Miniaturized Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectrometer With 3.6 THz Bandwidth Enabled by Photonic Integration and Microelectronics
Broadband terahertz spectroscopy is a valuable analytical tool in science and a promising technology for industrial non-destructive, non-contact testing, e.g. thickness measurements of thin dielectric layers. Optoelectronic conversion using photomixers is a widespread approach for coherent terahertz...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2024-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10443452/ |
| _version_ | 1797243352148606976 |
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| author | Simon Nellen Lauri Schwenson Lars Liebermeister Milan Deumer Sebastian Lauck Martin Schell Robert B. Kohlhaas |
| author_facet | Simon Nellen Lauri Schwenson Lars Liebermeister Milan Deumer Sebastian Lauck Martin Schell Robert B. Kohlhaas |
| author_sort | Simon Nellen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Broadband terahertz spectroscopy is a valuable analytical tool in science and a promising technology for industrial non-destructive, non-contact testing, e.g. thickness measurements of thin dielectric layers. Optoelectronic conversion using photomixers is a widespread approach for coherent terahertz spectroscopy. State-of-the-art spectrometers consist of discrete, fiber-based components, leading to complex and costly setups. In cost-sensitive applications, this prevents the use of these spectrometers. We developed a terahertz spectrometer based on a dedicated photonic integrated circuit and commercial electronic integrated circuits to overcome these limitations. The photonic subsystem can be connected to commercial tunable lasers and provides the optical signal processing to drive the photoconductive antennas. The electronic subsystem includes the required drivers, analog signal processing, and data acquisition. Combined, the system measures <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10 \times 16 \times 7.5$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm3 only. We compare both subsystems individually and as a whole to state-of-the-art lab equipment in terms of spectral performance and measurement speed. Due to the flexibility in measurement modes, the integrated system can be adapted to specific measurement tasks, e.g. 2.8 THz-wide spectra within 0.5 s for high-speed, or 3.6 THz bandwidth with >80 dB dynamic range in less than 3 minutes for high-precision. This is the first realization of a terahertz spectrometer based on photonic and electronic integration rivaling state-of-the-art and non-integrated commercial spectrometers. This approach paves the way for compact and economic terahertz systems, providing access to terahertz technology for cost-sensitive sectors in research and industry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:53:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-22369c4a6a80409bbb4e3b3bb7bac7c0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:53:45Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj.art-22369c4a6a80409bbb4e3b3bb7bac7c02024-03-26T17:46:50ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362024-01-0112352463525610.1109/ACCESS.2024.336891210443452Miniaturized Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectrometer With 3.6 THz Bandwidth Enabled by Photonic Integration and MicroelectronicsSimon Nellen0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3203-186XLauri Schwenson1https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3497-6430Lars Liebermeister2Milan Deumer3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4721-3738Sebastian Lauck4Martin Schell5Robert B. Kohlhaas6Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, GermanyBroadband terahertz spectroscopy is a valuable analytical tool in science and a promising technology for industrial non-destructive, non-contact testing, e.g. thickness measurements of thin dielectric layers. Optoelectronic conversion using photomixers is a widespread approach for coherent terahertz spectroscopy. State-of-the-art spectrometers consist of discrete, fiber-based components, leading to complex and costly setups. In cost-sensitive applications, this prevents the use of these spectrometers. We developed a terahertz spectrometer based on a dedicated photonic integrated circuit and commercial electronic integrated circuits to overcome these limitations. The photonic subsystem can be connected to commercial tunable lasers and provides the optical signal processing to drive the photoconductive antennas. The electronic subsystem includes the required drivers, analog signal processing, and data acquisition. Combined, the system measures <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10 \times 16 \times 7.5$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm3 only. We compare both subsystems individually and as a whole to state-of-the-art lab equipment in terms of spectral performance and measurement speed. Due to the flexibility in measurement modes, the integrated system can be adapted to specific measurement tasks, e.g. 2.8 THz-wide spectra within 0.5 s for high-speed, or 3.6 THz bandwidth with >80 dB dynamic range in less than 3 minutes for high-precision. This is the first realization of a terahertz spectrometer based on photonic and electronic integration rivaling state-of-the-art and non-integrated commercial spectrometers. This approach paves the way for compact and economic terahertz systems, providing access to terahertz technology for cost-sensitive sectors in research and industry.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10443452/Terahertzterahertz spectroscopyfrequency domainphotomixingoptoelectronicphotonic integration |
| spellingShingle | Simon Nellen Lauri Schwenson Lars Liebermeister Milan Deumer Sebastian Lauck Martin Schell Robert B. Kohlhaas Miniaturized Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectrometer With 3.6 THz Bandwidth Enabled by Photonic Integration and Microelectronics IEEE Access Terahertz terahertz spectroscopy frequency domain photomixing optoelectronic photonic integration |
| title | Miniaturized Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectrometer With 3.6 THz Bandwidth Enabled by Photonic Integration and Microelectronics |
| title_full | Miniaturized Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectrometer With 3.6 THz Bandwidth Enabled by Photonic Integration and Microelectronics |
| title_fullStr | Miniaturized Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectrometer With 3.6 THz Bandwidth Enabled by Photonic Integration and Microelectronics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Miniaturized Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectrometer With 3.6 THz Bandwidth Enabled by Photonic Integration and Microelectronics |
| title_short | Miniaturized Continuous-Wave Terahertz Spectrometer With 3.6 THz Bandwidth Enabled by Photonic Integration and Microelectronics |
| title_sort | miniaturized continuous wave terahertz spectrometer with 3 6 thz bandwidth enabled by photonic integration and microelectronics |
| topic | Terahertz terahertz spectroscopy frequency domain photomixing optoelectronic photonic integration |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10443452/ |
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