Terahertz metasurface for near-field beam conversion

Abstract

A uniform illumination over a screen is crucial for terahertz imaging. As such, conversion from a Gaussian beam to a flattop beam becomes necessary. Most of the current beam conversion techniques rely on bulky multi-lens systems for collimated input and operate in the far-field. We present a single metasurface lens to efficiently convert a quasi-Gaussian beam from the near-field region of a WR3.4 horn antenna to a flattop beam. The design process is divided into three sections to minimize simulation time, and the conventional Gerchberg–Saxton (GS) algorithm is supplemented with the Kirchhoff–Fresnel diffraction equation. Experimental validation confirms that a flattop beam with an efficiency of 80% has been achieved at 275 GHz. Such high-efficiency conversion is desirable for practical terahertz systems and the design approach can be generally used for beam shaping in the near-field.