Recent advancements in surface plasmon polaritons-plasmonics subwavelength structures in microwave and terahertz regimes

This paper presents a review of recent investigational studies on exciting Surface Plasmon Polaritous (SPPs)in MicroWave (MW)and TeraHertZ (THz)regimes by using subwavelength corrugated patterns on conductive or metal surfaces.This article also describes SPP Microstrip (MS)structures at microwave and terahertz frequencies, and compares their significance with that of conventional MS Transmission Lines (TL),in order to tackle the key challenges of high gain,bandwidth size,compactness,TL losses,and signal integrity in high-end electronic de- vices.Because they have subwavelength properties,surface plasmon polaritous are gaining attention for their improved performance and ability for miniaturization in high-speed dense circuits.They possess comparably minuscule wavelength compared to incident light (photons).Consequently,they can demonstrate stronger spatial confinement and higher local field intensity at optical frequencies.In addition to engineering spoof SPP waveguides,which are created by engraving grooves and slits on metal surfaces to allow operation on at low frequencies (microwave and terahertz),semiconductors with smaller permittivity values and thus lower free charge carrier concentration have been demonstrated as a potential candidate in plasmonic devices.If necessary,further tuning of semiconductor-based SPP structures is aided by controlling the charge carrier concentration through doping,or by external stimuli such as optical illumination or thermal excitation of charge carriers from valence to conduction bands.This article conclusively covers previously elucidated perspectives on manipulating SSPPs in the MW and THz ranges,and emphasizes how these could steer next-generation plasmonic devices.

2D MXene Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)Enhanced Plasmonic Absorption in Metasurface for Terahertz Shielding

With the advancement of technology,shielding for terahertz(THz)electronic and communication equipment is increasingly important.The metamaterial absorption technique is mostly used to shield electromagnetic interference(EMI)in THz sensing technologies.The most widely used THz metamaterial absorbers suffer from their narrowband properties and the involvement of complex fabrication techniques.Materials with multifunctional properties,such as adjustable conductivity,broad bandwidth,high flexibility,and robustness,are driving future development to meet THz shielding applications.In this article,a theoretical simulation approach based on finite difference time domain(FDTD)is utilized to study the absorption and shielding characteristics of a two-dimensional(2D)MXene Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) metasurface absorber in the THz band.The proposed metamaterial structure is made up of a square-shaped array of MXene that is 50 nmthick and is placed on top of a silicon substrate.The bottom surface of the silicon is metalized with gold to reduce the transmission and ultimately enhance the absorption at 1–3 THz.The symmetric adjacent space between theMXene array results in a widening of bandwidth.The proposed metasurface achieves 96%absorption under normal illumination of the incident source and acquires an average of 25 dB shielding at 1 THz bandwidth,with the peak shielding reaching 65 dB.The results show that 2D MXene-based stacked metasurfaces can be proven in the realization of low-cost devices for THz shielding and sensing applications.

Towards Intelligent Reflecting Surface Empowered 6G Terahertz Communications: A Survey

Terahertz(THz)communications have been widely envisioned as a promising enabler to provide adequate bandwidth and achieve ultra-high data rates for sixth generation(6G)wireless networks.In order to mitigate blockage vulnerability caused by serious propagation attenuation and poor diffraction of THz waves,an intelligent reflecting surface(IRS),which manipulates the propagation of incident electromagnetic waves in a programmable manner by adjusting the phase shifts of passive reflecting elements,is proposed to create smart radio environments,improve spectrum efficiency and enhance coverage capability.Firstly,some prospective application scenarios driven by the IRS empowered THz communications are introduced,including wireless mobile communications,secure communications,unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)scenario,mobile edge computing(MEC)scenario and THz localization scenario.Then,we discuss the enabling technologies employed by the IRS empowered THz system,involving hardware design,channel estimation,capacity optimization,beam control,resource allocation and robustness design.Moreover,the arising challenges and open problems encountered in the future IRS empowered THz communications are also highlighted.Concretely,these emerging problems possibly originate from channel modeling,new material exploration,experimental IRS testbeds and intensive deployment.Ultimately,the combination of THz communications and IRS is capable of accelerating the development of 6G wireless networks.

