Tunable, superconducting, surface-emitting teraherz source

US7715892B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC · US

Inventors

• Ulrich Welp · Lisle, US
• Alexei E. Koshelev · Bolingbrook, US
• Kenneth E. Gray · Naperville, US
• Wai-Kwong Kwok · Downers Grove, US
• Vitalii Vlasko-Vlasov · Downers Grove, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 26, 2009
• Grant date: May 11, 2010
• Expiry date: Oct 26, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10N60/124

Abstract

A compact, solid-state THz source based on the driven Josephson vortex lattice in a highly anisotropic superconductor such as Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 that allows cw emission at tunable frequency. A second order metallic Bragg grating is used to achieve impedance matching and to induce surface emission of THz-radiation from a Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 sample. Steering of the emitted THz beam is accomplished by tuning the Josephson vortex spacing around the grating period using a superimposed magnetic control field.