太赫兹时域光谱技术

太赫兹时域光谱技术是最新的太赫兹技术,它基于宽波段太赫兹脉冲,可同时获得太赫兹波形的幅度和相位信息,在材料的远红外物性研究中有重要应用。本文涉及太赫兹时域光谱技术的基本特征、发射、探测技术和主要应用。     

Electroporation-Induced Cell Modifications Detected with THz Time-Domain Spectroscopy

Electroporation (electropermeabilization) increases the electrical conductivity of biological cell membranes and lowers transport barriers for normally impermeant materials. Molecular simulations suggest that electroporation begins with the reorganization of water and lipid head group dipoles in the phospholipid bilayer interface, driven by an externally applied electric field, and the evolution of the resulting defects into water-filled, lipid pores. The interior of the electroporated membrane thus contains water, which should provide a signature for detection of the electropermeabilized state. In this feasibility study, we use THz time-domain spectroscopy, a powerful tool for investigating biomolecular systems and their interactions with water, to detect electroporation in human cells subjected to permeabilizing pulsed electric fields (PEFs). The time-domain response of electroporated human monocytes was acquired with a commercial THz, time-domain spectrometer. For each sample, frequency spectra were calculated, and the absorption coefficient and refractive index were extracted in the frequency range between 0.2 and 1.5 THz. This analysis reveals a higher absorption of THz radiation by PEF-exposed cells, with respect to sham-exposed ones, consistent with the intrusion of water into the cell through the permeabilized membrane that is presumed to be associated with electroporation.     

Uncertainty in Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy Measurement of Liquids

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is a significant technique for characterizing materials as it allows fast and broadband measurement of optical constants in the THz regime. The measurement precision of the constants is highly influenced by the complicated measurement procedure and data processing. Taking THz transmission measurement of liquids into account, the sources of error existing in THz-TDS process are identified. The contributions of each source to the uncertainty of optical constants in THz-TDS process are formulated, with particular emphasis on the effect of multilayer reflections and plane wave assumption. As a consequence, an analytical model is proposed for uncertainty evaluation in a THz-TDS measurement of liquids. An actual experiment with a Di 2-Ethyl Hexyl Phthalate (DEHP) sample is carried out to show that the proposed model could be a basis to evaluate the measurement precision of optical constants of liquids.     

Outdoor Measurements of Leaf Water Content Using THz Quasi Time-Domain Spectroscopy

We report the first outdoor measurements for continuous in vivo leaf-water monitoring using THz spectroscopy. For this, we have developed a compact and portable THz quasi time-domain spectrometer which can be powered by a battery. We monitor the water status of a corn plant (Zea mays) and discuss the influence of the day-night variations of the outdoor temperature.     

Far Infrared Properties of Electro-Optic Crystals Measured by THz Time-Domain Spectroscopy

In this article we report an experimental investigation of the far-infrared properties of several nonlinear crystals, LiNbO₃, LiTaO₃, ZnTe and CdTe. Using Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS) we have measured the complex frequency response, i.e. both index of refraction and absorption up to 3 THz (100 cm^?1) for the electro-optic crystals at room temperature. The single Lorentzian oscillator model is used to describe the aquired data. Additional resonance features are observed, especially in the II-VI compounds.     

基于太赫兹时域光谱的半导体材料参数测量

根据太赫兹时域光谱系统(TDS)的测量原理,提出了一个考虑F-P效应的半导体材料参数测量方案.利用该方案可以在时域波形中,截取多个反射回峰,以提高材料参数提取的精确度.另外,考虑到多重反射对样品厚度的准确性要求较高,提出了一种有效的厚度优化方法.以GaAs为待测样品,利用上述方法精确提取了其折射率与消光系数谱.并采用返波振荡器(BWO)作为太赫兹辐射源对相同样品进行测量,有效的验证了使用TDS系统对半导体材料参数测量的准确性.     

Dependence of THz Time-Domain Spectroscopy on the Crystal Thickness and Optical Width in Electro-Optic Sampling

The processes of electro-optical (EO) sampling of terahertz (THz) pulse were studied theoretically by considering the finite optical probe width and the double-sampling within the same THz pulse. The dependence of THz time-domain waveforms on the crystal thickness and optical width in EO sampling was revealed. Furthermore, the optimal thickness was analyzed, which shows whether or not an antireflection film coated for the optical probe beam is needed.     

Time-Domain Simulation of Power Combining in a Chain of THz Gunn Diodes in a Transmission Line

Solid-state THz devices usually suffer from low power output. This, however, can be overcome by efficient power combining. In this paper, the power combining of a chain of active devices (longitudinal array of N Gunn diodes) in a semi-infinite transmission line has been simulated. Superlinear growth of power P is found in a line with inductive-capacitive elements: P is quadratic in N when P is small and becomes linear when P is large. Intricate auto-modulation due to coupling between the devices is shown to accompany power combining.     

Fundamentals of Measurement in Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) has emerged as a main spectroscopic modality to fill the frequency range between a few hundred gigahertz to a few terahertz. This spectrum has been known as “terahertz gap” owing to limited accessibility by conventional electronic and optical techniques. Over the past two decades, THz-TDS has evolved substantially with enhanced compactness and stability. Since THz-TDS is becoming an industrial standard, the performance and precision of the system are of prime importance. This article provides an overview on terahertz metrology, including parameter estimation, signal processing, measurement characteristics, uncertainties, and calibrations. The overview serves as guidance for metrology and further developments of THz-TDS systems.     

