7.5% Optical-to-Terahertz Conversion Efficiency Offered by Photoconductive Emitters With Three-Dimensional Plasmonic Contact Electrodes

We present a photoconductive terahertz emitter that incorporates three-dimensional plasmonic contact electrodes to offer record high optical-to-terahertz power conversion efficiencies. By use of three-dimensional plasmonic contact electrodes the majority of photocarriers are generated within nanoscale distances from the photoconductor contact electrodes and drifted to the terahertz radiating antenna in a sub-picosecond time-scale to efficiently contribute to terahertz radiation. We experimentally demonstrate 105 μW of broadband terahertz radiation in the 0.1-2 THz frequency range in response to a 1.4 mW optical pump, exhibiting a record high optical-to-terahertz power conversion efficiency of 7.5%.