THz and mm-wave technology has become increasingly significant in a very diverse range of applications such as spectroscopy, imaging, and communication as a consequence of a plethora of significant advances in this field. However to achieve a mass production of THz systems, all the commercial aspects should be considered. The main concerns are attributed to the robustness, compactness, and a low cost device. In this regard, research efforts should be focused on the elimination of obstacles standing in the way of commercializing the THz technology. To this end, in this study, low cost fabrication technologies for various parts of mm-wave/THz systems are investigated and explored to realize compact, integrated, and rugged components. This task is divided into four phases. In the first phase, a robust fiber-based beam delivery configuration is deployed instead of the free beam optics which is essential to operate the low cost THz photomixers and photoconductive antennas. The compensation of different effects on propagation of the optical pulse along the optical fiber is achieved through all-fiber system to eliminate any bulky and unstable optical components from the system. THz measurements on fiber-coupled systems exhibit the same performance and even better compared to the free beam system. In the next phase, the generated THz wave is coupled to a rectangular dielectric waveguide through design of a novel transition with low insertion loss. The structure dimensions are reported for various range of frequencies up to 650GHz with insertion loss less than 1dB. The structure is fabricated through a standard recipe. In third phase, as consequence of the advent of high performance active device at mm-wave and THz frequency, a transition is proposed for coupling the electromagnetic wave to the active devices with CPW ports. Different approaches are devised for different frequencies as at higher frequencies any kind of metallic structure can introduce a considerable amount of loss to the system. The optimized structures show minimum insertion loss as low as 1dB and operate over 10% bandwidth. The various configurations are fabricated for lower frequencies to verify the transition performance. The last phase focuses on the design, optimization, fabrication and measurements of a new dielectric side-grating antenna for frequency scanning applications. The radiation mechanism is extensively studied using two different commercial full-wave solvers as well as the measured data from the fabricated samples. The optimized antenna achieves a radiation efficiency of 90% and a gain of 18dB. The measured return loss and radiation pattern show a good agreement with the simulation results.

A coherent optical THz (1.5 THz, 200 µm) source was developed based on pulsed, near IR, fiber lasers, and frequency mixing in nonlinear crystals. The generated THz frequency is determined by the difference frequency of two high peak power pulsed fiber lasers at 1550 nm and 1538 nm. When incident to the crystal, the near IR lasers induce a polarization at their beat frequency which generates the THz radiation. The pulsed fiber lasers are single transverse mode, have high pulse energy and peak powers of 0.38 mJ and 128 kW respectively. They are transform limited at a few ns in duration with very good beam quality of M² ≈ 1.2. The pulse seed was created by modulating a constant laser beam with an electro-optic modulator. An arbitrary waveform generator was used to pre-shape these pulses to compensate for pulse distortion caused by pump gain depletion in the subsequent fiber amplifiers. Pre-amplifiers were constructed using commercial erbium doped silica fiber. Special, highly doped, large core, phosphate fiber was developed in-house to further amplify the pulses, while avoiding nonlinear scattering processes such as stimulated Brillouin scattering and stimulated Raman scattering. THz generation was achieved in both ZnGeP₂ and GaP which were chosen based on their low pump and THz absorption, as well as high nonlinear coefficient. Angle tuning was used to phase match all three optical frequencies in ZnGeP₂ thanks to its birefringence. Layers of GaP ~500 µm thick were pressed together alternately rotated 180° around the normal to quasi-phase match the pump and THz frequencies. To increase the efficiency of the THz generation an external optical cavity was used to enhance and recycle the IR pump pulses. The nonlinear crystal was placed inside the cavity and 151 times enhancement of THz power was observed.

We present the details of the optical design, corrector system, mechanical layout, tolerances, pointing requirements, and overall performance of the sub-millimeter wavelength Large Balloon Reflector telescope (LBR).

