High-Power Terahertz Generation Using Large-Area Plasmonic Photoconductive Emitters

In this paper, we present a novel design of large-area photoconductive emitters which incorporates plasmonic contact electrodes to offer significantly higher optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiencies compared with conventional designs. Use of plasmonic contact electrodes enables a more efficient separation and acceleration of photocarriers, enhancing the effective dipole moment induced within the device active area in response to an incident optical pump. At an optical pump power level of 240 mW, we demonstrate broadband, pulsed terahertz radiation with radiation power levels as high as 3.8 mW over the 0.1–5-THz frequency range, exhibiting an order of magnitude higher optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiency compared with conventional designs.