Low-cost ultra-thin broadband terahertz beam-splitter
Date
2012
Authors
Ung, B.
Fumeaux, C.
Lin, H.
Fischer, B.
Ng, B.
Abbott, D.
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Journal article
Citation
Optics Express, 2012; 20(5):4968-4978
Statement of Responsibility
Benjamin S.-Y. Ung, Christophe Fumeaux, Hungyen Lin, Bernd M. Fischer, Brian W.-H. Ng and Derek Abbott
Conference Name
Abstract
A low-cost terahertz beam-splitter is fabricated using ultra-thin LDPE plastic sheeting coated with a conducting silver layer. The beam splitting ratio is determined as a function of the thickness of the silver layer--thus any required splitting ratio can be printed on demand with a suitable rapid prototyping technology. The low-cost aspect is a consequence of the fact that ultra-thin LDPE sheeting is readily obtainable, known more commonly as domestic plastic wrap or cling wrap. The proposed beam-splitter has numerous advantages over float zone silicon wafers commonly used within the terahertz frequency range. These advantages include low-cost, ease of handling, ultra-thin thickness, and any required beam splitting ratio can be readily fabricated. Furthermore, as the beam-splitter is ultra-thin, it presents low loss and does not suffer from Fabry-Pérot effects. Measurements performed on manufactured prototypes with different splitting ratios demonstrate a good agreement with our theoretical model in both P and S polarizations, exhibiting nearly frequency-independent splitting ratios in the terahertz frequency range.
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© Optical Society of America