using a conical metal nanowire waveguide, we focus the energy of the terahertz surface plasmon polaritons (THz SPPs) to several nanometers’ scale. Another interesting property of the THz SPPs propagation on the waveguide is that the peak electric field at the waveguide tip enhances many times. What is more, both the phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient versus the wire radius are obtained. The terahertz energy nanofocusing opens the way to observe terahertz propagating and imaging on the nanoscale.     

介质填充浅槽周期结构表面上的太赫兹表面等离子体激元

通过在金属表面刻成浅的垂直凹槽,并在槽内填充不同的介质,对金属表面浅槽周期结构上传播的表面等离子体激元的色散特性与填充介质的关系进行了研究.研究表明通过在周期凹槽内填充介质可以有效降低人工表面等离子体激元的渐近频率,并增强金属表面对电磁场的约束.分析了太赫兹波段金属的吸收损耗对人工表面等离子体激元特性的影响,结果显示基于填充介质的浅槽周期表面结构可以获得长距离传输以及场的亚波长约束.通过对波传输的数值仿真,验证了该表面结构在太赫兹波段良好的导波能力.这种表面结构对太赫兹波段新型集成导波器件的设计具有参考价值.     

介质填充浅槽周期结构表面上的太赫兹表面等离子体激元

通过在金属表面刻成浅的垂直凹槽,并在槽内填充不同的介质,对金属表面浅槽周期结构上传播的表面等离子体激元的色散特性与填充介质的关系进行了研究.研究表明通过在周期凹槽内填充介质可以有效降低人工表面等离子体激元的渐近频率,并增强金属表面对电磁场的约束.分析了太赫兹波段金属的吸收损耗对人工表面等离子体激元特性的影响,结果显示基于填充介质的浅槽周期表面结构可以获得长距离传输以及场的亚波长约束.通过对波传输的数值仿真,验证了该表面结构在太赫兹波段良好的导波能力.这种表面结构对太赫兹波段新型集成导波器件的设计具有参考价值.     

Trapping of surface plasmon polaritons in a multiple-teeth-shaped waveguide at visible wavelengths

We numerically and theoretically demonstrate that a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) waveguide with multiple-teeth-shaped graded depths can strongly slow light as the propagation velocities of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are reduced over a large frequency bandwidth at visible wavelengths domain. Since the wavelength of the trough of transmission is dependent on the depth of the tooth-shaped dielectric in the MIM waveguide, the guided SPPs at different frequencies can be localized at different spatial positions of the multiple-teeth-shaped graded depths MIM waveguide, which can be proved by the scattering matrix method. The separation between trapped waves can be tuned by changing the grade of the tooth-shaped depths and the lifetime of SPPs in the waveguide may be long enough for some meaningful nano-photonic applications.     

Investigation of THz Sommerfeld wave propagation on single-wire at different temperature

In this paper, THz Sommerfeld wave propagation on dielectrically coated cylindrical metal wire and conical metal wire is presented. The propagation characteristics of single wire are largely related to the characteristics of material being used, which may change significantly with the temperature variation. Then, the surface wave propagation along the THz wire waveguide is investigated by the numerical calculation from 0.1 to 1 THz at different temperature. The influences of different conductivity and different temperature on the propagation characteristics of the dielectrically coated cylindrical metal wire and conical metal wire are discussed, including electric field distribution, propagation loss and energy coupling characteristic. The analysis results release a fundamental characteristic for describing the THz surface wave propagation on single wire at different temperature, and moreover, the analysis results also suggest that the single wire is a promising THz waveguide and very useful for the space sensing at cryogenic temperature in future.     

THz波在金属镀层空芯波导中传输的理论和实验研究

本文基于微扰法求得不同金属镀层空心圆波导中各模式的损耗系数,对金属镀层空芯波导中THz波传输损耗随金属材料、波导结构等参数的变化关系进行了数值模拟.根据数值分析结果,优化设计并拉制了内径为1.1 mm的镀银空芯波导,实验测得当THz波的频率为2.5 THz时,传输损耗为8.6 dB/m,实现了THz波短距离的有效传输. 关键词： 太赫兹波 金属空芯波导 传输损耗     

Complex Modulation in Plasmon-Assisted Transmission Spectra of a Two-Slit Structure

We study the plasmon-assisted transmission of two kinds of slit structures in a 290-nm-thick silver film on a glass substrate. For the two-slit structure, the total transmission intensity spectra displays a complex modulation, which is attributed to different propagation constants of the surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs） on the silver-air and silver-glass interfaces. Replacing one of the two slits by a shallow corrugation results in a simple sinusoidal intensity modulation because of the only effective SPP excitation and propagation on the silver-air interface. These confirm the role of different SPP propagations and interference in the transmission properties of metal nanoslits.     

