Optical analysis of 3D-printed terahertz waveplates from common thermoplastics.

ABSTRACT: We report the fabrication and characterization of birefringent terahertz (THz) waveplates produced via fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing using three widely available thermoplastic filaments: polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS). Form-birefringent subwavelength gratings were printed using a 0.2 mm nozzle to tailor the phase retardance. The intrinsic THz optical properties of each polymer were first assessed through terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) on unstructured slabs, revealing material-dependent absorption. Polarization-resolved THz-TDS was then employed to extract the effective birefringence, retardance, and polarization modulation of the fabricated waveplates. HIPS exhibited the lowest absorption and the

SUBMITTER: Freitas GF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12820222 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature