Terahertz radiation sources based on nano-antennas and plasmonic light concentrators (Conference Presentation)

Utilizing nano-antennas and plasmonic light concentrators in photoconductive terahertz sources has proven to offer significantly higher terahertz radiation powers by enhancing the photoconductor quantum efficiency while maintaining ultrafast operation. This is because the use of nano-antennas and plasmonic light concentrators in a photoconductive source reduces the average transport path of photocarriers to the terahertz radiating elements, increasing the ultrafast photocurrent that contributes to terahertz radiation generation. In this talk I will present an overview of some of the recent advancements in photoconductive terahertz sources based on plasmonic contact electrodes, enabling significant enhancement in efficiency and output power of photoconductive terahertz sources. I show that the significant performance enhancement offered by plasmonic contact electrodes can be utilized to achieve record-high optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiencies as high as 7.5% and milliwatt terahertz power levels in both continuous-wave and pulsed operation at optical pump wavelengths ranging from 800 nm to 1550 nm.