• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 2010

We performed time-domain terahertz (THz) spectroscopy to determine optical constants of highly conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) films. The CNT films have been fabricated on a flexible plastic substrate by using spin-coating or vacuum filtration. We found that the transmission of THz waves can be controlled by manipulating the thickness of the films and by post-treatments. From amplitude and phase information of the transmitted THz waves, we obtain optical constants such as refractive indices and dielectric constants of the CNT films. The frequency dependent dielectric constants show good metallic behaviors, relevant to the Drude free electron models with high plasma frequencies. It is also found that the dielectric constants are higher for the acid-treated films. Finally, the frequency dependent dielectric constants which are free from substrate effects have been demonstrated by using CNT films deposited on cellulose membranes.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.119-126
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• 2023

The vibratory and rotational levels of many biological macromolecules lie in the terahertz (THz) band, which means that THz techniques can be used to identify and detect them. Moreover, since the biological activity of most biomolecules only becomes apparent in aqueous solution, we use microfluidic technology to study the biological properties of these biomolecules. THz time-domain spectroscopy was used to study the THz absorption characteristics of graphene oxide (GO) aqueous solution at different concentrations and different exposure times in fixed electric or magnetic fields. The results show that the spectral characteristics of the GO solution varied with the concentration: as the concentration increased, the THz absorption decreased. The results also show that after placing the solution in an external electric field, the absorption of THz first increased and then decreased. When the solution was placed in a magnetic field, the THz absorption increased with the increase in standing time. In this paper, these results are explained based on considerations of what is occurring at the molecular scale. The results of this study provide technical support for the further study of GO and will assist with its improved application in various fields.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.143-147
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• 2021

Full width half maximum (FWHM) analysis of superimposed terahertz (THz) signals in the glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) was studied to detect fine delamination inside GFRP. The THz signals were measured for each fine delamination size inside the GFRP using the reflection mode of the terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system. Then, the FWHM of the superimposed THz signal reflected at the fine delamination was extracted. Thereafter, the complex refractive index of the GFRP was measured using transmission mode of the THzTDS system. Based on this, the FWHM of the superimposed THz signal at the fine delamination were calculated and compared with respect to the fine delamination size. From the theoretically calculated superimposed signals, the relationship between the fine delamination size and the FWHM in the superimposed THz signal was derived. Consequently, the fine delamination size could be predicted through the analysis of the FWHM extracted from the THz signal at the fine delamination.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.155-160
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• 2011

Lymph node metastasis is an important prognostic factor in cervical cancer patients. We report THz imaging for detecting micro-metastatic foci in the lymph nodes of early-stage uterine cervical cancer patients. Five paraffin-embedded metastatic lymph nodes from two cervical cancer patients were imaged using a THz time-domain spectroscopy system in the reflection mode. The size and shape of the tumor regions were compared with those from histopathologic examinations. The metastatic portions of lymph nodes as small as 3 mm were well delineated by THz imaging. The reflected peak amplitudes were lower in metastatic portions than in the normal portions of lymph nodes, and the difference in their peak-to-peak amplitudes was ~5%.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.66-71
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• 2021

The resonance characteristics of H-shaped metamaterials, whose widths were varied while keeping the height constant, were investigated in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. The H-shaped metamaterials were numerically analyzed in two modes in which the polarization of the incident THz electric field was either parallel or perpendicular to the width of the H-shaped structure. The resonant frequency of the metamaterial changed stably in each mode, even if only the width of the H shape was changed. The resonant frequency of the metamaterial operating in the two modes increases without significant difference regardless of the polarization of the incident electromagnetic wave as the width of the H-shaped metamaterial increases. The electric field distribution and the surface current density induced in the metamaterial in the two modes were numerically analyzed by varying the structure ratio of the metamaterial. The numerical analysis clearly revealed the cause of the change in the resonance characteristics as the width of the H-shaped metamaterial changed. The efficacy of the numerical analysis was verified experimentally using the THz-TDS (time-domain spectroscopy) system. The experimental results are consistent with the simulations, clearly demonstrating the meaningfulness of the numerical analysis of the metamaterial. The analyzed resonance properties of the H-shaped metamaterial in the THz frequency range can be applied for designing THz-tunable metamaterials and improving the sensitivity of THz sensors.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.435-438
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• 2008

