THz PHOTONICS & OPTICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING

Borja Vidal Rodríguez

BACK TO RESEARCH AREAS

Our research goal is to develop new science, technology, and applications in the Terahertz band (100 GHz – 10 THz), with a particular focus on sensing, industrial quality control, and communications. We work at the intersection of fundamental physics, photonics, and engineering to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with THz waves.

Our work is structured around two main directions. First, we investigate how THz waves can address pressing challenges in industrial quality control, where conventional methods often fall short. Industry plays a central role in shaping modern society, and advances in technologies for quality control and enhanced recycling can directly improve sustainability, efficiency, and the responsible use of resources.

Second, we are interested in exploiting the THz band as a platform to gain deeper insights into the fundamental properties of matter. THz technology allows to probe materials to show that they can display exotic behaviors that challenge some common preconceptions. This properties can expand the range of phenomena accessible to photonics and materials science. THz waves thus provide a unique window into unexplored aspects of nature, enabling disruptive technologies.

Through this combination of applied and fundamental research, we seek to contribute to the efforts of the research community to make the Terahertz band a practical tool that benefits society.

Terahertz spectroscopic characterization of Ge~3~Sb~2~Te~6~ compounds for active applications
K. Kumar, M. Kovylina, J.A. Álvarez-Sanchis, D. Ortíz de Zárate, B. Vidal C. Garcia-Meca,
Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2025. 

Metagrating based on phase-change materials for electrically-reconfigurable quasi-continuous THz beam steering in co-polarized transmission mode
K. Kumar, B. Vidal, C. Garcia-Meca,
Scientific Reports, . 

Terahertz spectroscopy for the classification of multilayer versus monolayer consumer plastic waste for enhanced recycling
A. Martínez-Gomez-Aldaraví, A. Llàcer-Montalvà, M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal,
NDT&E International, vol. 156, 103499, July 2025. 

Exception to causality of the effective refractive index function in heterogeneous media
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal,
ACS Photonics, vol. 12, no. 6, May 2025. 

Huygens metasurface supporting quasi-bound states in the continuum for terahertz gas sensing
J.A. Alvarez-Sanchis, B. Vidal, A. Díaz,
Scientific Reports, vol. 15, 14504, April 2025. 

Leveraging PLOAM Messaging for Environmental Temperature Mapping in Aerial-deployed TDMA PON Networks
B. Vidal, C. Salgado-Cazorla,
Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, vol. 17, no. 1, p. 1-6, January 2025. 

Dual-Band Hybrid Fiber-Wireless Delivery System for High-Speed Data Communications in CRAN Based on Polarization Multiplexing with Switching Capabilities
G. Zoireff, P.A. Costanzo Caso, B. Vidal, L. Bulus Rossini,
Optics Communications, 2024. 

Terahertz Refractometer Based on Extraordinary Optical Transmission for Characterization of Liquid Samples
J.A. Alvarez-Sanchis, M. Kovylina, B. Vidal,
IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 24, no. 9, pp. 14197-14204, May 2024 

Analysis of short-term polarization stability using Allan variance
B. Vidal
Optics Express, vol. 32, no. 10, pp. 17260-17273, April 2024. 

Light-by-light polarization control using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering with retardance spectrum shaping
G. Zoireff, B. Vidal
Optics and Laser Technology, 2024. 

Particle size inversion from spectrally resolved full-field forward scattering
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
Analytical Chemistry, 95, pp. 15994−16003, 2023. 

Loss-Induced Performance Limits of All-Dielectric Metasurfaces for Terahertz Sensing 
J. A. Alvarez-Sanchis, B. Vidal, S. A. Tretyakov, A. Diaz-Rubio
Physical Review Applied, vol. 19, 014009, January 2023. 

Signal stitching algorithm for faster acquisition of long traces in Terahertz Time Domain Spectroscopy  
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 22, no. 9, pp. 8834-8845, May 2022. 

Transparent Multichannel Wireless Bridge for Optical Fiber Links based on a Two-Stage Upconversion  
G. Zoireff, P. A. Costanzo Caso, L. A. Bulus Rossini, B. Vidal
Optics Communications, vol. 5006, 127585, 2022. 

