Wave-thermal effect of a temperature-tunable terahertz absorber

Heat-sensitive materials have great applications in sensor, detector, and tunable photoelectric devices. However, the wave-thermal effect of the heat-sensitive material is rarely been investigated in the THz range. Here, we propose the incorporation of heat-sensitive material (strontium titanate (STO)) within a THz absorber. The simulated results show that the absorptance and frequency can be dynamically controlled by the temperature of STO. Because the absorbed THz waves are finally converted into heat, then we research the theoretical mechanism of heat generation. Theoretical analysis shows that there are two reasons for the temperature rise: surface plasmon polariton (SPP) and ohmic loss of gold patch; Electromagnetic energy consumption inside the loss materials. To verify the theory, finally, we use COMSOL Multiphysics to research the nanosecond wave-thermal effect. The transient temperature of the wave-thermal effect is calculated quantitatively. The quantitative prediction of temperature variation can provide good guidance for thermal regulation and wave-thermally tunable THz devices. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement