title: Nature of subpicosecond terahertz pulse propagation in practical dielectric-filled parallel-plate waveguides.
abstract: It is analytically shown that the presence of submicrometer-sized air gaps between the dielectric and metal contact surfaces in a dielectric-filled metallic parallel-plate waveguide can have a dramatic effect on the guided-wave propagation of subpicosecond terahertz pulses. Through the use of metal-evaporated dielectric surfaces to overcome the imperfect contact problem, and a special air-dielectric-air cascaded waveguide geometry to avoid multimode excitation, undistorted subpicosecond terahertz pulse propagation via the single-TEM mode is demonstrated, for what is believed to be the first time, in a silicon-filled PPWG.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. rajind@uow.edu.au
authors.forename: Rajind
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mendis