太赫兹脉冲焦平面成像技术的发展与应用

作为太赫兹技术中的重要组成部分,太赫兹脉冲焦平面成像一经问世就引起了行业内的广泛关注,人们引入了各种方法去提升此成像技术的测量性能,同时也尝试将此成像技术应用于不同的工业和基础研究领域。本文综述了近年来人们对太赫兹脉冲焦平面成像的技术改良和应用研究,包括提升成像系统的空间分辨率、信噪比、信息获取能力,以及将此成像技术应用于光谱识别检测、超表面器件功能验证、太赫兹特殊光束测量、太赫兹表面波观测等,希望该综述能够推动太赫兹脉冲焦平面成像的进一步技术革新和应用拓展。     

Research progress in terahertz quantum cascade lasers

The terahertz(THz)quantum cascade laser(QCL)is a coherent THz source based on intersubband transitions of unipolar carriers.As semiconductor lasers,THz QCLs are solid-state,electrically pumped,tunable,and can be easily integrated.This paper reviews the state of the art for the design,operation temperature,and output power of THz QCLs.Their applications in THz communication and imaging are also discussed.     

THz-TDS signal analysis and substance identification via the conformal split

A terahertz time-domain spectroscopy(THz-TDS)imaging system can obtain high-dimensional signals with substance fingerprint information.By introducing geometric algebra,a novel signal analysis approach to THz-TDS signals is developed based on an optical physical mechanism.Using this approach,signals are represented with vectors in the high-dimensional real vector space.Geometric distribution properties and algebraic relationships of THz-TDS signals are deduced.It is proved that every complex refractive index of substances relates to a unique 2-blade,the vectors corresponding to the samples of the same substance are collinear and belong to the intrinsic 2-blade of the substance.When decomposed through the conformal split with respect to a 2-blade,THz-TDS signals of high dimensionality can be related to vectors in a 2-dimensional subspace.Based on the conformal split properties we deduced,two criteria for substance identification on the basis of THz-TDS signals are proposed.Accordingly,a novel substance identification method via the conformal split is presented.In the method,the 2-blade related to each "known" substance is calculated with two vectors corresponding to THz-TDS signals measured from samples of the substance but with dierent thicknesses.Using the conformal split with respect to those 2-blades,an identified vector corresponding to a THz-TDS signal is linearly related to the vector in a 2-dimensional subspace.The substance of a sample can be identified using criteria on the projected vectors in the subspaces.This method can contribute to accurate classification and identification.Finally,two experiments are presented that show the feasibility and accuracy of this method.     

Broadband terahertz spectroscopy of amino acids

Broadband spectra of 20 L-amino acids were obtained at room temperature by terahertz time-domain and infrared spectroscopy. The intensity of terahertz absorption peaks varied with the concentrations of amino acids, and the optimum proportion for each amino acid was obtained. An absorption spectral database of 20 L-amino acids was established from 0 to 6 THz. The associations between terahertz absorption peaks and molecular structures of amino acids were analyzed. The terahertz spectra for L-alanine were compared with the calculated results based on density functional theory using two basis sets that were reliably consistent.     

空间欠采样太赫兹时域光谱成像方法

文章针对传统太赫兹时域光谱成像技术存在的扫描时间长以及数据存储量大等问题,提出了一种基于压缩感知理论的空间欠采样太赫兹时域光谱成像方法。首先通过扫描电机获得目标非等间隔欠采样信号,然后利用压缩感知方法来重构缺失像素点的太赫兹信息。实验结果显示,当压缩比为0.5时,所重构的太赫兹信号与全采样条件下的信号相关性可达99.95%。通过对压缩重建图像的显示分析,时域图像中的缓变区域和频谱成像中的低频信号恢复效果较好。该方法为快速太赫兹光谱成像提供了一种有效的技术手段。     

335 GHz非平衡式肖特基二极管三倍频器

基于混合集成的方式,采用对称锥形渐变线匹配结构设计了335 GHz非平衡式三倍频器。在保证单模传输的条件下,该匹配结构不仅能够固定二极管位置,而且可以增大匹配效果,解决了高频段倍频器3 dB带宽较窄的问题。实测结果表明,该倍频器在330~356 GHz频率范围内输出功率均大于5 mW。驱动功率为220 mW时,有最高输出功率11.2 mW,由它作为核心器件组成的固态太赫兹本振源,能够驱动超外差接收机中670 GHz二次谐波混频器。     

基于偏振不敏感超材料的全光可调谐太赫兹慢光效应研究

太赫兹(terahertz,THz) 慢光效应可以有效地提升THz脉冲数据传输的安全性和存储性,而一般THz慢光器件对入射THz波偏振态变化敏感。本文设计了一种超材料结构,其微结构单元由一个十字型谐振器和4个U型谐振器构成。研究表明:基于超材料的THz慢光效应对线偏振光和圆偏振光均不敏感。通过对超材料结构的参数优化,获得到了最大群折射率为1 618的慢光效应。另外,本文在超材料微结构层和SiO₂衬底之间嵌入了一层二硫化钼(MoS₂)薄膜,当MoS₂的载流子浓度从1.7×10¹⁷ cm-3增大到5.1×10¹⁹ cm-3时,群折射率从1 566减小到26。实现了偏振不敏感全光可调谐的THz慢光效应。该研究有望为偏振不敏感和全光可调谐的THz慢光器件设计提供崭新的研究思路。     

基于石墨烯超表面天线的太赫兹动态相位调控及波束扫描

太赫兹波频段介于毫米波和红外光之间,具有诸多优异特性,太赫兹天线更是太赫兹通信、雷达和成像等应用系统中的核心元器件。然而,目前报道的太赫兹天线均无法满足较大动态范围的相位扫描、高效率辐射和大偏转角度的需求。该文设计了 3 种石墨烯太赫兹天线,最小尺寸为 5 μm,并对其辐射效率和相位调控特性进行研究,进而提出具有双共振模式的石墨烯-金属太赫兹超表面天线,缓解了传统的基于单共振模式的相位动态调控范围和辐射效率之间的矛盾,实现了 0～360°的动态相位调控,且辐射效率高于 20%。该研究采用微加工工艺进行样品加工,通过改变栅极电压,在实验上获得了 1.03 THz 的太赫兹动态相位调控,反射率高于 23%,与仿真结果基本吻合。在此基础上,该文基于连续相位编码设计了石墨烯超表面相控阵天线,理论上实现了太赫兹波束在－25°～25°范围内的实时波束偏转。该文为解决超表面相控阵天线的相位动态调控范围小、辐射效率低等难题提供了新的研究思路。