Broadband THz pulse emission and transmission properties of nanostructured Pt thin films

The THz transmission and emitting properties of a composite metallic nanostructure, composed of Ag nanowires electrodeposited in an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and a Pt thin film, were investigated by using a femtosecond pulse laser irradiation. The microstructure of the above sub-wavelength nanostructure was investigated by XRD, SEM, AFM and TEM. The results indicated that the thickness of the Pt thin film was about 200 nm and the Ag nanowire array had a sparse and random distribution inside the AAO template, with a length distribution in the range of 10–25 μm. The THz radiation properties of above sub-wavelength nanostructure indicated that the generated THz fluence from the Pt film was a magnitude of μW scale with a broadband frequency range and its subsequent transmission could be significantly improved by the better impedance matching property of the Ag nanowire embedded AAO film compared with that of the empty AAO film.