Wet-etch optimization of free-standing terahertz frequency-selective structures

Free-standing frequency-selective surfaces consisting of approximately 10-mum-thick copper films with. cross-aperture arrays are found to be tunable toward lower frequencies by means of wet chemical etching. Center frequencies were tuned from 1.57 to 1.53 THz while maintaining high transmittance. Wet etching also adjusts bandwidth, peak transmittance, and sidelobe transmittance. The advantage of the wet-etch technique is demonstrated by employment of these devices as bandpass filters for difluoromethane-based. terahertz lasers. Adjustment in aperture dimensions because of etching results in suppression of a competing laser line (133.93 mum) by 15 dB while maintaining high transmittance at the operating wavelength of 192.06 mum. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.