Date of Award

Summer 1998

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Program/Concentration

Electrical Engineering

Committee Director

Ravindra P. Joshi

Committee Member

Peter L. Silsbee

Committee Member

Linda L. Vahala

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.E55 L55

Abstract

The concept of mixing or heterodyning has traditionally been used for microwaves and for radio frequency communications. However, the concept can easily be extended into the optical frequency regime. By doing so, the photomixing process can serve as a very versatile tool for both the generation of ultrahigh frequency (terahertz) and the detection of weak optical signals.

The aim of this thesis is to perform a theoretical study of the photomixing process inside GaAs devices as the non-linear elements. A coupled approach which combines the Monte Carlo simulation scheme for the carrier transport, with Maxwell's equation for the electrodynamics, has been developed. The full wave time-domain computations are necessary to accurately keep track of the electromagnetic fields during the photomixing process. The simple Poisson equation or the frequency domain transfer function approaches become inadequate over the ultra-fast time scales. Besides, the physics of wave propagation, radiative output, and magnetic field effects is ignored by the simpler scheme.

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DOI

10.25777/b42h-tm31

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