A 135 degrees, spoof surface plasmon polariton bend for 1 THz band

Abstract

The state-of-the-art terahertz systems employ conventional, bulky, optical system design approach that lags the miniaturization, high-density integration, and mobility of the terahertz imaging systems. On the other hand, the motivation for miniaturization of the terahertz systems using integrated circuits (ICs) is limited by the conventional terahertz waveguide performance that requires utilization of a novel waveguiding technology. The Spoof Surface Plasmon Polariton (SSPP) waveguide (WG) measurements have recently been reached the record low insertion loss per unit length performance among all planar terahertz WGs at 0.3 THz suggesting tremendous potential for demonstration of high-performance terahertz ICs. Nevertheless, the real potential of the terahertz imaging systems requires demonstration of an imaging system that can provide high-resolution feature extraction of the targets covered by obstacles at real-terahertz frequencies. We present the design and simulation of 135 degrees Spoof Surface Plasmon Polariton (SSPP) bending circuits at 1 THz that are one of the most fundamental building blocks in novel IC technologies that will enable development of high-performance, high-resolution terahertz imaging systems along with the investigation of the coupling mechanism of the SSPP waves thru non-aligned waveguide geometries that is mandatory for implementing standalone terahertz ICs.