Terahertz polarizing component on cyclo-olefin polymer

Wire-grid polarizers constitute a traditional component for the control of polarization in free-space devices that operate in a broad part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Here, we present an aluminium-based THz wire grid polarizer, fabricated on a sub-wavelength thin flexible and conformal foil of Zeonor polymer having a thickness of 40µm. The fabricated device, characterized by means of THz time-domain spectroscopy, exhibits a high extinction ratio between 30 and 45dB in the 0.3-2.1THz range. The insertion losses oscillate between 0 and 1.1dB and they stem almost exclusively from moderate Fabry-Perót reflections and it is engineered for vanishing at 2THz for operation with quantum cascade lasers.