Enhancement of terahertz photoconductive antenna operation by optical nanoantennas (Laser Photonics Rev. 11(1)/2017)

Development of compact and efficient room temperature CW and pulsed THz sources is a vital and open question. The use of photoconductive antennas is an effective way to generate THz radiation, however they suffer from relatively low conversion efficiency. Recently, an approach to solving this problem, based on placing optical nanoantennas inside the antenna gap, has been proposed. Nanoantennas enhance the absorption of pump radiation, reduce the lifetime of photoexcited carriers, and improve the antenna thermal conductivity. The paper is aimed to review the existing approaches to hybrid antenna design and propose further steps in this exciting and perspective area. (Picture: Sergey Lepeshov et al., article number 1600199, in this issue)