High-energy and ultra-wideband tunable monochromatic terahertz source and frequency domain system based on DAST crystal

Abstract

We have demonstrated a high-energy and broadly tunable monochromatic terahertz (THz) source via difference frequency generation (DFG) in DAST crystal. The THz frequency is tuned randomly in the range of 0.3-19.6 THz, which is much wider than the THz source based on the inorganic crystal and the photoconductive antenna. The highest energy of 2.53μJ/pulse is obtained at 18.9 THz corresponding to the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 1.31×10-4. The THz output spectroscopy is theoretically and experimentally explained by DFG process and Raman spectroscopy. Meanwhile, a phenomenon of blue light from the KTP-OPO with tunable and multiple wavelengths was firstly observed and explained. Based on our THz source, an ultra-wideband THz frequency domain system (THz-FDS) with transmission mode is realized to measure the ultra-wideband THz spectroscopies of typical materials in solid and liquid states, such as Si, SiC, White PE, water, isopropyl myristate, simethicone, atonlein and oleic acid, etc.. Furthermore, we have studied the THz spectral characteristic of biomedical tissue in the ultra-wideband THz frequency range of 0.3-15THz to study the biomedical response in the entire THz frequency range, which contains more abundant spectral information and was rarely focused with the limit of the THz source.