Cherenkov terahertz radiation from Dirac semimetals surface plasmon polaritons excited by an electron beam

We demonstrate a physical mechanism for terahertz(THz) generation from surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs). In a structure with a bulk Dirac semimetals(BDSs) film deposited on a dielectric substrate, the energy of the asymmetric SPP mode can be significantly enhanced to cross the light line of the substrate due to the SPP-coupling between the interfaces of the film. Therefore, the SPPs can be immediately transformed into Cherenkov radiation without removing the wavevector mismatch. Additionally, the symmetric SPP mode can also be dramatically lifted to cross the substrate light line when a buffer layer with low permittivity relative to the substrate is introduced. In this case, dual-frequency THz radiation from the two SPP modes can be generated simultaneously. The radiation intensity is significantly enhanced by over two orders due to the field enhancement of the SPPs. The radiation frequency can be tuned in the THz frequency regime by adjusting the beam energy and the chemical potential of the BDSs. Our results could find potential applications in developing room temperature, tunable, coherent, and intense THz radiation sources to cover the entire THz band.

Spoof surface plasmons resonance effect and tunable electric response of improved metamaterial in the terahertz regime

We propose an improved design and numerical study of an optimized tunable plasmonics artificial material resonator in the terahertz regime. We demonstrate that tunability can be realized with a transmission intensity as much as - 61% in the lower frequency resonance, which is implemented through the effect of photoconductive switching under photoexcitation.In the higher frequency resonance, we show that spoof surface plasmons along the interface of metal/dielectric provide new types of electromagnetic resonances. Our approach opens up possibilities for the interface of metamaterial and plasmonics to be applied to optically tunable THz switching.

Design of terahertz beam splitter based on surface plasmon resonance transition

According to the resonance transition between propagating surface plasmon and localized surface plasmon, we demonstrate a design of beam splitter that can split terahertz wave beams in a relatively broad frequency range. The transmission properties of the beam splitter are analyzed utilizing the finite element method. The resonance transition between two kinds of plasmons can be explained by a model of coherent electron cloud displacement.

A high-power subterahertz surface wave oscillator with separated overmoded slow wave structures

A megawatt-level subterahertz surface wave oscillator （SWO） is proposed to obtain high conversion efficiency by using separated overmoded slow wave structures （SWSs）. Aiming at the repetitive operation and practical applications, the device driven by electron beam with modest energy and current is theoretically analyzed and verified. Then, the functions of the two SWS sections and the effect of the drift tube are investigated by using a particle-in-cell code to reveal how the proposed device achieves high efficiency. The mode analysis of the beam-wave interaction region in the device is also carded out, and the results indicate that multi-modes participate in the premodulation of the electron beam in the first SWS section, while the TM01 mode surface wave is successfully and dominantly excited and amplified in the second SWS section. Finally, a typical simulation result demonstrates that at a beam energy of 313 keV, beam current of 1.13 kA, and guiding magnetic field of above 3.5 T, a high-power subterahertz wave is obtained with an output power of about 70 MW at frequency 146.3 GHz, corresponding to the conversion efficiency of 20%. Compared with the results of the previous subterahertz overmoded SWOs with integral SWS and similar beam parameters, the efficiency increases almost 50% in the proposed device.

Transient surface photoconductivity of GaAs emitter studied by terahertz pump-emission spectroscopy

This paper investigates the ultrafast carrier dynamics and surface photoconductivity of unbiased semi-insulating GaAs in detail by using a terahertz pump-emission technique. Based on theoretical modelling, it finds that transient photoconductivity plays a very important role in the temporal waveform of terahertz radiation pulse. Anomalous enhancement in both terahertz radiation and transient photoconductivity is observed after the excitation of pump pulse and we attribute these phenomena to carrier capture in the EL2 centers. Moreover, the pump power- and temperature- dependent measurements are also performed to verify this trapping model.

Terahertz radiation from interaction between an electron beam and a planar surface plasmon structure

The possibility of an electron beam exciting surface plasmons in conducting metal is discussed in this paper. A planar perfect-structure with subwavelength holes is proposed. The phenomenon that mimicking surface plasmon waves can be excited and amplified by an electron beam is proved theoretically and numerically. The mechanism of transmission through a subwavelength hole array is exploited to enhance the interaction between the electron beam and the mimicking surface plasmons.

