Metallic and 3D-printed dielectric helical terahertz waveguides.

We investigate guidance of Terahertz (THz) radiation in metallic and 3D-printed dielectric helical waveguides in the frequency range from 0.2 to 1 THz. Our experimental results obtained from THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) measurements are in very good agreement with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. We observe single-mode, low loss and low dispersive propagation of THz radiation in metallic helical waveguides over a broad bandwidth. The 3D-printed dielectric helical waveguides have substantially extended the bandwidth of a low loss dielectric tube waveguide as observed from the experimental and simulation results. The high flexibility of the helical design allows an easy incorporation into bench top THz devices.