Summary

1.

A low cost technique for the fabrication of terahertz waveguide components by direct machining on metal has been presented. The machine setup uses high speed air bearing spindles, precision positioning stages and NC programming to cut down costs, fabrication time and expertise levels required for the fabrication of high frequency components.

2.

This novel micro NC machine has been used to fabricate a 810 GHz tripler and elements of a 345 GHz focal plane array.

3.

With relatively minor improvements, this technology has potential to be extended to produce reliable terahertz receiver components up to 2.5 THz.