A novel equivalent circuit for pulsed photoconductive sources is introduced for describing the coupling between the photoconductive gap and the antenna. The proposed circuit effectively describes the mechanism of feeding the antenna by the semiconductor when this latter is illuminated by a laser operating in a pulsed mode. Starting from the classical continuity equation, which models the free carriers density with respect to the laser power pump and the semiconductor features, a Norton equivalent circuit in the frequency-domain is derived. According to the Norton's theorem, the equivalent source representation is decoupled from the antenna. In particular, for photoconductive antennas, the Norton circuit takes into account of the electrical and optical properties of the semiconductor material, the features of the laser excitation, as well as the geometrical dimensions of the gap. The presence of the electrodes around the gap is part of the antenna and, therefore, it is taken into account in the antenna impedance. The proposed circuit allows the analysis of the coupling between the photoconductive source and the antenna, providing a tool to analyze and design photoconductive antennas.

This second part of two papers sequence presents the experimental validation of the Norton equivalent circuit model for pulsed photoconductive antennas provided in the first paper of the sequence. To this goal different prototypes of photoconductive antenna sources have been manufactured and assembled. The average powers radiated and their pertinent energy spectral densities have been measured. In order to obtain a validation of the original equivalent circuit proposed, an auxiliary electromagnetic analysis of the complete setup, including the quasi-optical link for the signals from the antenna feeds to the detectors had to be developed. By using the combined theoretical model (circuit and quasi-optics), an excellent agreement is achieved between the measured power and the power estimated. This agreement fully validates the circuit model, which can now be used to design new photoconductive antennas, including optical and electrical features of the semiconductor materials, as well as the details of the antenna gaps and the purely quasi-optical components.

A pulsed photoconductive terahertz (THz) source is presented that is able to radiate milliwatt (mW) level average power over a large bandwidth, by exploiting both the optical and electrical properties of photoconductive sources and the ultrawideband properties of connected antenna arrays. An optical system composed of a microlenses array splits the laser beam into N × N spots that host the active excitation of the antenna arrays. An "ad hoc" network is introduced to bias the array active spots in order to implement a connected antenna array configuration. The array feeds a silicon lens to increase the directivity of the radiated THz beam. A dipole and a slot array are designed. Prototypes have been fabricated and measured. Power and spectrum measurements of the prototypes are in excellent agreement with the expected results. The proposed solutions achieve excellent power radiation levels by exploiting accurate electromagnetic design. Thus, they can offer enhancements to any active system relying on pulsed photoconductive antennas.

In this paper, the performance of logarithmic spiral antennas as feeds of dense dielectric lens are investigated in detail. The performances are evaluated in terms of clean symmetric radiation patterns, high polarization purity, antenna efficiency, and radiation dispersivity. A logarithmic spiral antenna placed in the dielectric-air interface can provide high aperture efficiencies over large bandwidths if coupled to a synthesized elliptical lens. The use of an air gap increases the directivity of the spiral radiation inside the dielectric allowing for lens directive patterns without sidelobes and reducing the dispersivity of the radiated pulse. The directivity enhancement of the fields inside the dielectric is validated by the measurement of a prototype. The highest frequency at which these antennas can be fed by a planar microstrip line is limited by the thickness of the microstrip substrate.

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