Frédéric Garet

A reliable method for extraction of material parameters in terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

This paper introduces a novel method that allows fast and reliable extraction of material parameters in terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. This method could be applied for most materials and requires neither simplifying assumptions nor samples of different thickness for the extraction. The presented extraction procedure operates either on truncated terahertz signals when temporal windowing is possible, or on full ones otherwise. Some experimental examples covering all practical cases are given. In particular, the extraction procedure treats the tedious case of samples for which internal reflections of the terahertz pulse slightly overlap.

Highly precise determination of optical constants and sample thickness in terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

Time-domain spectroscopy allows fast and broadband measurement of the optical constants of materials in the terahertz domain. We present a method that improves the determination of the optical constants through simultaneous determination of the sample thickness. This method could be applied to any material with moderate absorption and requires only two measurements of the temporal profile of the terahertz pulses: a reference one without the sample and one transmitted through the sample.

Influence of noise on the characterization of materials by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We analyze the contributions of various error sources to uncertainty in the far-infrared optical constants (refractive index and absorption coefficient) measured by terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy. We focus our study on the influence of noise. This noise study is made with a thick slab of transparent material for which the THz transmitted signal exhibits temporal echoes owing to reflections in the sample. Extracting data from each of these time-windowed echoes allows us to characterize the noise sources. In THz time-domain spectroscopy experiments in which photoswitches are used as antennae, the transmitting antenna constitutes the principal noise source. The uncertainty in the far-infrared optical constants can be strongly reduced when the extraction is performed with THz echoes that have encountered many reflections in the sample.

Thermally tunable filter for terahertz range based on a one-dimensional photonic crystal with a defect

A high-quality smart filter for terahertz range with relative tunability reaching 20% has been demonstrated. The filter is based on a narrow transmission band, which originates from a defect mode that appears due to insertion of a single crystal of KTaO3 into otherwise periodic one-dimensional photonic crystal. Frequencies of defect modes are controlled by the refractive index of the defect: their high tunability is achieved by the strong temperature dependence of the dielectric properties of KTaO3. The low losses of KTaO3 lead to a high peak transmission of the filter. Influence of the defect losses on the properties of the filter is also discussed.

Imaging of broadband terahertz beams using an array of antenna-coupled microbolometers operating at room temperature

We present results of 2D real-time imaging of terahertz (THz) beam generated by a photoconductive antenna driven by a femtosecond oscillator. The detector, operating at room temperature, is a 320 x 240 array of antenna-coupled microbolometers with integrated CMOS read-out electronics delivering 25 images per second. High quality images of broadband THz beams covering the 0.1-2 THz range are recorded while maintaining a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 for detected THz power as low as 25 nW. The compactness of the easy-to-use uncooled camera makes it very useful for the alignment of systems such as THz time-domain spectrometers and for the characterization of emitters, optics and other components.

Design of Chipless RFID Tags Printed on Paper by Flexography

In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time that a 19-bit chipless tag based on a paper substrate can be realized using the flexography technique, which is an industrial high-speed printing process. The chipless tag is able to operate within the ultra-wide band (UWB) and has a reasonable size ( 7×3 cm 2) compared to state-of-the-art versions. Thus, it is possible to use this design for various identification applications that require a low unit cost of tags. Both the simulation and measurement results are shown, and performance comparisons are provided between several realization processes, such as classical chemical etching, flexography printing, and catalyst inkjet printing.

Far-infrared dielectric constant of porous silicon layers measured by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We measure the refractive index and the absorption of porous silicon layers in the millimetric and submillimetric wavelength range using the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy technique. For the studied range of porosity (55%–76%), the refractive index of porous silicon is rather well described by mixture theories, in which the refractive index of bulk silicon enters as a main parameter.

Grating-assisted coupling of terahertz waves into a dielectric waveguide studied by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We report on the efficient coupling of terahertz (THz) waves into a dielectric waveguide by means of a diffraction grating engraved at the top of the waveguide. The waveguide is made of a 201-microm-thick high-resistivity silicon wafer. The transmission of the device, measured versus frequency by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, shows usual m lines when a frequency component of the THz pulse spectrum satisfies the phase-matching condition and is coupled into the waveguide. The experimental data are well modeled with the differential electromagnetic method to compute the diffraction pattern of the grating device. The dispersion curve of the first four modes of propagation is determined from the frequency position of the m lines recorded for different angles of incidence of the THz beam. The waveguide exhibits a weak group velocity dispersion at high frequencies.

Experimental verification of negative refraction for a wedge-type negative index metamaterial operating at terahertz

We report on angle-resolved time domain spectroscopy (TDS) carried out on a prismlike negative index metamaterial operating around 0.5 THz. The wedge-type devices are constituted of hole arrays etched in gold thin films, which are stacked according to a sequential mask shift. By means of a goniometric TDS setup and subsequent analysis of the temporal waveforms, negative refraction is demonstrated with values close to n=−1 around 0.5 THz. The dispersion of refractive index retrieved from the Snell–Descartes law shows comparable trends in comparison with the dispersion deduced from complex transmission and reflection measurements on slab-type samples.

Highly efficient broadband double-sided Fresnel lens for THz range

Modern passive THz setups require effective optical elements with a large numerical aperture. Here we propose a new type of the optical element for THz applications, which is a broadband double-sided Fresnel-like lens with an optimized thickness. The optimization is performed to obtain a very low attenuation, low material cost, and small weight in the element media. It also provides achromatic properties for the assumed wavelength range. The experimental evaluation of the proposed diffractive lens by means of time-domain spectroscopy is presented and discussed.