Prospective Materials for Photoconductive Antennas for Terahertz Generation

Abstract

Photoconductive antenna (PCA) is a widely known device for terahertz generation and detection. Since the 1980s, several variants for PCA substrate materials and antenna design have been researched and proposed for furthering the bandwidth of the device. PCA technology is therefore the cornerstone of terahertz (THz) spectroscopic and imaging system and thus its enhancement, not only in terms of field strength but commercial value is important. In this review article, we provide an overview on different materials used for fabrication of PCA devices using simple lithographic processing. We investigate the pre-requisites for enhanced THz field strength based on latest trends in material technology for THz field.