Photothermal conversion of Ti2O3 film for tuning terahertz waves

Abstract

Summary: Dynamic tuning of terahertz (THz) wave is vital for the development of next generation THz devices. Utilization of solar energy for tuning THz waves is a promising, eco-friendly, and sustainable way to expand THz application scenarios. Ti2O3 with an ultranarrow bandgap of 0.1eV exhibits intriguing thermal-induced metal-insulator transition (MIT), and possesses excellent photothermal conversion efficiency. Herein, Ti2O3 film was fabricated by a two-step magnetron sputtering method, and exhibited an excellent photothermal conversion efficiency of 90.45% and demonstrated temperature-dependent THz transmission characteristics with a wideband at 0.1–1 THz. We supposed to combine photothermal conversion characteristics with temperature-dependent THz transmission properties of Ti2O3 film, which could introduce solar light as the energy source for tuning THz waves. Our work will provide new sight for investigating MIT characteristics of Ti2O3 at THz regime and exhibit huge potential in the application of tuning terahertz waves in outdoor scenarios in the future.

Keywords

• Radiation physics
• Radiation sources
• Nanotechnology