Tunable terahertz radiation from arbitrary profile dielectric grating coated with graphene excited by an electron beam

In this paper, the enhanced terahertz radiation transformed from surface plasmon polaritons, excited by a uniformly moving electron bunch, in a structure consisting of a monolayer graphene supported on a dielectric grating with arbitrary profile is investigated. The results show that the grating profile has significant influence on the dispersion curves and radiation characteristics including radiation frequency and intensity. The dependence of dispersion and radiation characteristics on the grating shape for both the symmetric and asymmetric gratings is studied in detail. Moreover, we find that, for an asymmetric grating with certain profile, there exist two different diffraction types, and one of the two types can provide higher radiation intensity comparing to the other one. These results will definitely facilitate the practical application in developing a room-temperature, tunable, coherent and miniature terahertz radiation source.

Tunable ultra-wideband terahertz filter based on three-dimensional arrays of H-shaped plasmonic crystals

A face-to-face system of double-layer three-dimensional arrays of H-shaped plasmonic crystals is proposed, and its transmission and filtering properties are investigated in the terahertz regime. Simulation results show that our design has excellent filtering properties. It has an ultra-wide bandgap and passband with steep band-edges, and the transmittance of the passband and the forbidden band are very close to 1 and 0, respectively. As the distance between the two face-to-face plates increases, the resonance frequency exhibits a gradual blueshift from 0.88 THz to 1.30 THz. Therefore, we can dynamically control the bandwidths of bandgap and passband by adding a piezoelectric ceramic plate between the two crystal plates. Furthermore, the dispersion relations of modes and electric field distributions are presented to analyze the generation mechanisms of bandgaps and to explain the location of bandgaps and the frequency shift phenomenon. Due to the fact that our design can provide many resonant modes, the bandwidth of the bandgaps can be greatly broadened. This paper can serve as a valuable reference for the design of terahertz functional devices and three-dimensional terahertz metamaterials.

Ultra-compact terahertz switch with graphene ring resonators

We propose and numerically demonstrate a compact terahertz wave switch which is composed of two graphene waveguides and three graphene ring resonators. Changing the bias voltage of the Fermi level in the center graphene ring, the resonant mode can be tuned when the plasmon waves in the waveguides and rings are coupled. We theoretically explain their mechanisms as being due to bias voltage change induced carrier density of graphene modification and the coupling coefficients of graphene plasmon effect after carrier density change, respectively. The mechanism of such a terahertz wave switch is further theoretically analyzed and numerically investigated with the aid of the finite element method. With an appropriate design, the proposed device offers the opportunity to ‘tune’ the terahertz wave ON–OFF with an ultra-fast, high extinction ratio and compact size. This structure has the potential applications in terahertz wave integrated circuits.

Electrically tunable resonant terahertz transmission in subwavelength hole arrays

An actively enhanced resonant transmission in a plasmonic array of subwavelength holes is demonstrated by use of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. By connecting this two-dimensional element into an electrical circuit, tunable resonance enhancement is observed in arrays made from good and relatively poor metals. The tunable feature is attributed to the nonlinear electric response of the periodic hole array film, which is confirmed by its voltage-current behavior. This finding could lead to a unique route to active plasmonic devices, such as tunable filters, spatial modulators, and integrated terahertz optoelectronic components.

Tunable terahertz plasmon in grating-gate coupled graphene with a resonant cavity

Plasmon modes in graphene can be tuned into resonance with an incident terahertz electromagnetic wave in the range of 1–4 THz by setting a proper gate voltage. By using the finite-difference-time-domain（FDTD） method, we simulate a graphene plasmon device comprising a single-layer graphene, a metallic grating, and a terahertz cavity. The simulations suggest that the terahertz electric field can be enhanced by several times due to the grating–cavity configuration. Due to this near-field enhancement, the maximal absorption of the incident terahertz wave reaches up to about 45%.

Microstructure Functional Devices—Effectively Manipulate Terahertz Waves

Terahertz （THz） technology promises important applications including imaging, spectroscopy, and communications. However, one of limitations at present for advancing THz applications is the lack of efficient devices to manipulate THz waves. Here, our recent important progresses in THz functional devices based on artificial microstructures, such as photonic crystal, metamaterial, and plasmonic structures, have been reviewed in this paper, involving the THz modulator, isolator, and sensor. These THz microstructure functional devices exhibit great promising potential in THz application systems.