Metamaterials are artificially designed composite materials which can exhibit unique and unusual properties such as the negative refractive index, negative phase velocity, etc. The concept of metamaterials becomes prevalent in the electromagnetic society since the first experimental implementation in the early 2000s. Many fascinated potential applications, e.g. super lens, invisibility cloaking, and novel antennas that are electrically small, have been proposed based on metamaterials. However, most of the applications still remain in theory and are not suitable for practical applications mainly due to the intrinsic loss and narrow bandwidth (large dispersion) determined by the fundamental physics of metamaterials .In this dissertation, we incorporate active gain devices into conventional passive metamaterials to overcome loss and even provide gain. Two types of active gain negative refractive index metamaterials are proposed, designed and experimentally demonstrated, including an active composite left-/right-handed transmission line and an active volumetric metamaterial. In addition, we investigate the non-Foster circuits for broadband matching of electrically small antennas. A rigorous way of analyzing the stability of non-Foster circuits by normalized determinant function is proposed. We study the practical factors that may affect the stability of non-Foster circuits, including the device parasitics, DC biasing, layouts and load impedance. A stable floating negative capacitor is designed, fabricated and tested. Moreover, it is important to resolve the sign of refractive index for active gain media which can be quite challenging. We investigate the analytical solution of a gain slab system, and apply the Nyquist criterion to analyze the stability of a causal gain medium. We then emphasize that the result of frequency domain simulation has to be treated with care. Lastly, this dissertation discusses another interesting topic about THz spectroscopy of live cells. THz spectroscopy becomes an emerging technique for studying the dynamics and interactions of cells and biomolecules, but many practical challenges still remain in experimental studies. We present a prototype of simple and inexpensive cell-trapping microfluidic chip for THz spectroscopic study of live cells. Cells are transported, trapped and concentrated into the THz exposure region by applying an AC bias signal while the chip maintains a steady temperature at 37°C by resistive heating. We conduct some preliminary experiments on E. coli and T cell solution and compare the transmission spectra of empty channels, channels filled with aqueous media only, and channels filled with aqueous medium with un-concentrated and concentrated cells.

This literature analysis examines terahertz (THz) imaging as a non-invasive tool for the imaging of friction ridge detail from the first painted layer (imprimatura) in multilayered painted works of art. The paintings of interest are those created utilizing techniques developed during the Renaissance and still in use today. The goal of analysis serves to answer two questions. First, can THz radiation penetrate paint layers covering the imprimatura to reveal friction ridge information? Secondly, can the this technology recover friction ridge detail such that the fine details are sufficiently resolved to provide images suitable for comparison and identification purposes. If a comparison standard exists, recovered friction ridge detail from this layer can be used to establish linkages to an artist or between works of art. Further, it can be added to other scientific methods currently employed to assist with the authentication efforts of unattributed paintings. Flanked by the microwave and far-infrared edges, THz straddles the electronic and optic perspectives of the electromagnetic spectrum. As a consequence, this range is imparted with unique and useful properties. Able to penetrate and image through many opaque materials, its non-ionizing radiation is an ideal non-destructive technique that provides visual information from a painting’s sub-strata. Imaging is possible where refractive index differences exist between different paint layers. Though it is impossible, at present, to determine when a fingerprint was deposited, one can infer approximately when a print was created if it is recovered from the imprimatura layer of a painting, and can be subsequently attributed to a known source. Fingerprints are unique, a person is only able to deposit prints while their physical body is intact and thus, in some cases, the multiple layer process some artists use in their work may be used to the examiner’s advantage. Impressions of friction ridge detail have been recorded on receiving surfaces from human hands throughout time (and have also been discovered in works of art). Yet, the potential to associate those recorded impressions to a specific individual was only realized just over one hundred years ago. Much like the use of friction ridge skin, the relatively recently discovered THz range is now better understood; its tremendous potential unlocked by growing research and technology designed to exploit its unique properties.

