Analysis of photoconductive antenna power radiation by Norton equivalent circuit

A novel Norton equivalent circuit model for characterizing the photoconductive feed of photoconductive antennas is introduced. It incorporates the physics of the photoconductive antenna's excitation by accounting for: (i) the electrical properties of the photoconductive material; (ii) the features of the optical power excitation; (iii) the geometrical dimensions of the gap between the electrodes that couple the antenna to the photoconductive material. The model is applicable to describing the antenna feeding mechanism for the photoconductors being illuminated by means of lasers operating in both pulsed and continuous modes. The proposed model is validated by comparing the power estimated by it with power measurements of different photoconductive antennas. The advocated solution is conducive to analyzing and designing photoconductive antennas. In particular, it is expected to be at the core of antenna optimization tools for maximizing the Terahertz (THz) power radiation, this making it an important enabler for designing THz time-domain systems.