Investigation on Transmission Properties of Terahertz Wave Through Semiconductor Aperture

The transmission properties of terahertz （THz） wave passing through semiconductor aperture have been investigated. The dispersion relationship for surface plasmon polariton （SPP） at different temperatures has been numerically calculated. The results show that the dispersion relationship increases with the increasing of frequency and the decreasing of temperature, the thickness of slab has to be taken into consideration because of the large skin depth for semiconductor slab. In addition, the propagation constant increases with the increasing of frequency and the decreasing of temperature.

Extraordinary terahertz transmission through subwavelength spindle-like apertures in NbN film

We studied numerically the temperature dependent extraordinary terahertz transmission through niobium nitride(NbN) film perforated with subwavelength spindle-like apertures. Both the resonant frequency and intensity of extraordinary terahertz transmission peaks can be greatly modified by the transition of NbN film from the normal state to the superconducting state. An enhancement of the(±1, 0) NbN/magnesium oxide(MgO) peak intensity as high as 200% is demonstrated due to the combined contribution of both the superconducting transition and the excitation of localized surface plasmons(LSPs) around the apertures. The extraordinary terahertz transmission through spindle-like hole arrays patterned on the NbN film can pave the way for us to explore novel active tuning devices.

Plasmon-induced transparency effect in hybrid terahertz metamaterials with active control and multi-dark modes

We numerically demonstrate a photo-excited plasmon-induced transparency(PIT)effect in hybrid terahertz(THz)metamaterials.The proposed metamaterials are regular arrays of hybrid unit cells composed of a metallic cut wire and four metallic split-ring resonators(SRRs)whose gaps are filled with photosensitive semiconductor gallium arsenide(GaAs)patches.We simulate the PIT effect controlled by external infrared light intensity to change the conductivity of GaAs.In the absence of photo excitation,the conductivity of Ga As is 0,thus the SRR gaps are disconnected,and the PIT effect is not observed since the dark resonator(supported by the hybrid SRRs)cannot be stimulated.When the conductivity of GaAs is increased via photo excitation,the conductivity of Ga As can increase rapidly from 0 S/m to 1×10^(6)S/m and GaAs can connect the metal aluminum SRR gaps,and the dark resonator is excited through coupling with the bright resonator(supported by the cut wire),which leads to the PIT effect.Therefore,the PIT effect can be dynamically tuned between the on and off states by controlling the intensity of the external infrared light.We also discuss couplings between one bright mode(CW)and several dark modes(SRRs)with different sizes.The interference analytically described by the coupled Lorentz oscillator model elucidates the coupling mechanism between one bright mode and two dark modes.The phenomenon can be considered the result of linear superposition of the coupling between the bright mode and each dark mode.The proposed metamaterials are promising for application in the fields of THz communications,optical storage,optical display,and imaging.

Optical response of tunable terahertz plasmon in a grating-gated graphene transistor

Tunable terahertz plasmon in a graphene-based device with a grating serving as a top gate is studied. Transmission spectra exhibit a distinct peak in the terahertz region when the terahertz electric field is perpendicular to the grating fingers.Our results show that the extinction in the transmission of single-layer graphene shields beyond 80%. Electronic results further show that the graphene plasmon can be weakly adjusted by tuning the gate voltage. Theoretical calculation also implies that the plasmon frequency of graphene can fall into the terahertz region of 1–2 THz by improving the sustaining ability and capacitance of the top gate.

Terahertz dual-beam leaky-wave antenna based on composite spoof surface plasmon waveguide

In this paper, we propose a single-port dual-beam leaky-wave antenna(LWA) in the terahertz(THz) band based on a composite spoof surface plasmon polariton(SSPP) waveguide. The antenna can generate three independent transmission channels by exciting two independent modes inherent to hole and groove structures, respectively. By periodic modulation of the hole and groove structures, we achieve dual-beam scanning through a broad radiation angle using only the -1st space harmonics of the two modes, hence avoiding the instability of the -2rd space harmonic. Within the operating frequency range of 0.62—0.85 THz, the gain ranges from 13.5 d Bi to 17 d Bi for the backward beam, and from 6 d Bi to 11.8 d Bi for the forward beam. The antenna can accomplish continuous backward beam through broadside to forward beam scanning with a total scanning range of 116° and an average efficiency of about 92%. The antenna exhibits a great potential in the design of multi-transceiver radar system in the THz band and multi-beam LWAs.