Specifications.pdf

Specifications Wire Grid Polarizers

Background The mission of the Quantum Electromagnetics Division (Div 687) is to provide industry, and its suppliers and customers, with comprehensive and technically advanced measurement capabilities and standards, as well as traceability to those standards. The Terahertz (THz) program has had two separate IMS awards for 5 years of funding each and 3 NASA awards for 3 years of funding each and continues to attract focus in frontier research programs at NIST including graphene device development and dual electro-optic comb technology for materials research to improve THz sources and detectors and for precision biomolecular spectroscopy, dynamics and imaging. This acquisition is for a set of wire grid polarizers for a commercial THz spectrometer.

Objectives/Scope Wire grid polarizers are needed to replace existing damaged polarizers and to extend the coverage of a commercial Fourier transform spectrometer (FTIR) to frequencies up to 10 Terahertz (THz). The extended wavelength coverage is required to fully characterize the broadband response of graphene to improve device performance. Graphene is a new material that offers the potential to improve THz sources by 10-fold or more.

The specifications for the wire grid polarizers are as follows:

1. Wavelength range: 0.1 THz to 10 THz (The wavelength range covers the range of the broadband emission source of the FTIR.)

2. Wire diameter: 5 µm (Wire diameter is critical to optimize throughput of the polarizer.)

3. Wire period: 12.5 µm (The wire period is critical to reflect THz radiation up to 10 THz.)

4. Polarizer diameter: 133.35 mm (Specific diameter of polarizer is required to match the existing instrument geometric holder requirements.)

5. Quantity: 2 (Two polarizers are needed – one at the source and one at the detector to clean up and resolve the polarization of the light.)

Delivery The schedule for delivery is 12-16 weeks after the receipt of the award.

Period of Performance The schedule for delivery is 12-16 weeks after the receipt of the award.