Terahertz (THz) technologies have numerous applications such as biological and medical imaging, security screening, remote sensing, and industrial process control. However, the lack of practical THz sources and detectors is still a significant problem limiting the impact of these applications. In this Thesis work, three novel THz radiation mechanisms are proposed and investigated, based on the distinctive electronic properties of charge carriers in 2D single-layer graphene and related 1D conductors (i.e., graphene nanoribbons and carbon nanotubes), combined with the use of nanoscale dielectric gratings. Numerical simulations as well as fabrication and characterization activities are carried out. The first proposed radiation mechanism is based on the mechanical corrugation of a single-layer sheet of graphene or 1D carbon conductor, deposited on a lithographically-defined sinusoidal grating. In the presence of a dc voltage, carriers will therefore undergo periodic angular motion and correspondingly radiate (similar to cyclotron emission but without the need for any external magnetic field). My numerical simulations indicate that technologically significant output power levels can correspondingly be obtained at geometrically tunable THz frequencies. Initial graphene samples on sinusoidal gratings were fabricated and found to undergo significant strain redistribution, which affects their structural quality. Charge carriers moving in a flat sheet of graphene or linear 1D carbon conductor parallel to a nanoscale grating can also produce THz radiation based on the Smith-Purcell effect. The role of the grating in this case is to diffract the evanescent electromagnetic fields produced by the moving electrons and holes so that THz light can be radiated. Once again, numerical simulations indicate that this approach is promising for the realization of ultra-compact THz sources capable of room-temperature operation. Initial experimental results with ultra-high-mobility graphene samples embedded in boron nitride films show promising THz electroluminescence spectra. The last approach considered in this Thesis involves graphene plasmons at THz frequencies, which can be excited through the decay of hot electrons injected with an applied bias voltage. A nearby grating can then be used to outcouple the guided electromagnetic fields associated with these collective charge oscillations into radiation. The excitation of these THz plasmonic resonances at geometrically tunable frequencies has been demonstrated experimentally via transmission spectroscopy measurements. / 2017-06-21T00:00:00Z

Ce travail de thèse peut être divisé en deux parties. Dans la première partie on présente une étude de la filamentation d'impulsions laser femtoseconde dans les milieux Kerr transparents passifs et amplificateurs; les résultats principaux de cette partie sont les suivants: mise en place d'une nouvelle technique (P-scan) pour l'étude des différents régimes de propagation non linéaire d'une impulsion femtoseconde dans les gaz (chapitre III), et mise en évidence de la possibilité d'augmenter l'énergie et la puissance transportées par un seul filament, bien au dessus du seuil d'apparition de multi-filaments (chapitres IV et V). Dans la deuxième partie, on étudie le plasma généré par filamentation en tant que source de radiation électromagnétique secondaire, dans les bandes Ter! ahertz et Radiofréquences. L'étude du filament comme source de radiation Terahertz est décrit dans les chapitres VI, VII et VIII ; elle a amené à la découverte d'un nouveau mécanisme d'émission radiale en présence d'un champ électrique statique longitudinal le long de l'axe du filament. Nous avons aussi découvert un nouveau mécanisme d'émission Terahertz en l'absence de champ appliqué; cette fois la radiation est émise vers l'avant dans un cône fermé autour de l'axe de propagation du filament. Le mécanisme d'émission, modélisé en collaboration avec le Prof. Tikhonchuk de l'Université de Bordeaux 1, s'est révélé être en très bon accord avec les observations expérimentales. Enfin, nous avons mis en évidence la possibilité de transformer un canal de plasma produit par la! ser en une antenne dipolaire, qui peut émettre des radiof! réq uences. Ce sujet est décrit dans le chapitre IX.

