Silicon micromachining technology for THz applications

Silicon micromachining technology is naturally suited for making THz components, where precision and accuracy are essential. We report here the development of a robust micromachining technology that has enabled us to make waveguide features in the 325 to 500 GHz range with nominal losses. Extension of this technology towards a wafer-level integrated submillimeter-wave receiver front-end is also discussed. This novel wafer-stacking architecture will enable ultra-compact two dimensional multi-pixel receiver front-ends in the THz range.