D2O, which is used in nuclear power generation, is slightly different from $H_2O$. $D_2O$ consists of deuterium (D), which is an isotope of hydrogen (H) and has one more neutron than H. $D_2O$ is heavier by about 11% than $H_2O$, and $D_2O$ is present in water in natureat about 0.002%. Its melting point and boiling point are $3.81^{\circ}C$ and $101.42^{\circ}C$, respectively. $D_2O$ is harmful to the human body if it replaces water in the human body by more than $25%{\sim}50%$. We have measured the index of refractive and power absorption of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of $D_2O$ in $H_2O$ using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, and we have found that the refractive index decreases and power absorption also decreases as the concentration of $D_2O$ increases.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.3 no.6
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• pp.566-570
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• 2019

To investigate dependence of the sensitivity of THz metamaterials on the position of target dielectric materials, we functionalized the metamaterial gap with an adhesive polymer. A shift in resonance frequency occurs when polystyrene microbeads are deposited in the gap of the metamaterial's metal resonator pattern, while little change is observed when they are deposited on other areas of the metasurface. A two-dimensional mapping of the sensitivity, with a grid size of 1 ㎛, is obtained from a finite-difference time-domain simulation: The frequency shift is displayed as a function of the position of a target dielectric cube. The resulting sensitivity distribution clearly reveals the crucial role of the gap in sensing with metamaterials, which is consistent with the electric field distribution near the gap.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.1 no.6
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• pp.637-641
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• 2017

We present dielectric constant measurements of thin films using THz metamaterials fabricated on a quartz substrate. The resonance shifts of the metamaterials exhibit saturation behavior with increasing film thickness. The saturation frequency shift varies with the real part of the dielectric constant, from which the numerical expression for the particular metamaterial design was extracted. We first performed finite-difference time-domain simulations to find an explicit relationship between the saturated frequency shift and the dielectric constant of a thin film, which was confirmed by the experimental results from conventional techniques. In particular, the quartz substrate enables us to determine their values more accurately, because of its low substrate index. As a result, we extracted the dielectric constants of various films whose values have not been addressed previously without precise control of the film thickness.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.378-382
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• 2018

In most previous investigations of plasmonic and metamaterial applications, the metallic film has been regarded as a perfect electrical conductor. Here we demonstrate the resonance characteristics of THz metamaterials fabricated from metal film that has a finite dielectric constant, using finite-difference time-domain simulations. We found strong redshift and spectral broadening of the resonance as we decrease the metal's plasma frequency in the Drude free-electron model. The frequency shift can be attributed to the effective thinning of the metal film, originating from the increase in penetration depth as the plasma frequency decreases. On the contrary, only peak broadening occurs with an increase in the scattering rate. The metal-thickness dependence confirms that the redshift and spectral broadening occur when the effective metal thickness drops below the skin-depth limit. The electromagnetic field distribution illustrates the reduced field enhancement and reduced funneling effects near the gap area in the case of low plasma frequency, which is associated with reduced charge density in the metal film.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.61 no.12
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• pp.1939-1943
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• 2012

In this paper we presented the detection of the explosive material RDX using a parallel plate waveguide (PPWG) THz time domain spectroscopy (TDS). Normally the explosive materials have been characterized through identification of vibrational fingerprint spectra. Until now, most of all THz spectroscopic measurements have been made using pellet samples where disorder effects contribute to line broadening such that individual resonances merge into relatively broad absorption features. In order to avoid such disadvantages we used the technique of PPWG THz-TDS to achieve sensitive characterization of explosive material RDX. The PPWG THz-TDS used in this work well established ultrafast optoelectronic techniques to generate and detect sub-picosecond THz pulses. The explosive material was analyzed as powder layers in $112{\mu}m$ gap of metal PPWG. The thin later mass was estimated to be about $700{\mu}g$. Finally, we showed spectra of explosives from 0.2 to 2.4 THz measured using PPWG THz-TDS.