Real propagation speed of the ultraslow plasmonic THz waveguide

A graded metallic grating structure can not only work as a wave trapping system, but also work as an ultraslow terahertz (THz) waveguide. The depth of the grating waveguide is partial graded and partial fixed. The real propagation speed of such a system is calculated. Different frequencies of THz waves can be propagated at a designed propagation speed, even close to zero.     

Optical switch effect of metal–dielectric–metal plasmonic waveguide coupled with stub structure

The transmission line theory (TLT) and the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method are applied to investigate the optical transmission characteristics of the metal–dielectric–metal (MDM) plasmonic waveguide coupled with a stub structure. The transmission rate of the FDTD simulation results demonstrates periodically variation from less than 1% to more than 92% as a function of the length of the stub, which fits well with the results of TLT. Furthermore, the transmission also performs a periodically switch distribution with the change of the refractive index of the stub from 1.0 to 2.0 gradually. Both methods are adopted for modulating the superposition phase of the interference between the reflected surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) wave from the end of the stub and the passing SPPs wave in the waveguide, which can be interpreted as the principle mechanism for the optical switch effect of the MDM waveguide with a stub structure.     

An Artificially Garnet Crystal Materials Using In Terahertz Waveguide

A hypothesis is brought forward that the materials with low propagation loss in both optical and microwave band may exhibit good performance in terahertz （THz） band because THz wave band interspaces those two wave bands. For the purpose-of exploring a kind of low-loss material for THz waveguide, Lu2.1Bi0.9Fe5O12（LuBiIG） garnet films are prepared by liquid phase epitaxy （LPE） method on a gadolinium gallium garnet （GGG） substrate from lead-free flux because of the good properties in both optical and microwave bands. In microwave band, the ferromagnetic resonance （FMR） linewidth of the film 2△H = 2.8-5.1Oe; in optical band, the optical absorption coefficient is 600cm^-1 at visible range and about 100-170cm^-1 when the wavelength is longer than 800nm. In THz range, our hypothesis is well confirmed by a THz-TDS measurement which shows that the absorbance of the film for THz wave is 0.05-0.3 cm 1 and the minimum value appears at 2.3 THz. This artificial ferromagnetic material holds a great promise for magnetic field tunable THz devices such as waveguide, modulator or switch.     

基于表面等等离波子的新型Y分支波导

新型高效的纳米光波导器件的研制纳米集成光学的核心技术之一。Y分支波导作为最基本的分光和光路连接元件是纳米光学器件设计与制备的基础。运用时域有限差分(FDTD)法,模拟计算了基于表面等等离波子(SPP)的纳米Y分支波导的传输特性。结果表明,该新型Y分支波导在光通信波段可以实现大角度的分光功能,且在180°分支情况下,传输效率仍高达92.8%以上。另外,该波导还具有导波性能良好、对分叉处间隙缺陷大小不敏感及制作容差较大和器件尺寸在纳米量级等特点。对该新型光波导器件的研究为未来纳米集成光学器件的研制和应用有一定的指导意义。     

Optimization design of optical waveguide control by nanoslit-enhanced THz field

We discuss design issues of devices which were proposed recently [Opt. Lett. 37 (2012) 3903] for terahertz (THz) control of the propagation of an optical waveguide mode. The mode propagates through a nonlinear dielectric material placed in a metallic nanoslit illuminated by THz radiation. The THz field in the slit is strongly localized and thus significantly enhanced, facilitating nonlinear interactions with the dielectric waveguide material. This enhancement can lead to notable changes in the refractive index of the waveguide. The closer the waveguide is to the slit walls, the higher the nonlinear effects are, but with the cost of increasing propagation losses due to parasitic coupling to surface plasmon polaritons at the metal interfaces. We analyze several optical waveguide configurations and define a figure of merit that allows us to design the optimal configuration. We find that designs with less overlap of the THz and optical fields but also with lower losses are better than designs where both these parameters are higher. The estimated terahertz field incident onto the metallic nanoslit required to manipulate the waveguide mode has reasonable values which can be achieved in practice.     

太赫兹折叠波导慢波结构S参数特性

理论上分析了计算周期数对0.22 THz折叠波导慢波结构S参数的影响,讨论了折叠波导慢波结构各个尺寸参数对损耗特性的影响,研究了粗糙度与损耗特性之间的关系。通过实验验证了0.22 THz标准矩形直波导的损耗特性。对实际加工的0.22 THz折叠波导慢波结构进行了测试,得到了实际的太赫兹波折叠波导慢波结构传输与损耗特性。     

Cherenkov terahertz radiation from Dirac semimetals surface plasmon polaritons excited by an electron beam

