Broadband terahertz generation using the semiconductor-metal transition in VO2

Abstract

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of broadband terahertz emitters based on the semiconductor-metal transition in thin film VO2 (vanadium dioxide). With the appropriate geometry, picosecond electrical pulses are generated by illuminating 120 nm thick VO2 with 280 fs pulses from a femtosecond laser. These ultrafast electrical pulses are used to drive a simple dipole antenna, generating broadband terahertz radiation.