Powerful terahertz emission from Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta mesa arrays

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates high-power, coherent terahertz emission from synchronized stacks of intrinsic Josephson junctions in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta, achieving 610 microwatts at 0.51 THz, with synchronization influenced by THz waves in the crystal.

Contribution

The study shows that multiple IJJs stacks can be synchronized on a single crystal to produce high-power THz radiation, a novel approach for THz source development.

Findings

Achieved 610 microwatts of continuous-wave THz radiation at 0.51 THz.

Synchronization promoted by THz waves in the base crystal.

Not all samples achieve synchronization, but still produce significant power.

Abstract

Stacks of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) in high-temperature superconductors enable the fabrication of compact sources of coherent terahertz radiation. Here we demonstrate that multiple stacks patterned on the same Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta crystal can - under optimized conditions - be synchronized to emit high-power THz-radiation. For three synchronized stacks we achieved 610 microwatts of continuous-wave coherent radiation power at 0.51 THz. We suggest that synchronization is promoted by THz-waves in the base crystal. We note though that synchronization cannot be achieved in all samples. However, even in these cases powers on the 100-microwatt scale can be generated.