On-Chip Waveguided Spintronic Sources of Terahertz Radiation

Rapid advancements in the communications and semiconductor industries have resulted in the trend to move device operations to higher frequencies, with particular interest in the terahertz (THz) band of the electromagnetic spectrum. We demonstrate waveguided spintronic THz emitters consisting of a SiN x /Fe/Pt/SiN x film stack on Si/SiO 2 and SiO 2 substrates. Linearly polarized optical laser pulses are coupled to the devices and their modal characteristics are determined by their polarization angle relative to the waveguide plane. By varying the optical pump polarization angle, we demonstrate modulation of the power of the generated THz radiation by up to 87%. We envision that the small device footprint in conjunction with the simplicity of the fabrication process and compatibility with various semiconductor platforms will enable such structures to be utilized for various on-chip applications where they will work in tandem with photonic and electronic circuitry.