An Ultrafast Semiconducting Nanowire THz Polarization Modulator

In this work, we will demonstrate a novel ultrafast THz modulator based on GaAs semiconductor nanowires at very high THz bandwidth. The modulator devices were fabricated using a highly flexible and cheap substrate - parylene-c. Through the use of multiple layers of this substrate, we show that for higher layers, a higher modulation depth is achieved without affecting the bandwidth over which the devices can operate. A terahertz air-plasma setup was built which allowed us to assess the devices over a broad range bandwidth of 0.1 THz - 40 THz.