Photoconductive antennas for THz pulse generation - request a quote
PCA - Photoconductive Antenna for
terahertz waves
Del Mar Photonics - PCA brochure - buy online - PCA Q&A |
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Geometrical antenna parameters:
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PCA with LT-GaAs absorber for laser excitation wavelengths l £ 850 nm; optical absorption > 70% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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> | PCA with LT-InGaAs layer for laser excitation wavelength l = 990 .. 1060 nm; optical absorption ~ 50% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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> | PCA with LT-InGaAs layer for laser excitation wavelength l ~ 1040 nm; optical resonant design with 97 % absorption @ 1040 nm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Del Mar Photonics - PCA brochure - buy online
Model | Product Name+ | Buy Now |
iPCAp-21-05-1000-800 | iPCAp, 800 nm, 21x5x1000 microns | |
iPCAp-21-05-300-800- | iPCAp, 800 nm, 21x5x300 microns | |
iPCAs-21-05-1000-104 | iPCAs, 1040 nm, 21x5x1000 microns | |
PCA-44-16-16-800-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 16 µm | |
PCA-44-16-16-800-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 16 µm | |
PCA-44-34-100-800-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 34 µm | |
PCA-44-34-100-800-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 34 µm | |
PCA-44-06-10-800-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 6 µm | |
PCA-44-06-10-800-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 6 µm | |
PCA-44-16-16-1030-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 16 µm | |
PCA-44-16-16-1030-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 16 µm | |
PCA-44-34-100-1030-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 34 µm | |
PCA-44-34-100-1030-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 34 µm | |
PCA-44-06-10-1030-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 6 µm | |
PCA-44-06-10-1030-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 6 µm | |
PCA-44-16-16-1040-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 16 µm | |
PCA-44-16-16-1040-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 16 µm | |
PCA-44-34-100-1040-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 34 µm | |
PCA-44-34-100-1040-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 34 µm | |
PCA-44-06-10-1040-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 6 µm |
PCA-44-06-10-1040-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 6 µm | |
PCA-30-10-10-800-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 10 µm | |
PCA-30-10-10-800-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 10 µm | |
PCA-30-14-14-800-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 14 µm | |
PCA-30-14-14-800-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ = 800 nm, gap distance 14 µm | |
PCA-30-10-10-1030-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 10 µm | |
PCA-30-10-10-1030-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 10 µm | |
PCA-30-14-14-1030-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 14 µm | |
PCA-30-14-14-1030-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ = 990 .. 1060 nm, gap distance 14 µm | |
PCA-30-10-10-1040-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 10 µm | |
PCA-30-10-10-1040-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 10 µm | |
PCA-30-14-14-1040-u | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 14 µm | |
PCA-30-14-14-1040-h | PCA: resonance frequency 1.5 THz, λ ~ 1040 nm, gap distance 14 µm |
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Del Mar Photonics - PCA brochure - buy online - PCA Q&A
PCA - Photoconductive Antenna
for THz Applications
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> | Contents | ||||||
> | How does a PCA work? | ||||||
A photoconductive antenna (PCA) for terahertz (THz) waves
consists of a highly resistive direct semiconductor thin film with two
electric contact pads. The film is made in most cases using a III-V compound
semiconductor like GaAs. It is epitaxially grown on a semi-insulating GaAs
substrate (SI-GaAs), which is also a highly resistive material. |
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A short laser puls with puls width < 1 ps is focused between the electric contacts of the PCA. The photons of the laser pulse have a photon energy E = h× n larger than the energy gap Eg and are absorbed in the film. Each absorbed photon creates a free electron in the conduction band and a hole in the valence band of the film and makes them for a short time electrical conducting until the carriers are recombined. The PCA can be used as THz transmitter as well as THz receiver.
