Author(s): Liu, KP (Liu, Kaipeng); Guo, YH (Guo, Yinghui); Pu, MB (Pu, Mingbo); Ma, XL (Ma, Xiaoliang); Li, X (Li, Xiong); Luo, XG (Luo, Xiangang)
Source: Scientific Reports  Volume: 7  Article Number: 41642  DOI: 10.1038/srep41642  Published: JAN 30 2017 
Abstract: Despite a plethora of applications ranging from wireless communications to sensing and spectroscopy, the current terahertz beam steering technologies suffer from tremendous insert loss, stringent control of electric bias, limited scanning angle, relatively complicated configuration and narrow operation bandwidth, preventing further practical application. We propose and demonstrate a conceptually new approach for terahertz beam steering by virtue of gap plasmon geodesic antennas. By adjusting the geometric dimension of the gap plasmon geodesic antennas, all gap plasmon modes add coherently along a peculiar direction that depends on the geodesic mean surface. Consequently, high directive beams are generated through the antenna, whose direction could be changed within a wide-angle range spanning +/- 45 degrees by lateral motion of the feed. Furthermore, an assembled antenna structure consisting of four-element geodesic antennas array is proposed for full 360 degrees beam steering, which can operate in a broadband range from 0.8 THz to 1.2 THz.
IDS Number: EI9BH
ISSN: 2045-2322