Portable terahertz system and its applications

Ming Li; Xi-Cheng Zhang; Gregg Douglas Sucha; Donald J. Harter

doi:10.1117/12.351830

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4 June 1999 Portable terahertz system and its applications

Ming Li; Xi-Cheng Zhang; Gregg Douglas Sucha; Donald J. Harter

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Proceedings Volume 3616, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.351830
Event: Optoelectronics '99 - Integrated Optoelectronic Devices, 1999, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Industrial applications of THz techniques require compact and reliable systems. We have designed and constructed two portable THz systems integrated with femtosecond, erbium- doped fiber lasers. Terahertz emitters based on photoelectron-transport and optically-rectification were tested in the system. With the use of a 10-mW laser pump beam, the signal-to-noise ratio of the system is greater than 5,000. We studied THz beam generation and detection with two different laser wavelengths. Under the consideration of group velocity matching, the frequency response of the THz system is calibrated. Our portable systems have been applied for the coherent measurement of the refractive index and dielectric constant of polymer thin films, which will play an important role in the ongoing quest for higher speeds in integrated circuits. The measurement is based on a comparison of THz phases with and without the film. The refractive index of thin film can be derived according to the phase difference. The system has sufficient sensitivity to perform these measurements on films as thin as 10 microns. We have also used one of these systems for THz measurements of molecular rotation spectra in air/vapor mixtures.

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Ming Li, Xi-Cheng Zhang, Gregg Douglas Sucha, and Donald J. Harter "Portable terahertz system and its applications", Proc. SPIE 3616, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers, (4 June 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.351830

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