Time-Domain Measurement of the Frequency-Dependent Delay of Broadband Antennas

We present a new time-domain technique for direct measurement of the frequency-dependent delay of broadband antenna structures. By utilizing a series of fixed-bandwidth, variable center frequency waveforms synthesized in a photonics-based electromagnetic pulse shaper, we perform high time resolution (~54 ps over ~10 ns) measurements of several broadband antenna structures. Our results show excellent agreement with the delay extracted via time-domain impulse response measurements, however, compared to conventional impulse response measurements, our method ensures a higher signal-to-noise ratio because it relies on several relatively narrowband measurements as opposed to a single broadband measurement. In addition, the delay uncertainty in our technique (~54 ps) is significantly below that of impulse response measurements (~300 ps) where numerical differentiation of noisy data leads to substantial errors. Our technique is well suited as a diagnostic tool for future variable-frequency fixed-bandwidth systems.     

太赫兹时域光谱仪中幅值噪声的分析

明确指出太赫兹时域光谱仪系统的幅值噪声的来源为延时线的重合抖动、采样抖动以及飞秒激光功率的波动。通过理论和实验相结合的方法证明,在测量样品的折射率和吸收系数等光学常量时,延时线的重合抖动和采样抖动影响着系统提取的折射率值的精确度;延时线的采样抖动和激光功率波动分别影响着系统提取的吸收系数的高频部分和低频部分的精确度。     

High-Contrast Imaging of Graphene via Time-Domain Terahertz Spectroscopy

We demonstrate terahertz (THz) imaging and spectroscopy of single-layer graphene deposited on an intrinsic Si substrate using THz time-domain spectroscopy. A single-cycle THz pulse undergoes multiple internal reflections within the Si substrate, and the THz absorption by the graphene layer accumulates through the multiple interactions with the graphene/Si interface. We exploit the large absorption of the multiply reflected THz pulses to acquire high-contrast THz images of graphene. We obtain local sheet conductivity of the graphene layer analyzing the transmission data with thin-film Fresnel formula based on the Drude model.     

基于时域光谱技术的材料特性研究*

材料的介电特性是器件和电路设计的基础。随着设计频率进入太赫兹频段,材料特性变得未知,缺乏相应的测 试数据。利用太赫兹时域光谱（THz-TDS）技术对常用的材料进行测试并给出相应的测试结果。首先给出了材料特性测量的 原理与计算公式,并利用该方法对微波板材Rogers RT/Duroid 5880,FR4_epoxy 及不同电阻率的硅基材料在太赫兹频段的介质 特性进行了测量和实验分析,得出了这4 种材料在太赫兹频段的相对介电常数及损耗角正切。其中,高阻硅的损耗最低,其次 为Rogers RT/Duroid 5880 板材,而FR4_epoxy 板材则在0.3~0.4 THz 存在明显的吸收峰。最后,讨论了这些材料在太赫兹频段 的应用前景。     

Polarization-Dependent Optimization of Fiber-Coupled Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy System

The optimization of the fiber-coupled terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) system is performed by changing the polarization of the optical excitation pulse centered at 1550 nm. InGaAs/InAlAs multilayer structures based photoconductive antennas are used in TDS setup as both the emitter and receiver. The experimental results demonstrate that not only the THz signal power but also the temporal waveform vary with the rotation of the exciting pulse polarization. Maximum output power of the emitter is obtained when the polarization of the pump pulse is perpendicular to the edge of the metal electrodes. At this moment the THz waveform is close to a single-cycled pulse. However, double THz pulses could be recorded when the pump laser polarization is parallel to the electrodes. Laser pulse splitting induced by the birefringence of the optical fiber may attribute to the polarization-dependent performance of the fiber-coupled THz-TDS system.     

THz Spectroscopy of Liquid Crystals from the CB Family

Liquid crystals represent a very interesting material system but their properties in the THz range have not been extensively investigated yet. In this paper we investigate the THz properties of four liquid crystals from the CB family (5CB, 6CB, 7CB and 8CB). In addition to absolute refractive indices and absorption coefficients we present accurate birefringence measurements for different electric fields and temperatures.     

Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy of Solids: A Review

Recent development of the terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) and its application to solids have been reviewed. This spectroscopy is unique in that the time-domain wave forms are measured at first and the complex optical constants are deduced directly by the Fourier transformation of them without resort to the Kramers-Kronig analysis. Various types of the THz-TDS systems are briefly described. Applications of the THz-TDS to various solids, i.e., semiconductors, superconductors, polymers, photonic crystals, and so on are also presented to demonstrate how widely this spectroscopy is applicable to characterization of solids.     

Amplitude Calibration in Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy Using Attenuation Standards

An amplitude calibration method for a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system (THz-TDS) is proposed and demonstrated for transmittance measurement. The method is based on a direct comparison method using a terahertz attenuator as a reference standard. The measurement uncertainties of the THz-TDS are evaluated in transmittance measurements of metalized film attenuators as test samples. The relative expanded uncertainty is found to be 6.4–14.0% (k = 2) at 1 THz for transmittances ranging from 1 to 0.001. In addition, the calibration capability is extended to the available frequency range of the THz-TDS by considering spectral flatness of the reference standard. Validations of the method are also conducted by comparing the measurements between different systems, and it is confirmed that they agree well with each other.