Non-contact probes for THz integrated devices based on fiber-coupled photomixers

We investigate through numerical simulation and analytic design the electromagnetic coupling properties of a novel, contact-free, antenna-free optoelectronic probe that should operate up to 1 THz and beyond. The probes are based on continuous-wave photomixers and are designed to transmit and receive THz waves propagating along a coplanar waveguide (CPW) containing a device-under-test (DUT). Two kinds of designs have been investigated: a broadband design that performs up to 1300 GHz with coupling exceeding -27 dB over 1 THz, and a narrow band design showing a coupling better than -12 dB over a bandwidth of ≈100 GHz centered about a chosen operating frequency.