Photonic Terahertz Emitter with Improved Beam Quality Based on a High-Gain Silicon Lens Design

The ultra-broadband operation capabilities of photonic terahertz systems impose stringent requirements on the design of the antenna and often used silicon lens. This work presents a directivity-optimized hyper-hemispherical silicon lens for photonic terahertz transmitters. A single main lobe is maintained from 100 GHz up to 600 GHz, and a peak directivity of 34 dBi is achieved. Compared to previously investigated lens designs, this marks a notable improvement of 7 dBi. The improved radiation characteristic of this lens facilitates the development of more compact systems with fewer additional mirrors or lenses and improves integration with other terahertz components.