Micromachining for terahertz applications

An overview of recent progress in the research and development of micromachined antennas, transmission lines, waveguides structures, and planar movable components for terahertz frequencies is presented. Micromachining is shown to provide a low-cost alternative to conventional (and very expensive) machined-waveguide technology, resulting in antennas with excellent radiation patterns, low-loss tuners, and three-dimensional (3-D) micromachined structures suitable for terahertz applications. Fabrication procedures for a variety of micromachined waveguide and planar structures are described here, along with measured terahertz performance. Applications of micromachining techniques for terahertz systems include focal-plane imaging arrays requiring a large number of elements and low-cost receivers for commercial and industrial applications such as pollution monitoring.