Terahertz radiation converter based on metamaterial

Abstract

Since the early 1980s, the terahertz range (from 0.1 to 10 THz) attracts constant attention of both fundamental and applied physics. Due to its unique properties, terahertz radiation finds it’s applications in spectroscopy, defectoscopy, and security systems. The construction of efficient absorbers and converters in terahertz range is crucial for further development of terahertz technologies. In this work, we use a frequency-selective high-Q metamaterial to construct a converter of terahertz radiation into the infrared radiation. The converter consists of a metamaterial absorber of terahertz radiation covered with a micrometer thick layer of graphite, which emits in the infrared range the energy absorbed by the metamaterial. We have made a numerical electrodynamic and associated thermal simulation of the radiation converter. The metamaterial simulation at 96 GHz (low opacity window of the atmosphere) shows the electromagnetic radiation absorption coefficient of 99.998%, and the analytically calculated converter efficiency of 93.8%. Concluding the above our terahertz radiation converter may contribute to security systems and defectoscopy setups.