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Efficiency and Spectrum Evaluation of Terahertz Photoconductive Antenna Array Based on GaAs Substrates Y. Zeng1, T. Kreouzis2, X. Chen1, R. Donnan1 1 School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom 2 School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom Abstract— Terahertz photoconductive antenna arrays with interdigitated electrodes are laid down on GaAs substrates in which different geometries are assessed for their ability to enhance performance of a time-domain spectrometer (TDS) system. I. INTRODUCTION T he current surge in interest of coherent generation and detection of terahertz (THz) electromagnetic radiation lies in its opening up of new territory in application to communications and imaging, as well as a being a new probe in biological and materials sciences[1]. One such method of coherent generation and detection is via a photoconductive antenna (PCA). PCAs have shown significant advantages when deployed in methodologies for spectroscopy, particularly because of their capacity for broadband emission and detection[2]. However, the efficiency of this type of THz source is extremely low. The most sever factor inhibiting the power and efficiency of PCAs is the extremely low quantum efficiency during the photoconductive process. At high optical intensity, excitation, saturation and screening effects begin to occur and further reduce the efficiency of the source device. [1] PCA arrays are hereby proposed to overcome this limitation. illustrate the approximate paths of the THz wave. Individual emitters are first examined. The fluctuation of the signal is due to multi-reflection of the THz wave in the EO crystal. Small gap (25µm) PCAs produce higher spectral radiance above 0.5 THz than large gap (500µm) PCAs as shown in Figure 2. This is consistent with the conclusion of Beck et al. [5] Interdigitated electrodes are now being explored as photoconductive emitting arrays, and are fabricated using photolithographic techniques on single crystal semi-insulating GaAs substrates (Figure 3). The geometry of the pitch and width of the antenna array are set into three different groups, i.e. much smaller than a THz wavelength (i.e. with respect to 1.0 THz), comparable to and, larger than the THz wavelength, respectively. It should be noted that the permittivity of the substrate should be considered when comparing the geometry to the THz wavelength, as the THz wave is generated inside the semiconductor substrate. [3] In the following we begin by evaluating the efficiency and spectrum of individual PCAs for reference purposes. PCA arrays of different geometries are then fabricated and experimentally tested. Performance is assessed against theory. II. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS (a) (b) Fig. 2. (a) Time and (b) frequency domain signals of a 25 µm gap PCA (red) and a 500 µm gap PCA. Despite the change in the amplitude due to the change of intensity of laser excitation caused by the focusing lens, the small gap PCA shows significant enhancement above 0.5 THz. The power and radiance of these PCAs are evaluated using a time-domain spectrometer (TDS) system employing an electro-optic (EO) detection scheme[4] as illustrated in Figure 1. A parabolic mirror is used to guide the radiating THz wave. This is in preference to a back-mounted silicon lens in order to reduce loss and signal aberration. Fig. 3. Schematic of interdigitated PCA arrays. The gap and the width vary from much smaller than the emitted THz wavelength (referenced to 1.0 THz), to larger than the emitted THz wavelength. The radiation spectrum shows a strong dependence on the geometry of the interdigitated fingers. Fig. 1. Schematic layout of the TDS system with an EO detecting scheme. Solid lines illustrate the trace of laser pulse, while the blue dash lines The differences in performance among the different geometric parameters are studied by analysing the field distribution in the semiconductor substrates over the radiation frequency domain. The distribution of the bias electric field in the substrate is simulated by solving the Poisson equation. The emitting process of a PCA relies on the interaction between the photogenerated carriers and the external bias field[6]. Therefore, a good coupling between the bias field and the carriers is crucial for enhancing the efficiency of the device. Figure 4 shows the evolution of the electric field inside the substrate with an increasing distance from the air-semiconductor interface for PCAs with different gaps under the same bias field strength. The left and right plots respectively show the evolution of the electric field at different positions inside the gaps,. It is obvious that, for all cases, the bias electric field decays with the increasing distance from the surface. On the other hand, it is