The rise of mid-infrared and terahertz wave technology over the past two decades has led to incredible insights and potential applications for next-generation optoelectronics. Modulators, which control amplitude, phase, and/or polarization of incident light, are widely used in communications, imaging, and sensing and are crucial for further development of technology functioning in the mid-infrared and terahertz frequency regimes. The lack of natural materials with optical responses in these frequency regimes has led to a surge in engineering efforts to create novel devices and architectures for achieving control over the properties of mid-infrared and terahertz radiation. Major efforts in the field have been devoted to studying carrier concentration modulation, liquid crystals, phase-change materials, and micro-electromechanical systems for controlling the light–matter interaction. Although there has been considerable progress in realizing mid-infrared and terahertz modulators, novel approaches are seeking higher modulation speed, more functionality, and miniaturized size. In this perspective, we review the recent advancements of modulators for mid-infrared and terahertz wavelengths. We discuss various modulation mechanisms, along with their relative performance, and consider future architectures to improve upon the current technology for mid-infrared and terahertz modulation.

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中红外和太赫兹光调制器

过去二十年中红外和太赫兹波技术的兴起为下一代光电子学带来了令人难以置信的见解和潜在应用。调制器控制入射光的振幅、相位和/或偏振，广泛用于通信、成像和传感，对于进一步发展在中红外和太赫兹频率范围内发挥作用的技术至关重要。缺乏在这些频率范围内具有光学响应的​​天然材料导致工程努力激增，以创造新颖的设备和架构，以实现对中红外和太赫兹辐射特性的控制。该领域主要致力于研究载流子浓度调制、液晶、相变材料、和用于控制光-物质相互作用的微机电系统。尽管在实现中红外和太赫兹调制器方面取得了相当大的进展，但新方法正在寻求更高的调制速度、更多的功能和小型化的尺寸。从这个角度来看，我们回顾了中红外和太赫兹波长调制器的最新进展。我们讨论了各种调制机制及其相对性能，并考虑了未来架构以改进当前的中红外和太赫兹调制技术。我们回顾了中红外和太赫兹波长调制器的最新进展。我们讨论了各种调制机制及其相对性能，并考虑了未来架构以改进当前的中红外和太赫兹调制技术。我们回顾了中红外和太赫兹波长调制器的最新进展。我们讨论了各种调制机制及其相对性能，并考虑了未来架构以改进当前的中红外和太赫兹调制技术。