Sensors (May 2021)

Antenna-Coupled Titanium Microbolometers: Application for Precise Control of Radiation Patterns in Terahertz Time-Domain Systems

  • Liang Qi,
  • Linas Minkevičius,
  • Andrzej Urbanowicz,
  • Andrej Švigelj,
  • Ignas Grigelionis,
  • Irmantas Kašalynas,
  • Janez Trontelj,
  • Gintaras Valušis

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/s21103510
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 10
p. 3510

Abstract

Read online

An ability of lensless titanium-based antenna coupled microbolometers (Ti-μbolometers) operating at room temperature to monitor precisely radiation patterns in terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) systems are demonstrated. To provide comprehensive picture, two different THz-TDS systems and Ti-μbolometers coupled with three different antennas—narrowband dipole antennas for 0.3 THz, 0.7 THz and a log-periodic antenna for wideband detection—were selected for experiments. Radiation patterns, spatial beam profiles and explicit beam evolution along the propagation axis are investigated; polarization-sensitive properties under various THz emitter power ranges are revealed. It was found that the studied Ti-μbolometers are convenient lensless sensors suitable to discriminate and control THz radiation pattern features in various wideband THz-TDS systems.

Keywords