Dynamic Filtering of Microwave Signals through Brillouin-based Polarization-sensitive Balanced Detection
G. Zoireff, D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, May 2021

Accurate Beam Profile Characterization in THz Transmission Imaging Systems
A. Báez-Chorro, M. Usó-Izquierdo, B. Vidal
IEEE Transaction on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 11, 577-582, 2021.

Brillouin-induced Dynamic Arbitrary Birefringence
D. Samaniego, G. Zoireff, B. Vidal
Journal of Lightwave Technology, vol. 39, 2021.

Brillouin wavelength-selective all-optical polarization conversion
D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
Photonics Research, vol. 8, Issue 4, pp. 440-447, 2020

Broadband photonic microwave noise sources
B. Vidal
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 32, pp. 592-594, 2020

Comparison of THz Spectroscopy Measurements of Carbon Nanotubes Embedded in Polymer Matrices
M.A. Báez-Chorro, R. Llorens-Chiralt, B. Vidal
44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), Paris (France), 1-6 September 2019.

Terahertz Spectroscopy of Engineered Stone
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), Paris (France), 1-6 September 2019.

Sub-THz components for high capacity point to multipoint wireless
C. Paoloni, S. Boppel, V. Krozer, R. Leticia, E. Limiti, F. Magne, M. Marilier, A. Ramírez, B. Vidal, T. Le, R. Zimmerman
44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), Paris (France), 1-6 September 2019.

Technology for D-band/G-band ultra capacity layer
C. Paoloni, F. Magne, V. Krozer, R. Leticia, E. Limiti, M. Marilier, S. Boppel, A. Ramírez, B. Vidal, T. Le, R. Zimmerman,
European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC), Valencia (Spain), 18-21 June 2019.

Brillouin Microwave Filter with enhanced Skirt Selectivity using a Birefringent Fiber
D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 31, Issue 6, pp. 431-434, 2019

Quantitative Characterization of Defects with Fixed-Delay THz Sensors
M.P.M. Colleoni, M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
IEEE Sensors Letters, vol. 3, Issue 10, pp. 3501804 , 2019

Single trace terahertz spectroscopic ellipsometry
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
Optics Express, vol. 27, Issue 24, pp. 35468-35474 , 2019

Beyond 5G wireless backhaul enhanced by photonic technology
B. Vidal
XV International Scientific and Technical Conference, “Optical Technologies for Telecommunications”. Ufa (Russia), 20-22 November 2018.

Photonic Microwave Filter with Single Passband combining Incoherent and Coherent Techniques
A. Zainullin, D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
IEEE ETCM 2018, Cuenca (Ecuador), 17-19 October 2018.

Photonic-assisted G-band wireless links for 5G backhaul
B. Vidal
20th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON 2018), Bucharest, (Romania), 2-5 July 2018. Invited.

Toward 100 Gbps Wireless Networks Enabled by Millimeter Wave Traveling Wave Tubes
C. Paoloni, R. Letizia, V. Krozer, M. Marilier, S. Boppel, A. Ramirez, B. Vidal, E. Limiti, R. Zimmerman
IEEE International Vacuum Electronics Conference (IVEC), Monterey (USA), 24-26 April 2018.

Dynamic tuning of mean carrier momentum relaxation time in InGaAs/InAlAs THz photoconductive switches
A. Bockelt, B. Vidal
IEEE Transaction on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 7, Issue 1, pp. 107-113, 2017

Flexible Sub-THz Metal Wire Grid Polarizer Based on an EGaIn24.5 Alloy
M.P.M. Colleoni, B. Vidal
IEEE Transaction on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 6, Issue 5, pp. 757759, 2016

Photonic microwave filter with steep skirt selectivity based on stimulated Brillouin scattering
D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
IEEE Photonics Journal, vol. 8, Issue 6, pp. 5502307, 2016

Using microwave near-field reflection measurements as a non-destructive test to determine water penetration depth of concrete
A.F. Castro, M. Valcuende, B. Vidal
NDT&E International, vol. 75, pp. 26-32, 2015

All-fiber Centralized Architecture for Parallel Terahertz Sensors
A. Bockelt, J. Palací, B. Vidal
IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 5, Issue 1, pp. 137-144, 2015

Terahertz spectroscopic characterization of Ge~3~Sb~2~Te~6~ compounds for active applications
K. Kumar, M. Kovylina, J.A. Álvarez-Sanchis, D. Ortíz de Zárate, B. Vidal C. Garcia-Meca,
Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2025. 