In this thesis the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with metal nanostructures is investigated via two different phenomena: coherent acoustic oscillations of nanoparticles and generation of THz pulses on metal surfaces. Both of these effects rely on the collective oscillations of free conduction electrons in metal surfaces, plasmons. The field of plasmonics gained a great interest in the last twenty years due to the unique properties of these surface modes. It is the effects of the resonant response of plasmonic structures to incident electromagnetic wave, in particular, in visible and infrared bands and the concentration of the electromagnetic field in small subwavelength regions with significant enhancement of the incident field that make plasmonics so attractive for various applications, such as biochemical sensing, enhanced fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and second harmonic generation, amongst others. Investigation of the coherent particle vibrations is performed using the pump-probe technique which allows measurement of the transient transmission signals. The expansion and subsequent contraction of the nanoparticle following the ultrashort laser pulse excitation lead to a shift of the plasmon band which can be traced by transient spectroscopy. We have investigated the effect of the particle thickness on the frequency of the fundamental vibrational mode. In addition, we measured the vibrational particle response during the particle shape deformation, both symmetrical and asymmetrical. Exploration of the THz generation phenomena on plasmonic structures was performed using THz time-domain spectroscopy, the method which allows tracing of the generated THz field in the time-domain. We were able for the first time to measure the THz pulses generated from arrays of metal nanoparticles. Our observations verify the role of the particle plasmon mode in the generation of THz pulses. In addition, by exploring the dependence of the THz emission on the femtosecond pulse intensity we showed a high nonlinearity in the THz generation mechanism. The experimental results were assessed in the context of a recently proposed model where the THz radiation is generated via the acceleration of the ejected electrons by ponderomotive forces. To reveal another proposed mechanism of the THz generation from plasmonic structures, namely optical rectification, we investigated the THz generation and electron emission from the arrays of nanoparticles and nanoholes. Our results suggest that both mechanisms may contribute to generation of THz pulses from the same sample under different illumination conditions. In addition to periodic arrays of nanoparticles and nanoholes, THz generation from random metal-dielectric films was investigated. The microstructuring of such films allowed selective THz frequency generation which was explained by a model of dipole THz emitters. In addition, the effects of low temperature and pressure on the THz generation efficiency were investigated.

Waveguides are desirable components for energy transmission throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. This thesis experimentally examines a thick slot waveguide for THz guiding and field enhancement. The waveguide is machined from planar copper sheets using the novel technique of femtosecond laser micromachining. In-plane photoconductive THz coupling to a thick slot waveguide is demonstrated using Discontinuous Galerkin Time Domain (DGTD) simulation. The results reveal positive implications for broadband low-loss/dispersion transmission lines up to 1.5 THz. / Graduate / 0544 / 0607 / 0756 / levismith3@hotmail.com

La banda de los terahertz (THz) ha sido una de las regiones menos estudiadas del espectro electromagnético debido a la falta de fuentes y detectores. No obstante, desde mediados de los ochenta con los avances tecnológicos se comenzaron a desarrollar sistemas que permitían generar y detectar dichas señales. Los mismos, fueron útiles para realizar espectroscopía que es la aplicación que suscita mayor interés. Esto es debido a que trabajar en la región de los THz posibilita estudiar materiales de manera no invasiva, y no ionizante. También lo es, porque contribuye a aplicaciones en imágenes que es una herramienta que ya se esta utilizando como medio de diagnostico médico, o como sistema de seguridad entre otras cosas. En el trabajo de tesis se desarrolló un espectrómetro de THz mediante el uso de un láser de pulsos ultracortos de luz y antenas fotoconductoras. Para su realización, se desarrollaron piezas mecánicas e implementaciones de hardware y software. También, se propuso una técnica de medición del ancho del pulso láser necesaria para asegurar el correcto funcionamiento del sistema. Finalizado el montaje del espectrómetro, se realizaron medidas de materiales verificando el buen funcionamiento del mismo. En una segunda parte, se innovaron en técnicas de procesamientos de datos para materiales monocapa, birrefringente, y multicapa. Tales enfoques, valieron tres publicaciones en revistas internacionales.