Abstract
We present a 2-port terahertz vector network analyzer (VNA) based on four continuous-wave (CW) photomixers and a pair of telecom-wavelength CW lasers. The presented optoelectronic VNA is free-space coupled and can operate continuously from 0.1 THz to 1 THz with a resolution of 2 MHz. We demonstrate two different applications with it: the determination of the material properties of a quartz wafer and the characterization of a terahertz distributed Bragg reflector (DBR).
Highlights
In recent years, the development of terahertz and sub-terahertz measurement systems using photonic and optoelectronic architectures has gained relevance within the terahertz research community
This was done for the frequency range comprised between 0.095 THz and 1 THz using a frequency resolution of 20 MHz, the signal processing algorithms used in the measured data reduced the usable frequency range to 0.1-0.9 THz
We perform a characterization of an in-house fabricated terahertz distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) between 0.55 THz and 0.765 THz using a frequency resolution of 20 MHz, the signal processing algorithms used in the measured data reduced the usable frequency range to 0.57-0.75 THz
Summary
The development of terahertz and sub-terahertz measurement systems using photonic and optoelectronic architectures has gained relevance within the terahertz research community. Regarding vector network analyzers (VNAs), three photomixer-based architectures have been reported recently: two 1.5-port versions covering from 0.15 THz to 3 THz [10], [11] and a 2-port version covering from 0.2 THz to 2 THz [12] These systems used a femtosecond pulsed laser to drive the photomixers, which means that the generated terahertz signal used for the measurements is a pulse, composed of several thousands of frequency components [7]. We demonstrate a free-space optoelectronic VNA based on CW photomixers covering from 0.1 to 1 THz. The implementation presented here is considerably simpler than pulsed photomixer-based architectures, since it does not require a femtosecond pulsed laser or a mechanical delay stage to operate. We describe the specific details and working principles of each of the components of the architecture
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