We demonstrate a physical mechanism for terahertz(THz) generation from surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs). In a structure with a bulk Dirac semimetals(BDSs) film deposited on a dielectric substrate, the energy of the asymmetric SPP mode can be significantly enhanced to cross the light line of the substrate due to the SPP-coupling between the interfaces of the film. Therefore, the SPPs can be immediately transformed into Cherenkov radiation without removing the wavevector mismatch. Additionally, the symmetric SPP mode can also be dramatically lifted to cross the substrate light line when a buffer layer with low permittivity relative to the substrate is introduced. In this case, dual-frequency THz radiation from the two SPP modes can be generated simultaneously. The radiation intensity is significantly enhanced by over two orders due to the field enhancement of the SPPs. The radiation frequency can be tuned in the THz frequency regime by adjusting the beam energy and the chemical potential of the BDSs. Our results could find potential applications in developing room temperature, tunable, coherent, and intense THz radiation sources to cover the entire THz band.     

一种低损耗的对称双楔形太赫兹混合表面等离子体波导

本文研究了一种适用于太赫兹频段的对称双楔形混合等离子体波导.采用有限元法对其混合模式特征进行数值模拟,阐述了波导的传播长度、归一化有效模场面积和品质因子等特性随波导几何参数的变化规律.结果表明,对称双楔形混合等离子体波导在太赫兹频段可获得良好的模场约束能力和低损耗特性,在有效模场面积达到λ2/10280时,传播长度达到51 × 103 μm.波导参数最优时的平行对称楔形波导在忽略波导间串扰时,波导间距小于16 μm时的耦合长度约为8958 μm.通过对比发现,相比于先前的对称微楔形波导结构和对称蝴蝶结波导结构,对称双楔形混合等离子体波导在传输特性和耦合特性方面都具有更大的优势,将在光学力捕获、生物分子传输以及高密度集成电路设计等方面具有潜在的应用前景.     

Unidirectional manipulation of surface plasmon polariton by dual-nanocavity in a T-shaped waveguide

A structure of two dimensional T-shaped metal-insulator-metal waveguide with dual-nanocavity is proposed. The two nanocavities located at each side of the slit on the lower metallic surface, act as band rejection filters and are capable of stopping the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the resonant wavelengths. The Fabry-Perot interferometry theory and the Finite-Difference-Time-Domain method are utilized to investigate the proposed waveguide. The numerical results demonstrate the realization of miniaturized photonic devices for effectively switching the SPPs propagation between the left and right waveguides in one direction.     

太赫兹波在有限电导率金属空芯波导中的传输特性

研究了太赫兹波在具有有限电导率的金属镀层空芯波导中的传输特性.从其传输的特性方程出发,利用Newton-Raphson迭代方法数值模拟了传输损耗和相位常数随太赫兹波频率、波导内径以及波导中金属镀层的电导率的变化关系.结果表明,采用大芯径波导和高电导率的金属镀层能有效降低太赫兹波的传输损耗. 关键词： 太赫兹波 空芯波导 特征方程     

利用3D打印技术制备太赫兹器件

高性能的太赫兹器件在控制太赫兹波方面起到重要的作用,因此寻求一种简单有效的太赫兹器件加工方案非常必要。本文以太赫兹波导和太赫兹滤波器为例,分别选用Kagome型光子晶体结构的波导和一维光子晶体结构的滤波器,运用商用的3D打印机加工样品,并采用透射式太赫兹时域光谱系统对样品的参数进行测量。实验结果表明:加工的波导在0.2~1.0 THz范围内传输损耗平均值约为0.02 cm~(-1),最小值可达到0.002 cm~(-1),且可运用机械拼接的方式将多个波导进行简单的连接从而获得更长的波导而不引起严重的损耗;滤波器的透射谱在0.1~0.5 THz之间有两个明显高损耗带;这两组实验结果均与理论预计非常接近。本文运用太赫兹波导和滤波器的实例证实了3D打印技术加工太赫兹器件的可行性,将会成为获取性能可控、价格低廉的太赫兹器件的有效途径。     

Extraordinary THz transmission through subwavelength semiconductor slits under antiparallel external magnetic fields

We theoretically study the resonant transmission of electromagnetic waves at the THz frequencies through subwavelength semiconductor slits under external static magnetic fields. The dispersion relations of the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) inside a subwavelength slit are analytically derived. It is found that the SPPs propagating along one direction and its reverse are symmetric when parallel external magnetic fields are applied, but are asymmetric when antiparallel external magnetic fields are applied. The transmission properties of periodic subwavelength semiconductor slit arrays with the antiparallel magnetic fields in each unit cell are investigated by the mode expansion technique. The two significant transmission characteristics are observed: (i) The resonant peaks are redshifted with increasing external magnetic fields; (ii) The transmissions in the two opposite directions through the slit arrays are asymmetric. The origin of the transmission asymmetry is reasonably explained by the magnetic-field induced asymmetric SPP propagation losses.