Advanced photo-induced substrate-integrated waveguides using pillar-array structures for tunable and reconfigurable THz circuits

Substrate-integrated waveguides (SIWs) have recently attracted increasing attention for the development of terahertz (THz) circuits and systems. However, conventional SIWs employ fixed metallic vias to form the waveguide sidewalls, resulting in limited tunability and reconfigurability. In this paper...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics express 2020-03, Vol.28 (5), p.7259-7273
Main Authors: Deng, Yijing, Ren, Jun, Shi, Yu, Wang, Yi-Chieh, Cheng, Li-Jing, Fay, Patrick, Liu, Lei
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Substrate-integrated waveguides (SIWs) have recently attracted increasing attention for the development of terahertz (THz) circuits and systems. However, conventional SIWs employ fixed metallic vias to form the waveguide sidewalls, resulting in limited tunability and reconfigurability. In this paper, we report a novel approach for the realization of high-performance tunable and/or reconfigurable THz SIW structures. In this approach, photo-induced free carriers are generated in a high-resistivity silicon pillar-array structure to form well-defined, highly conductive, vertical sidewalls. The wave propagation properties of these optically-defined photo-induced SIWs (PI-SIWs) have been evaluated using full-wave electromagnetic simulations. Higher-functionality THz components, including a single-pole double-throw switch and a phase shifter were also designed and simulated. Based on these example circuits, PI-SIWs using pillar-array structures appear to be attractive candidates for the development of tunable and reconfigurable THz components for THz sensing, imaging, and communication systems.
ISSN:1094-4087
1094-4087
DOI:10.1364/OE.381775