Low-cost wideband low-THz antennas for wireless communications and sensing

Terahertz technology is expected to provide a significant improvement in wireless system performance. A common assumption is that traditional microwave devices can be scaled down to operate at higher frequency bands. However, it can be a challenge to directly transfer the design methodology from microwave to THz band as the size of the devices becomes a few millimeter large. The reduced antenna size at the THz band limits the suitable fabrication processes. This paper reviews a wide range of THz antennas and their fabrication methodology. Then based on the resonant cavity antenna concept, an all-metal 300 GHz wideband high-gain antenna is designed and simulated. The presented metallic antenna is suitable to be fabricated using 3D printing techniques, which can lead to a low-cost, reliable solution for the emerging THz applications.