Abstract

Spectrally-selective room temperature pyroelectric detectors have many applications in defense and industry settings for THz detection, such as chemical detection and imaging. In this work, a pyroelectric detector was fabricated with an integrated wavelength-selective absorber based on plasmonic grating absorbers for the purpose of detecting synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. The aim of this project was to produce a tool for reliable detection while preventing human contact with these compounds. Multiple pyroelectric materials were considered, and commercial lithium tantalate (LT) wafers of varying thickness were used as the pyroelectric element in the final detectors. A novel absorber design with multiple absorption features in the THz regime was investigated and compared to designs already discussed in the literature. The absorber was investigated as a function of the three unique parameters of the absorber's geometry, as well as the metals comprising the absorber layer and the pyroelectric material used. Finally, the manufactured detectors were characterized for responsivity and D*. The absorber was also tested for its use in electromagnetic filtering and found to be an effective band-stop filter when paired with a passive dielectric with no distinct absorption features in the frequency range of interest. Unlike previous efforts, this absorber utilizes no exotic materials and requires only a single lithography step to achieve selectivity in this frequency range. Preliminary steps have been taken into investigation of integrating the absorber design into a multichannel detector for use in standoff detection equipment.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2023

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Vasu Sumathi, Subith

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Physics

Degree Program

Physics

Identifier

CFE0009847; DP0028154

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0028154

Language

English

Release Date

November 2026

Length of Campus-only Access

3 years

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)

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