Guest Editorial TTA Special Section on Terahertz Sources and Devices

The terahertz wave is considered to have great values and plentiful applications, such as in material science, analysis of molecular spectra, information and communication technology, biology and medical science, nondestructive evaluation, and national security. High-power widely tunable terahertz sources are required in the above practical applications of terahertz technologies. A promising approach for monochromatic terahertz generation is based on second-order nonlinear optical effect, e.g.

Characteristic analysis of a Smith–Purcell terahertz source

We investigate a novel Smith–Purcell terahertz source. This device is composed of an electron gun, a cylindrical resonator, a metallic grating, and a collector. The characteristics of the Smith–Purcell terahertz source are discussed with the help of three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. In this device, coherent and high-power Smith–Purcell radiation(SPR) at the terahertz frequency range can be produced for the reasonable parameters of charge energy and grating. Our results indicate that coherent SPR at 506.529 GHz with a power around 1000 W can be obtained for a grating of period l=0.3 mm operating at the beam energy E=50 keV and beam current I=10 A.

Terahertz Three-Dimensional Imaging Based on Computed Tomography with Photonics-Based Noise Source

Computed tomography has been proven to be useful for non-destructive inspection of structures and materials. We build a three-dimensional imaging system with the photonically generated incoherent noise source and the Schottky barrier diode detector in the terahertz frequency band （90–140GHz）. Based on the computed tomography technique, the three-dimensional image of a ceramic sample is reconstructed successfully by stacking the slices at different heights. The imaging results not only indicate the ability of terahertz wave in the non-invasive sensing and non-destructive inspection applications, but also prove the effectiveness and superiority of the uni-traveling-carrier photodiode as a terahertz source in the imaging applications.

Notch-δ-doped InP Gunn diodes for low-THz band applications

The viability of the indium phosphide(InP)Gunn diode as a source for low-THz band applications is analyzed based on a notch-δ-doped structure using the Monte Carlo modeling.The presence of theδ-doped layer could enhance the current harmonic amplitude(A0)and the fundamental operating frequency(f0)of the InP Gunn diode beyond 300 GHz as compared with the conventional notch-doped structure for a 600-nm length device.With its superior electron transport properties,the notch-δ-doped InP Gunn diodes outperform the corresponding gallium arsenide(GaAs)diodes with up to 1.35 times higher in f0 and 2.4 times larger in A0 under DC biases.An optimized InP notch-δ-doped structure is estimated to be capable of generating 0.32-W radio-frequency(RF)power at 361 GHz.The Monte Carlo simulations predict a reduction of 44%in RF power,when the device temperature is increased from 300 K to 500 K;however,its operating frequency lies at 280 GHz which is within the low-THz band.This shows that the notch-δ-doped InP Gunn diode is a highly promising signal source for low-THz sensors,which are in a high demand in the autonomous vehicle industry.

Double-slit diffraction of terahertz wave generated by tilted-pulse-front pumping

We propose a spatial diffraction diagnostic method via inserting a millimeter-gap double slit into the collimated terahertz beam to monitor the minute variation of the terahertz beam in strong-field terahertz sources,which is difficult to be resolved in conventional terahertz imaging systems.To verify the method,we intentionally fabricate tiny variations of the terahertz beam through tuning the iris for the infrared pumping beam before the tilted-pulse-front pumping setups.The phenomena can be well explained by the theory based on the tilted-pulse-front technique and terahertz diffraction.

Improving the peak current density of resonant tunneling diode based on InP substrate

Resonant tunneling diodes（RTD）have the potential for compact and coherent terahertz（THz）sources operating at room temperature,but their low output power severely restricts their application in THz frequency range.In this paper,two methods are adopted to increase the peak current of RTD for enhancing its output power.First,different metal contact systems（including Pt/Ti/Pt/Au and Au Ge/Ni/Au）for RTD contact are introduced,and a higher current of RTD with Pt/Ti/Pt/Au contact demonstrates the superior contact characteristic of Pt/Ti/Pt/Au contact system.Second,the double barrier structure（DBS）of RTD is well designed to further improve the characteristic of RTD,and a high peak current of 154 kA/cm^2 is achieved at room temperature.The improved peak current is very beneficial for increasing the output power of RTD oscillator.