Metagrating based on phase-change materials for electrically-reconfigurable quasi-continuous THz beam steering in co-polarized transmission mode
K. Kumar, B. Vidal, C. Garcia-Meca,
Scientific Reports, . 

Terahertz spectroscopy for the classification of multilayer versus monolayer consumer plastic waste for enhanced recycling
A. Martínez-Gomez-Aldaraví, A. Llàcer-Montalvà, M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal,
NDT&E International, vol. 156, 103499, July 2025. 

Exception to causality of the effective refractive index function in heterogeneous media
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal,
ACS Photonics, vol. 12, no. 6, May 2025. 

Huygens metasurface supporting quasi-bound states in the continuum for terahertz gas sensing
J.A. Alvarez-Sanchis, B. Vidal, A. Díaz,
Scientific Reports, vol. 15, 14504, April 2025. 

Leveraging PLOAM Messaging for Environmental Temperature Mapping in Aerial-deployed TDMA PON Networks
B. Vidal, C. Salgado-Cazorla,
Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, vol. 17, no. 1, p. 1-6, January 2025. 

Dual-Band Hybrid Fiber-Wireless Delivery System for High-Speed Data Communications in CRAN Based on Polarization Multiplexing with Switching Capabilities
G. Zoireff, P.A. Costanzo Caso, B. Vidal, L. Bulus Rossini,
Optics Communications, 2024. 

Terahertz Refractometer Based on Extraordinary Optical Transmission for Characterization of Liquid Samples
J.A. Alvarez-Sanchis, M. Kovylina, B. Vidal,
IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 24, no. 9, pp. 14197-14204, May 2024 

Analysis of short-term polarization stability using Allan variance
B. Vidal
Optics Express, vol. 32, no. 10, pp. 17260-17273, April 2024. 

Light-by-light polarization control using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering with retardance spectrum shaping
G. Zoireff, B. Vidal
Optics and Laser Technology, 2024. 

Particle size inversion from spectrally resolved full-field forward scattering
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
Analytical Chemistry, 95, pp. 15994−16003, 2023. 

Loss-Induced Performance Limits of All-Dielectric Metasurfaces for Terahertz Sensing 
J. A. Alvarez-Sanchis, B. Vidal, S. A. Tretyakov, A. Diaz-Rubio
Physical Review Applied, vol. 19, 014009, January 2023. 

Signal stitching algorithm for faster acquisition of long traces in Terahertz Time Domain Spectroscopy  
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 22, no. 9, pp. 8834-8845, May 2022. 

Transparent Multichannel Wireless Bridge for Optical Fiber Links based on a Two-Stage Upconversion  
G. Zoireff, P. A. Costanzo Caso, L. A. Bulus Rossini, B. Vidal
Optics Communications, vol. 5006, 127585, 2022. 

Dynamic Filtering of Microwave Signals through Brillouin-based Polarization-sensitive Balanced Detection
G. Zoireff, D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, May 2021

Accurate Beam Profile Characterization in THz Transmission Imaging Systems
A. Báez-Chorro, M. Usó-Izquierdo, B. Vidal
IEEE Transaction on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 11, 577-582, 2021.

Brillouin-induced Dynamic Arbitrary Birefringence
D. Samaniego, G. Zoireff, B. Vidal
Journal of Lightwave Technology, vol. 39, 2021.

