Efficiency of Photoconductive Terahertz Generation in Nitrogen-Doped Diamonds

The efficiency of the generation of terahertz radiation from nitrogen-doped (∼0.1–100 ppm) diamonds was investigated. The synthetic polycrystalline and monocrystalline diamond substrates were pumped by a 400 nm femtosecond laser and tested for the photoconductive emitter operation. The dependency of the emitted THz power on the intensity of the optical excitation was measured. The nitrogen concentrations of the diamonds involved were measured from the optical absorbance, which was found to crucially depend on the synthesis technique. The observed correlation between the doping level and the level of the performance of diamond-based antennas demonstrates the prospects of doped diamond as a material for highly efficient large-aperture photoconductive antennas.

Terahertz Photoconductive Antennas based on Arrays of Metal Nanoparticle Structures

In this study, in order to amplify the radiation at Terahertz (THz) photoconductive antennas, metal nanoparticles are used in semiconductor layers based on plasmonic principles. The use of nanoparticles between antenna electrodes and semiconductor layers not only enhances the THz radiation intensity but also changes the radiation frequency peak. The changes of electric charge carriers versus the strike of laser pulses and the production of an electric current on the antenna surface are simulated with the COMSOL Multiphysics software through the FEM method. The changes of the electric current at the semiconductive surface generate electric field radiation. This has been simulated using the CST STUDIO software through the FDTD method.