Russian scientists have created a large-area terahertz emitter with special cylindrical optics based on a sapphire microlens, which amplifies the power of terahertz radiation by 8.5 times. This will improve the efficiency of THz technologies. Today they are used for diagnostics in medicine, for screening passengers at airports, in communication systems and in a number of other areas. The development of RT scientists was reported by the press service of the Russian Science Foundation. The study was supported by a grant from the foundation. The results were published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

Employees of the V.G. Institute of Ultra-High-Frequency Semiconductor Electronics took part in the project. Mokerov RAS and Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman.

Let us recall that terahertz radiation (THz radiation) belongs to the submillimeter range, its wavelength is about 1 mm or less. With its help, you can study the structure of biological tissues, identifying various pathologies, scan luggage at security checkpoints, and also scan archaeological finds. An important advantage of such radiation is that it is absolutely safe for humans - unlike, for example, X-rays. In addition, THz radiation is used in space communications.

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To generate such radiation, photoconductive antennas are used; such devices convert the laser beam into THz waves. However, the power of antennas is limited due to their physical properties.

The authors of the study found a way to amplify the power of terahertz radiation by placing a special lens on the surface of the antenna. To obtain it, scientists first grew sapphire crystals in the form of thin fibers. They then applied them to the working surface of the antenna.

Experiments have shown that the power of THz waves generated by the new device is 8.5 times higher than that of a similar antenna without sapphire lenses.

“The large-area emitter we designed can be easily integrated into modern installations for THz imaging, used, for example, for scanning living tissues and various materials, and the proposed approach - using sapphire fiber as an effective microlens - will expand the use of THz detectors, among others in medical devices, environmental monitoring and security systems,” Dmitry Ponomarev, deputy director for scientific work at the Institute of High-Chere Electrodynamics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and senior researcher at the MIPT Quantum Cascade Laser Laboratory, told RT.

In the future, scientists plan to test the effectiveness of the device using high-power lasers, as well as optimize the shape of the antenna emitter.