Brillouin wavelength-selective all-optical polarization conversion
D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
Photonics Research, vol. 8, Issue 4, pp. 440-447, 2020

Broadband photonic microwave noise sources
B. Vidal
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 32, pp. 592-594, 2020

Comparison of THz Spectroscopy Measurements of Carbon Nanotubes Embedded in Polymer Matrices
M.A. Báez-Chorro, R. Llorens-Chiralt, B. Vidal
44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), Paris (France), 1-6 September 2019.

Terahertz Spectroscopy of Engineered Stone
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), Paris (France), 1-6 September 2019.

Sub-THz components for high capacity point to multipoint wireless
C. Paoloni, S. Boppel, V. Krozer, R. Leticia, E. Limiti, F. Magne, M. Marilier, A. Ramírez, B. Vidal, T. Le, R. Zimmerman
44th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), Paris (France), 1-6 September 2019.

Technology for D-band/G-band ultra capacity layer
C. Paoloni, F. Magne, V. Krozer, R. Leticia, E. Limiti, M. Marilier, S. Boppel, A. Ramírez, B. Vidal, T. Le, R. Zimmerman,
European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC), Valencia (Spain), 18-21 June 2019.

Brillouin Microwave Filter with enhanced Skirt Selectivity using a Birefringent Fiber
D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 31, Issue 6, pp. 431-434, 2019

Quantitative Characterization of Defects with Fixed-Delay THz Sensors
M.P.M. Colleoni, M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
IEEE Sensors Letters, vol. 3, Issue 10, pp. 3501804 , 2019

Single trace terahertz spectroscopic ellipsometry
M.A. Báez-Chorro, B. Vidal
Optics Express, vol. 27, Issue 24, pp. 35468-35474 , 2019

Beyond 5G wireless backhaul enhanced by photonic technology
B. Vidal
XV International Scientific and Technical Conference, “Optical Technologies for Telecommunications”. Ufa (Russia), 20-22 November 2018.

Photonic Microwave Filter with Single Passband combining Incoherent and Coherent Techniques
A. Zainullin, D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
IEEE ETCM 2018, Cuenca (Ecuador), 17-19 October 2018.

Photonic-assisted G-band wireless links for 5G backhaul
B. Vidal
20th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON 2018), Bucharest, (Romania), 2-5 July 2018. Invited.

Toward 100 Gbps Wireless Networks Enabled by Millimeter Wave Traveling Wave Tubes
C. Paoloni, R. Letizia, V. Krozer, M. Marilier, S. Boppel, A. Ramirez, B. Vidal, E. Limiti, R. Zimmerman
IEEE International Vacuum Electronics Conference (IVEC), Monterey (USA), 24-26 April 2018.

Dynamic tuning of mean carrier momentum relaxation time in InGaAs/InAlAs THz photoconductive switches
A. Bockelt, B. Vidal
IEEE Transaction on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 7, Issue 1, pp. 107-113, 2017

Flexible Sub-THz Metal Wire Grid Polarizer Based on an EGaIn24.5 Alloy
M.P.M. Colleoni, B. Vidal
IEEE Transaction on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 6, Issue 5, pp. 757759, 2016

Photonic microwave filter with steep skirt selectivity based on stimulated Brillouin scattering
D. Samaniego, B. Vidal
IEEE Photonics Journal, vol. 8, Issue 6, pp. 5502307, 2016

Using microwave near-field reflection measurements as a non-destructive test to determine water penetration depth of concrete
A.F. Castro, M. Valcuende, B. Vidal
NDT&E International, vol. 75, pp. 26-32, 2015

All-fiber Centralized Architecture for Parallel Terahertz Sensors
A. Bockelt, J. Palací, B. Vidal
IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 5, Issue 1, pp. 137-144, 2015

Borja Vidal Rodríguez – Group leader

Miguel A. Báez-Chorro – Predoctoral researcher

Jose Antonio Álvarez Sanchis – Predoctoral researcher

Krishna Kumar – Predoctoral researcher

 

SEE MORE «NANOPHOTONICS FOR HEALHT CARE AND SENSING» RESEARCHS

BIOPHOTONICS

Prof. Jaime García Rupérez

PHOTONIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR APPLIED ANALYTICS

Dr. Amadeu Griol Barres

BACK TO RESEARCH AREAS