Terahertz emission from electric field singularities in biased semiconductors.

We use electric field singularities in biased metal semiconductor microstructures to enhance the generation of terahertz (THz) radiation from semiconductors. We find that, regardless of the mechanism that is responsible for enhanced THz emission near the anode, singular electric fields near sharp anode features will enhance this emission by as much as an order of magnitude. We show scanning THz measurements of several of these structures and discuss the physical mechanism responsible for this enhanced emission. A new family of more efficient terahertz emitters based on these effects can be designed that will improve the dynamic range of THz imaging and spectroscopy systems.