Graphene-Based Composite Right/Left-Handed Leaky-Wave Antenna at Terahertz

In this paper, a simple terahertz (THz) leaky-wave antenna (LWA) composed of periodic gapped graphene ribbons and a silicon substrate is presented. The graphene sheets of the antenna operate in an electric field with a resonance distribution of transverse electric (TE) surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). The THz LWA has both negative and positive propagation constant with the variation of frequencies. Thus, the LWA performs as a composite right/left-handed (CRLH) LWA with backfire-to-endfire beam steering capability in the THz band. The working principle of the THz LWA is analyzed in detail using the theory of dispersion relation formulae and the equivalent CRLH circuit model. The THz LWA is verified by numerical simulations, and the frequency scannable capability of the THz LWA is confirmed. The proposed antenna has great potential applications for the THz LWA of the radiation capability in the entire upper quadrants.