Direct fabrication of terahertz optical devices on low-absorption polymer substrates

• Published in: Optics letters 2009-05, Vol.34 (10), p.1555-1557
• Main Authors: YONG MA, KHALID, A, DRYSDALE, Timothy D, CUMMING, David R. S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Infrared, submillimeter wave, microwave and radiowave instruments, equipment and techniques; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Optical elements, devices, and systems; Optics; Physics
• ISSN: 0146-9592; 1539-4794
• DOI: 10.1364/OL.34.001555

We have fabricated terahertz wire grid polarizer and terahertz bandpass filter devices on high-density polyethylene substrates using simple photolithographic fabrication techniques. The performance of the fabricated devices was measured using a Fourier transform IR spectrometer. Both devices showed good performance in the terahertz frequency range up to 5 THz, in agreement with rigorous coupled-wave analysis (polarizer) and finite-difference time-domain (filter) simulations. Our results successfully demonstrate the use of standard fabrication techniques to produce large-aperture free-standing terahertz optical devices on low-absorption polymer materials with the advantage of low cost using a simple fabrication process. The fabricated polarizer had better than 30 dB extinction ratio at 3 THz. Bandpass filters were demonstrated at three different center frequencies (1.5, 1.8, 2.9 THz) with a 3 dB insertion loss and 2