Maria Angela Faustino

Porous silicon optical template for determination of chromatic dispersion of transparent liquid mixture

Porous silicon was fabricated through electrochemical etching and is used as an optical template for liquid sensing application. Using reflectance spectroscopy, change in optical properties such as refractive index and reflectivity upon liquid introduction were obtained. Chromatic dispersion of porous silicon upon detection of transparent liquids such as absolute ethanol, methanol, 2-propanol and distilled water were determined for spectral range 450nm to 1100nm. Mixture of the organic transparent liquid and water was also tested. In this study, porosity and liquid’s concentration were varied to establish the sensitivity of detection. Expected ideal values were also simulated for comparison and correction factor computation. Results provide calibration basis for water quality assessment, environmental monitoring, and diagnostic application.

Terahertz emission enhancement in semi-insulating gallium arsenide integrated with subwavelength one-dimensional metal line array

A one-order-of-magnitude terahertz (THz) emission enhancement in the transmission geometry, over a 0.7-THz broadband range, was observed in semi-insulating gallium arsenide (SI-GaAs) integrated with a subwavelength one-dimensional metal line array (1DMLA). THz emission of the 1DMLA samples showed an intensity increase and exhibited a full-width-at-half-maximum broadening relative to the emission of the bare substrate. Improved index matching could not account for the observed phenomenon. A nonlinear dependence of the integrated THz emission intensity on the number of illuminated lines and on the pump power was observed. The actual origin of the increased THz emission is still under investigation. At present, it is attributed to extraordinary optical transmission.

Enhanced terahertz emission from SI-GaAs with a sub-wavelength 1D metal array

Terahertz emission enhancement in SI-GaAs, having a deposited periodic 1D metal array, is reported. The one order enhancement is currently attributed to the localization of the terahertz electromagnetic field at the GaAs apertures.