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To get the needed short carrier lifetime, the film must
include crystal defects. These defects can be created by ion implantation
after the film growth or alternatively by a low temperature growth. Low
temperature grown GaAs (LT-GaAs) between 200 and 400 °C contains excess
arsenic clusters. |
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> | PCA applications | ||||||
As mentioned above, a PCA can be used as a THz emitter or
detector in pulse laser gated broadband THz measurement systems for
time-domain spectroscopy. |
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Security checks:
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Medical imaging for brest and
skin cancer detection and for teeth testing in dentistry. Terahertz waves
offers medical benefits:
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Process control for:
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> | Frequency and wavelength | ||||||
The photoconductive antenna can be considered as a dipole
of the length L, which is in resonance with the electromagnetic wavelength
ln inside the semiconductor. |
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The refractive index n of GaAs at terahertz frequencies is n = 3.4. With this value the first resonant frequency and wavelength of the antenna with the length L can be calculated as follows: | |||||||
f (THz) | l (µm) | L (µm) | |||||
0.3 | 1000 | 147 | |||||
0.5 | 600 | 88 | |||||
1.0 | 300 | 44 | |||||
1.5 | 200 | 29.4 | |||||
3.0 | 100 | 14.7 | |||||
> | Substrate lens for PCA transmitter | ||||||
PCA without substrate lens | |||||||
Because of the high refractive index n ~ 3.4 of the semiconductor PCA the outgoing terahertz waves are strongly diffracted at the substrate-air interface. The boundary angle a for the total reflection can be calculated with a = arcsin(n-1) ~ 17.1 ° |
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can escape the substrate. For GaAs with n = 3.4 the escape solid angle is W = 0.28. This is only 4.4% of the forward directed intensity. |
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Aplanatic hyperhemispherical lens | |||||||
To increase the escape cone angle a , a hemispherical lens with the same refractive index n as the PCA can be used. To decrease the divergence in air, a hyperhemispherical lens with a certain distance d from the emitter to the tip of the lens is common. If this distance d is |
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the hyperhemispherical lens is aplanatic, that means
without spherical and coma aberration. For a silicon lens with almost the
same refractive index n ~ 3.4 as GaAs at therahertz frequencies the distance
is d = 1.29 r with the lens radius r. The height h of the aplanatic
hyperhemispherical lens is therefore h = d - t with the thickness t of the
semiconductor PCA. |
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L = r (n+1) |
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For silicon is L = 4.4 r. With this hyperhemispherical lens nearly all the forward directed terahertz intensity can escape the PCA. The problem left is the beam divergence, which requires a further focussing element like a lens or mirror. | |||||||
Terahertz systems, set ups and components New band pass and long pass THz optical filters based on porous silicon and metal mesh technologies. Band pass filters with center wavelengths from 30 THz into GHz range and transmissions up to 80% or better. Standard designs with clear aperture diameters from 12.5 to 37.5 mm. Long pass filters with standard rejection edge wavelengths from 60 THz into GHz range. Maximum transmission up to 80% or better, standard designs at 19.0 and 25.4 mm diameters. Excellent thermal (from cryogenic to 600 K) and mechanical properties THz products: Portable Terahertz Source THz Spectrometer kit with Antenna THz transmission setup THz time domain spectrometer Pacifica fs1060pca THz time domain spectrometer Pacifica fs780pca THz detectors: Golay cell and LiTaO3 piroelectric detectors PCA - Photoconductive Antenna as THz photomixer Pacifica THz Time Domain Spectrometer - Trestles Pacifica Holographic Fourier Transform Spectrometer for THz Region Wedge TiSapphire Multipass Amplifier System - THz pulses generation Terahertz Spectroscopic Radar Mobile System for Detection of Concealed Explosives Band pass filters with center wavelengths from 30 THz into GHz range Long pass filters with standard rejection edge wavelengths from 60 THz into GHz range Generation of THz radiation using lithium niobate Terahertz crystals (THz): ZnTe, GaAs, GaP, LiNbO3 - Wedge ZnTe Silicon Viewports for THz radiation - sample specs Aspheric collimating silicon lens - Aspheric focusing silicon lens more |
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iPCA - interdigital Photoconductive Antenna for terahertz waves Large area broadband antenna with lens array and high emitter conversion efficiency iPCA with LT-GaAs absorber, microlens array for laser excitation wavelengths l £ 850 nm, adjusted hyperhemispherical silicon lens with a high power conversion efficiency of 0.2 mW THz power / W optical power. The iPCA can be used also as large area THz detector. The two types iPCAp and iPCAs have the same active interdigital antenna area but different contact pad directions with respect to the electrical THz field. Interdigital Photoconductive Antenna for terahertz waves generation using femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser THz books |