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We propose a novel method for detecting microplastic particles in water using terahertz metamaterials. Fluidic channels are employed to flow the water, containing polystyrene spheres, on the surface of the metamaterials. Polystyrene spheres are captured only near the gap structure of the metamaterials as the gap areas are functionalized. The resonant frequency of terahertz metamaterials increased while we circulated the microplastic solution, as polystyrene spheres in the solution are attached to the metamaterial gap areas, which saturates at a specific frequency as the gap areas are filled by the polystyrene spheres. Experimental results were revisited and supported by finite-difference time-domain simulations. We investigated how this method can be used for the detection of microplastics with various solution densities. The saturation time of the resonant frequency shift was found to decrease, while the saturated resonant frequency shift increased as the solution density increased.

We demonstrate engineering of the low-terahertz range plasmonic spectra of two-dimensional electron systems by modifying their geometry. Specifically, we have modelled, fabricated, and measured two devices for comparison. The first device has a rectangular channel, while the second is trapezoidal, designed to support a richer plasmonic spectrum by causing variation in the device width along the direction of plasmon propagation. We show that while plasmon resonant frequencies and field distributions in the rectangular device can largely be described by a simple one-dimensional analytical model, the field distributions modelled in the trapezoidal device shows a more complex pattern with significant variation along the length of the channel, so requiring a two-dimensional treatment. The results illustrate the potential of modifying the channel geometry to obtain different spectra in experiments, with potential applications in the design of novel terahertz-range devices, such as plasmon-based sources and detectors.

We investigate the effect of the effective substrate refractive index on the sensitivity of terahertz (THz) metamaterials for dielectric sensing by substrate etching. We found the effective refractive index near the metamaterials can be actively controlled by etching, allowing optimization of the sensitivity. Our experimental findings are in good agreement with finite element method (FEM) simulation results.

We report observations of magnetoplasmons at frequencies up to 400 GHz in gated two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) at low temperature (∼ 2K). We observed bulk magnetoplasmons for frequencies greater than the cyclotron resonance frequency, and attributed resonances occurring at frequencies below the cyclotron resonance to formation of edge magnetoplasmons (EMPs). Our full-wave 3D electromagnetic simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental findings, allowing us to predict the spatial distribution of both bulk and edge magnetoplasmon modes in the 2DEG.

Near-field microscopy techniques operating in the terahertz (THz) frequency band offer the tantalizing possibility of visualizing with nanometric resolution the localized THz fields supported by individual resonators, micro-structured surfaces, and metamaterials. Such capabilities promise to underpin the future development and characterization of a wide range of devices, including THz emitters, detectors, optoelectronic modulators, sensors, and novel optical components. In this work, we report scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy using a THz-frequency quantum cascade laser (QCL) to probe coherently the localized field supported by individual micro-resonator structures. Our technique demonstrates deep sub-wavelength mapping of the field distribution associated with in-plane resonator modes in plasmonic dipole antennas and split ring resonator structures. By exploiting electronic tuning of the QCL in conjunction with the coherent self-mixing effect in these lasers, we are able to resolve both the magnitude and the phase of the out-of-plane field. We, furthermore, show that the elliptically polarized state of the QCL field can be exploited for the simultaneous excitation and measurement of plasmonic resonances in these structures while suppressing the otherwise dominant signal arising from the local material permittivity.

We demonstrate a significant enhancement in the sensitivity of split ring resonator terahertz metamaterial dielectric sensors by the introduction of etched trenches into their inductive-capacitive gap area, both through finite element simulations and in experiments performed using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The enhanced sensitivity is demonstrated by observation of an increased frequency shift in response to overlaid dielectric material of thicknesses up to 18 μm deposited on to the sensor surface. We show that sensitivity to the dielectric is enhanced by a factor of up to ~2.7 times by the incorporation of locally etched trenches with a depth of ~3.4 μm, for example, and discuss the effect of the etching on the electrical properties of the sensors. Our experimental findings are in good agreement with simulations of the sensors obtained using finite element methods.

We report on both experiments and theory of low-terahertz frequency range (up to 400 GHz) magnetoplasmons in a gated two-dimensional electron gas at low (

In the past few years, perovskite film has been considered as a promising materials for solar cell devices due to its outstanding performance. To maximize the perovskite solar cell performance, it is necessary to understand the crystallization mechanism of perovskite film. In this study, we monitored the crystallization and decrystallization of the lead halide perovskite (MAPbI3-xClx) film under thermal annealing and UV-laser exposure processes by using in-situ terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The strength of vibrational resonances in THz frequency range is found to be a good indicator of perovskite crystallinity. We measured the THz spectra as we annealed the perovskite film at various temperatures in order to achieve the degree of crystallization, i.e., the transition of perovskite structure from the intermediate phase to the tetragonal phase. In addition, we investigated the UV-laser-induced phase transition of the perovskite film. Because it is widely known that UV light illumination on perovskite film tends degrade the perovskite cell efficiency, its influence on the crystallization is our primary concern. Surprisingly, the crystallization phase increases for 10 min, until it starts to degrade over a couple of hours. We also studied the transient transport properties of the films under UV illumination. The correlation between the degree of crystallization (obtained from THz transmission) and the transport parameters exhibited the electric percolation threshold behaviors in the perovskite films. These information are expected to be crucial for optimizing the fabrication method of perovskite solar cell.

We demonstrate an electrically tunable polarizer for terahertz (THz) frequency electromagnetic waves formed from a hybrid graphene-metal metasurface. Broadband (>3 THz) polarization-dependent modulation of THz transmission is demonstrated as a function of the graphene conductivity for various wire grid geometries, each tuned by gating using an overlaid ion gel. We show a strong enhancement of modulation (up to ∼17 times) compared to graphene wire grids in the frequency range of 0.2–2.5 THz upon introduction of the metallic elements. Theoretical calculations, considering both plasmonic coupling and Drude absorption, are in good agreement with our experimental findings.