Lecture 15

THz waveguides. Photonic crystals.

Metamaterials

THz waveguides

good source:
Bahaa E. A. Saleh, Malvin Carl Teich
"Fundamentals of Photonics", Chapter 7
1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ISBNs: 0-471-83965-5 (Hardback); 0-471-2-1374-8 (Electronic)

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 THz waveguides

Guided-wave optics has important applications in

directing light to awkward places, in establishing
secure communications, and in the fabrication of
miniaturized optical and optoelectronic devices
requiring the confinement of light.

THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide

Mirrors: assume ideal conductors. E=Ex (TE mode)

The total field E=0 at the mirrors (boundary condition).

A self-consistency condition: as the wave reflects twice, it

reproduces itself. Phase π is aquired at each reflection.

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 THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide (TE)

k = 2π / λ ; wavevector

across
the beam

along the beam

THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide (TE)

E is zero at the mirrors

Each mode can be viewed as a standing wave in the y direction, traveling

in the z direction.

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 THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide (TE)

The same result can be obtained from the self-

consistency condition: as the wave reflects twice, it
reproduces itself.

THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide (TE)

k = ω / c = 2π / λ ; wavevector
k 2 = k y2 + k z2 ;
π
ky = m , m = 1,2,3...
d
k y − vector is quantized

since k y = k sin θ
λ
sin θ m = m , angle is quantized
2d
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 THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide (TE)

The guided wave is composed of two distinct plane waves traveling at angles ≤θ
with the z axis in the y-z plane. Their wavevectors have components (0, ky, kz,)
and (0, -ky, kz,). Their sum or difference therefore varies with z as exp( -ikz), so
that the propagation constant of the guided wave is β = kz = k cosθ.

Thus β is quantized to the values βm = k cos θm

THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide (TE)

Cutoff frequency
k 2 = k y2 + β 2 ;
β 2 = k 2 − k y2 > 0
k 2 > k y2 ;
π
ky = m ; m = 1,2,3...
d
π 2π
k> ; (k = );
d λ

λ < 2d ; - cut - off wavelength

ν > c / 2d - cut - off frequency

If 1 < 2d/λ < 2, only one mode is allowed.

The structure is said to be a single-mode waveguide.

Numerical example: ν=1 THz, λ=300 mm, dmin = λ/2 = 150 μm

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 THz waveguides, TE
Group Velocity vs Phase Velocity

π
E ~ cos(m y ) exp(iωt − iβz ), m = 1,3,5..
d
or
π
E ~ sin( m y ) exp(iωt − iβz ), m = 2,4,6..
d

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THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide (TE)

β 2 = k 2 − k y2
π
ky = m ; m = 1,2,3...
d
m =1
π ω π
β 2 = k 2 − ( )2 = ( )2 − ( )2
d c d

Dispersion
k curve
1
=
v phase ω
k

1 dk
=
v group dω
v phase × v group = c 2 = const
cut-off ω
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 THz waveguides
Planar mirror waveguide (TE)

Dispersion
k curve

ω
Modes with larger m-number :
vary in the transverse plane at a greater rate k, and
- travel with a smaller propagation constant β
- have larger phase velocity
- have smaller group velocity (vgroup=0 near cut-off)
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THz waveguides

v group = c cos θ
v phase = c / cos θ

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 THz waveguides
Multimode Fields

A superposition of modes with mode-number m=1 and m=2

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THz waveguides, TM mode

Mirrors: assume ideal conductors. H=Hx (TM mode)

The field Ez =0 at the mirrors (boundary condition).

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 Metallic hollow waveguides

E-fields of rectangular metallic hollow Modes of circular metallic

waveguide hollow waveguide

For the rectangular waveguide with horizontal and vertical dimensions a and
b, the cutoff wavelength is (m and n are integers):
1
λc =
m 2 n
( ) + ( )2
2a 2b
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Dielectric waveguides

A medium of one refractive index imbedded in a

medium of lower refractive index acts as a light
“trap” within which optical rays remain confined
by multiple total internal reflections at the
boundaries.

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 Planar dielectric waveguides

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Planar dielectric waveguides, TE mode

Angle θ should not exceed the angle of total internal reflection

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 Planar dielectric waveguides , TE mode

Dielectric waveguide has no absolute cutoff wavelength.

Fundamental mode m = 0 is always allowed.
However each of the modes m = 1,2,. . . has its own cutoff wavelength.

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Metal wires for terahertz wave guiding

THz pulses are generated by a fibre-coupled photoconductive transmitter and focused

onto a stainless steel waveguide with a diameter of 0.9 mm. A radially polarized mode is
excited in the space around the waveguide. The electric field of the propagating pulses
is detected at the end of the waveguide with a fibre-coupled photoconductive receiver,
which is sensitive only to the vertical polarization component. The receiver is mounted
on a stage which can be moved in three dimensions relative to the end of the
waveguide. 22

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 Metal wires for terahertz wave guiding

above

below

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Metal wires for terahertz wave guiding

Small dispersion
and small attenuation

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Subwavelength-diameter plastic wire for terahertz wave
guiding

A polyethylene fiber with a 200 μm diameter for guiding terahertz waves in the
frequency range near 0.3 THz (λ=1mm) in which the attenuation constant is
reduced to of the order of or less than 0.01 cm−1. Direct free-space coupling
efficiency as high as 20%

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Basic Model of Subwavelength THz Fiber

Geometry and Step Index Profile

PE Wire n(r)

Air n1

z n2=1
r
2a a
Air-cladding Fiber
⎛a⎞
V = 2π ⎜ ⎟ n12 − n22 < 2.405 (Single-mode Condition) HE11
⎝λ ⎠
For PE (n1=1.5) Single-mode for 2a<0.67λ

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Subwavelength-diameter plastic wire for terahertz wave
guiding

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Subwavelength-diameter plastic wire for terahertz wave

guiding

Paper-made Fiber Coupler

THz fiber

Metal Cone

Bolometer

3D
Stage

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 Plastic wire for terahertz wave guiding
Spatial Pattern of Poynting Vector

300GHz 700GHz

500GHz 900GHz

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Photonic crystals

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 Photonic band structure of
square air-rod simple-cubic lattice

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Photonic Crystals
H. Kitahara, N. Tsumura, H. Kondo, M. W. Takeda, J. W. Haus, Z. Yuan, N. Kawao, K. Sakoda, and K. Inoue, Phys. Rev. B 64 (2001) 045202.
H. Kitahara, T. Kawaguchi, J. Miyashita, and M. W. Takeda, J. Phys. Sco. Jpn. 72 (2003) 951.

Measured Values Simulation

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 Metamaterials

Metamaterial is a material which gains its properties from its structure rather
than directly from its composition.

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Metamaterials

Create a structure with a negative refractive index, since this property is not
found in any naturally occurring material. Almost all materials encountered in
optics, have positive values for both permittivity ε and permeability μ.
However, many metals (such as silver and gold) have negative ε at visible
wavelengths.
One needs to have ε and μ to be both negative.

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Metamaterial at microwave frequencies

Arrays of metal split-ring

resonators - negative n
demonstrated in GHz region

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Phase delay is negative here !

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