Design and Optimization of On-Chip THz Metasurface Antenna for Non Destructive Testing Applications

This paper proposes an on-chip antenna suitable for non-destructive testing applications at THz frequencies like surface defect detection and coating measurement at 1.28 THz, for instance, detecting micro cracks in composite materials (automotive applications) or precise thickness measurements on painted surfaces of metals. The five-layered antenna incorporates a metasurface created by a 9x9 array of graphene square structures on top of a SiO2 layer. The structure is made up of a silver ground plane, a SiO2 substrate, a graphene rectangular patch, and a SiO2 superstrate as the foundation for the graphene metasurface array. The application of the graphene metasurface increases the gain, radiation efficiency, and total efficiency of the antenna. The antenna exhibits a directivity of 6.618 dBi and a gain of 6.243 dBi. Additionally, it exhibits a radiation efficiency of 91.73% and a total efficiency of 91.60%.