interesting to note that small-gap PCAs and large-gap PCAs show different character regarding the bias field distribution. For small-gap PCAs (10µm gap as in Fig. 4), over 90% of the electric field concentrates in a thin layer just below the surface. The thickness of this layer is similar to the dimension of the gap. In contrast, for large-gap PCAs, the decay of the electric field into the substrate becomes slower. For an 850 µm emitter, the simulated electric field at the bottom of the substrate is only 6% smaller than that at the surface. Hence, in the consideration of good coupling between the bias field and the photo-generated carriers, the dimension of the gap should be around the penetration depth of the laser into the semiconductor. It is also noticed from comparing Fig. 4(a) and (b) that, the bias electric field decays much faster with distance from surface at the edge than at the middle of the gap. This suggests that the electric field near the metal-semiconductor contact is stronger than the field in the middle of the gap. This is consistent with the conclusions of Shi et al[7]. (a) (b) Fig. 4. The relationship between the x-component of electric field (Ex) in the Si-GaAs substrate with depth from the air-semiconductor interface under the same bias electric field for PCAs with different dimensions of gap at (a) the middle of the gap and, (b) the edge of the gap. Due to the relatively large scale of the electrodes compared to the wavelength of a 1 THz wave, there is generally no resonance on the electrodes. The influence, therefore, of antenna geometry on the frequency of the radiated wave and the radiation pattern can be omitted. Besides, in a TDS system, only the signal in a certain time-window will be captured, in a PCA array, mutual coupling between the antenna elements can also be ignored. This is very different from conventional antennas and arrays. On the other hand, the thickness of the GaAs substrate material is generally a few hundred micrometres (350 ± 25 µm in our case), which is comparable or fractionally larger than 1 – 4 THz wavelengths (300 – 75 m). For elements situated on an electrically thick substrate, the field distribution in the substrate can significantly affect the efficiency of the antenna depending on the operation frequency. [8] Furthermore, for a multipoint emitting configuration, the radiation efficiency is also strongly dependent on the spacing of elements, as the distance between the emitting elements is relatively small. This reflects the differences of the spectrum for PCA arrays with different geometries. III. SUMMARY A brief study has been undertaken of the radiating character of photo-conductive antenna (PCAs) and arrays with different geometries. A factor of 10 enhancement in efficiency at XX(Fig. 2), and an adjustable spectrum from the device, have been achieved. In further analysis, the contribution of the bias field and distribution of the THz wave inside the substrate are realized and studied. An understanding of the radiating character of PCA arrays has been made in order to set initial guidelines for future device-design. REFERENCES [1] P. U. Jepsen, D. G. Cooke, and M. Koch, "Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging - Modern techniques and applications," Laser & Photonics Reviews, vol. 5, pp. 124-166, Jan 2011. [2] J. Darrow, B. Hu, X.-C. Zhang, and D. Auston, "Subpicosecond electromagnetic pulses from largeaperture photoconducting antennas," Optics Letters, vol. 15, pp. 323-325, 1990. [3] G. Matthaus, S. Nolte, R. Hohmuth, M. Voitsch, W. Richter, B. Pradarutti, S. Riehemann, G. Notni, and A. Tunnermann, "Large-area microlens emitters for powerful THz emission," Applied Physics B-Lasers and Optics, vol. 96, pp. 233-235, Aug 2009. [4] Q. Wu and X. C. Zhang, "Free‐space electro‐optic sampling of terahertz beams," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 67, pp. 3523-3525, 1995. [5] M. Beck, H. Schafer, G. Klatt, J. Demsar, S. Winnerl, M. Helm, and T. Dekorsy, "Impulsive terahertz radiation with high electric fields from an amplifier-driven largearea photoconductive antenna," Optics Express, vol. 18, pp. 9251-9257, Apr 26 2010. [6] R. H. Chou, C. S. Yang, and C. L. Pan, "Effects of pump pulse propagation and spatial distribution of bias fields on terahertz generation from photoconductive antennas," Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 114, Jul 28 2013. [7] W. Shi, L. Hou, and X. M. Wang, "High effective terahertz radiation from semi-insulating-GaAs photoconductive antennas with ohmic contact electrodes," Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 110, Jul 15 2011. [8] A. Shahvarpour, A. A. Melcon, and C. Caloz, "Radiation Efficiency Issues in Planar Antennas on Electrically Thick Substrates and Solutions," Ieee Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 61, pp. 4013-4025, Aug 2013.