Silicon Micro-machined Photoconductive Lens Antenna

The Terahertz (THz) Sensing group is a world leader in optically-induced THz pulse generation. Time domain spectroscopic systems rely on these pulses to create broadband  THz radiation. However, our own state-of-the-art setup is currently limited at low frequencies due to poor antenna performance in the 30-200 GHz range.  The scope of this thesis is to design an integrated, non-dispersive, directive lens antenna that will overcome this limitation. The lens focuses the radiation by radially tailoring the dielectric permittivity. This is achieved through silicon (Si) micromachining of silicon wafers by patterning holes of varying sizes, resulting ultimately in a flat lens. The Si lens will then be integrated with the photoconductive antenna, realized on a GaAs substrate. Finally, the antenna will be installed in the optical setup of the time domain system.

Project Goal: Design a Si antenna for sub-THz time-domain systems. Antenna design should optimize bandwidth and efficiency and be compatible with cleanroom manufacturing.

Requirements

All the following courses:

EE4C05    Electromagnetics    
EE4510    Advanced Electromagnetics    
EE4725    Quasi Optical Systems    
EE4620    Spectral Domain Methods in Electromagnetics    

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Last modified: 2025-11-28