Abstract

We present a comprehensive experimental study comparing the propagation characteristics of the virtually unknown TE₁ mode to the well-known TEM mode of the parallel-plate waveguide (PPWG), for THz pulse applications. We demonstrate that it is possible to overcome the undesirable effects caused by the TE₁ mode’s inherent low-frequency cutoff, making it a viable THz wave-guiding option, and that for certain applications, the TE₁ mode may even be more desirable than the TEM mode. This study presents a whole new dimension to the THz technological capabilities offered by the PPWG, via the possible use of the TE₁ mode.

© 2009 OSA

» View Full Text: Acrobat PDF (345 KB)

History
Original Manuscript: June 22, 2009
Manuscript Accepted: July 31, 2009
Revised Manuscript: July 29, 2009
Published: August 6, 2009

References

1. R. Mendis and D. Grischkowsky, “Undistorted guided-wave propagation of subpicosecond terahertz pulses,” Opt. Lett. 26(11), 846–848 (2001). [CrossRef]
2. R. Mendis and D. Grischkowsky, “THz interconnect with low loss and low group velocity dispersion,” IEEE Microw. Wirel. Compon. Lett. 11(11), 444–446 (2001). [CrossRef]
3. H. Cao, R. A. Linke, and A. Nahata, “Broadband generation of terahertz radiation in a waveguide,” Opt. Lett. 29(15), 1751–1753 (2004). [CrossRef]
4. S. Coleman and D. Grischkowsky, “Parallel plate THz transmitter,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 84(5), 654–656 (2004). [CrossRef]
5. R. Mendis, “Guided-wave THz time-domain spectroscopy of highly doped silicon using parallel-plate waveguides,” Electron. Lett. 42(1), 19–21 (2006). [CrossRef]
6. J. S. Melinger, N. Laman, S. S. Harsha, and D. Grischkowsky, “Line narrowing of terahertz vibrational modes for organic thin polycrystalline films within a parallel plate waveguide,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 89(25), 252221 (2006). [CrossRef]
7. J. S. Melinger, N. Laman, S. S. Harsha, S. Cheng, and D. Grischkowsky, “High-resolution waveguide terahertz spectroscopy of partially oriented organic polycrystalline films,” J. Phys. Chem. A 111(43), 10977–10987 (2007). [CrossRef]
8. N. Laman, S. S. Harsha, D. Grischkowsky, and J. S. Melinger, “High-resolution waveguide THz spectroscopy of biological molecules,” Biophys. J. 94(3), 1010–1020 (2008). [CrossRef]
9. J. Zhang and D. Grischkowsky, “Waveguide THz time-domain spectroscopy of nm water layers,” Opt. Lett. 29(14), 1617–1619 (2004). [CrossRef]
10. M. Nagel, M. Forst, and H. Kurz, “THz biosensing devices: fundamentals and technology,” J. Phys. Condens. Matter 18(18), S601–S618 (2006). [CrossRef]
11. M. M. Awad and R. A. Cheville, “Transmission terahertz waveguide-based imaging below the diffraction limit,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 86(22), 221107 (2005). [CrossRef]
12. D. G. Cooke and P. U. Jepsen, “Optical modulation of terahertz pulses in a parallel plate waveguide,” Opt. Express 16(19), 15123–15129 (2008). [CrossRef]
13. Z. Jian, J. Pearce, and D. M. Mittleman, “Defect modes in photonic crystal slabs studied using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy,” Opt. Lett. 29(17), 2067–2069 (2004). [CrossRef]
14. Y. Zhao and D. Grischkowsky, “2-D terahertz metallic photonic crystals in parallel-plate waveguides,” IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech. 55(4), 656–663 (2007). [CrossRef]
15. A. L. Bingham and D. Grischkowsky, “High Q, one-dimensional terahertz photonic waveguides,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 90(9), 091105 (2007). [CrossRef]
16. T. Prasad, V. L. Colvin, Z. Jian, and D. M. Mittleman, “Superprism effect in a metal-clad terahertz photonic crystal slab,” Opt. Lett. 32(6), 683–685 (2007). [CrossRef]
17. S. S. Harsha, N. Laman, and D. Grischkowsky, “High-Q terahertz Bragg resonances within a metal parallel plate waveguide,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 94(9), 091118 (2009). [CrossRef]
18. N. Marcuvitz, Waveguide Handbook (Peregrinus, 1993).
19. C. A. Balanis, Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics (Wiley, 1989).
20. R. Mendis and D. M. Mittleman, “An investigation of the lowest-order transverse-electric (TE1) mode of the parallel-plate waveguide for THz pulse propagation,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 26(9), A6–A13 (2009). [CrossRef]
21. R. Mendis, “THz transmission characteristics of dielectric-filled parallel-plate waveguides,” J. Appl. Phys. 101(8), 083115 (2007). [CrossRef]
22. R. Mendis and D. M. Mittleman, “Whispering-gallery-mode THz-pulse propagation on a single curved metallic plate,” in Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics 2009, paper CThQ1.
23. R. Mendis and D. M. Mittleman, “A beam-scanning THz prism with effective refractive index less than unity,” presented at the International Workshop on Optical Terahertz Science and Technology, California, USA, 2009.

Author Affiliations

Rajind Mendis, Daniel M. Mittleman

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rice University, MS-366, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA

Cited By

OSA is able to provide readers links to articles that cite this paper by participating in CrossRef's Cited-By Linking service. In addition to listing OSA journal articles that cite this paper, citing articles from other participating publishers will also be listed.

Advanced Search

Recent ToC Categories (Beta)

• Jan 14 2010 : OSA wins SPARC Innovator award for Optics Express. Read the press release.
• Jan 14 2010 : The Journal of the Optical Society of Korea is now available in the Optics InfoBase!
• Jan 08 2010 : Optics InfoBase now supports export to Mendeley. Learn more about Mendeley for online citation management and sharing.

More News

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea Added to OSA’s Optics InfoBase
  Feb 1, 2010 - The Optical Society (OSA) is pleased to announce that Optics... more
• OSA to Launch New Journal: Biomedical Optics Express
  Jan 20, 2010 - The Optical Society (OSA) today announced it is launching a new... more
• Invisibility Visualized
  Nov 12, 2009 - Scientists and curiosity seekers who want to know what a partially or... more