• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.373-379
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• 2020

In this study, we investigate terahertz (THz) generation by a photoconductive antenna with electrodes in the shape of split-ring resonators. According to our theoretical investigation based on a lumped-circuit model, the inductance of this electrode structure leads to resonant behavior of the photo-induced current. Hence, near the resonance frequency the spectral components generated by a resonant photoconductive antenna can be greater than those produced by a non-resonant one. For experimental verification, a resonant photoconductive antenna, which possesses a resonance mode at 0.6 THz, and a non-resonant photoconductive antenna with stripe-shaped electrodes were fabricated on a semi-insulating GaAs substrate. The THz generation by both of the photoconductive antennas demonstrated a good agreement with the theoretically expected results. The observed relationship between the resonant electrodes of the photoconductive antenna and the generated THz spectrum can be further employed to design a narrow-band THz source with an on-demand frequency.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.2 no.6
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• pp.629-634
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• 2018

A broad dual-band terahertz metamaterial filter with sharp out-of-band rejections is designed and demonstrated. The center frequencies of the first and the second bands occur at 0.35 THz and 0.96 THz with 3 dB relative bandwidth of 31% and 17%, respectively. Results are measured using a THz time-domain spectroscopy system that shows agreement with simulations. Physical mechanisms of the broad dual-band resonance are clarified based on transmissions of different structures and surface current density distributions. Influence of structure parameters on the transmission characteristics are discussed. Symmetry of the structure ensures the filter polarization independence at normal incidence. These results supported by the design of the filter could find applications in broad multi-band sensors, terahertz communication systems, and other emerging terahertz technologies.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.443-448
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• 2023

The ±1-order Kelly sidebands with dispersion-dependent spacing of mode-locking fiber lasers are investigated for frequency-tunable terahertz signal generation. The principle of dispersion dependence of Kelly sidebands is analyzed. A new method, which is a dispersion-management mechanism introduced into the fiber-laser cavity, is proposed to generate Kelly sidebands with widely tunable wavelength spacing. A spacing tuning range of up to 28.46 nm of the ±1-order Kelly sidebands is obtained in simulation. Using the data of the optical spectrum with dispersion-dependent Kelly sidebands, the frequency spectrum of generated terahertz signals is calculated. Consequently, the signal frequency can be changed from 0.09 to 2.27 THz.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.138-142
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• 2017

Terahertz (THz) generation by periodically-poled $KTiOPO_4$ (PPKTP) with a quasi-phase-matching scheme based on cascaded difference frequency generation (DFG) processes is theoretically analyzed. The cascaded Stokes interaction processes and the cascaded anti-Stokes interaction processes are investigated from coupled wave equations. THz intensities and quantum conversion efficiency are calculated. Compared with non-cascaded DFG processes, THz intensities from 10-order cascaded DFG processes are increased to 5.53. The quantum conversion efficiency of 479.4% in cascaded processes, which exceeds the Manley-Rowe limit, can be realized.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.215-220
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• 2018

A novel porous-core hexagonal lattice photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is designed and analyzed for efficient terahertz (THz) wave propagation. The finite element method based Comsol v4.2 software is used for numerical analysis of the proposed fiber. A perfectly matched layer boundary condition is used to characterize the guiding properties. Rectangular air-holes are used inside the core to introduce asymmetry for attaining high birefringence. By intentionally rotating the rectangular air holes of porous core structure, an ultrahigh birefringence of 0.045 and low effective material loss of $0.086cm^{-1}$ can be obtained at the operating frequency of 0.85 THz. Moreover, single-mode properties, power fraction in air core and confinement loss of the proposed PCF are also analyzed. This is expected to be useful for wideband imaging and telecom applications.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.2 no.6
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• pp.508-513
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• 2018

We report the development of a theoretical model describing the strong field tunneling of electrons in an extremely small nanogap (having a width of a few nanometers) that is driven by terahertz-pulse irradiation, by modifying a conventional semiclassical model that is widely applied for near-infrared wavelengths. We demonstrate the effects of carrier-envelope phase difference and strength of the incident THz field on the tunneling current across the nanogap. Additionally, we show that the dc bias also contributes to the generation of tunneling current, but the nature of the contribution is completely different for different carrier-envelope phases.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.683-691
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• 2023

A typical terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system requires large, expensive, and heavy hardware such as a lock-in amplifier and a function generator. In this study, we replaced the lock-in amplifier and the function generator with a single sound card built into a typical desktop computer to significantly reduce the system size, weight, and cost. The sound card serves two purposes: 1 kHz chopping signal generation and raw data acquisition. A unique software lock-in (Python coding program to eliminate noise from raw data) method was developed and successfully extracted THz time-domain signals with a signal-to-noise ratio of ~40,000 (the intensity ratio between the peak and average noise levels). The built-in sound card with the software lock-in method exhibited sufficiently good performance compared with the hardware-based method.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.225-229
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• 2024

This paper introduces a rapid measurement technique for the stress-optic coefficient, using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. First we propose a design combining a four-point bending device with a scanning stage to streamline the loading process. Then we detail the measurement principle and outline the signal-processing algorithm. The experiments are carried out on Al₂O₃, a representative ceramic material. The experimental data reveal that the refractive index of Al₂O₃ exhibits a linear decrease with increasing stress. This work supplies an efficient method for stress measurement rooted in the stress-optic effect.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.430-434
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• 2002

We present the magnitude of terahertz electromagnetic pulses when femtosecond laser pulses are moving along to a dipole antenna. The dipole antenna chip has maximum 4.7 nA THz current, generated at 11 DC volt. This current is 3.4 times bigger than the current of a $300{\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ separated transmission line structure chip that has 70 DC volt. We also apply an AC square wave voltage to the dipole antenna from 0.1 volt to 10 volt for binary signals using the terahertz electromagnetic pulses.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.229-232
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• 2016

Metamaterials operating in the terahertz frequency range show promising potential for use in highly sensitive microbial sensors that are capable of effectively detecting microorganisms in the ambient environment. We were able to detect extremely small numbers of microorganisms by measuring the differential transmission spectra (DTS) of the metamaterial resonances. This was possible because their sizes are on the same scale as the microgaps of the terahertz metamaterials. DTS depend critically on the number of microorganisms placed in the gap area, and their dielectric constant. In addition, these metamaterial microbial sensors are reusable, because the microorganisms can be completely removed by fungicide solution. Finite-difference time-domain simulations successfully reproduce our experimental data.