Terahertz Spectrum Analyzer Based on Fourier Transform Interferometry

Material properties and performance of ErAs:In(Al)GaAs photoconductors for 1550 nm laser operation

“…Over the past 20 years, the peak dynamic range (DNR) of photonic systems experienced dramatic improvement, reaching more than 100 dB and enabling several potential commercial applications. These include high resolution thickness measurements, 3,4 photonic vector network analysis (VNA), 5,6 photonic spectrum analyzers, 7 and many more. In many modern photonic systems, the conversion of the optical signal to the terahertz wave is performed by semiconductors called photoconductors.…”

Photonic Spectrum Analyzer for Wireless Signals in the THz Range

“…An interferometer-based (e.g. Michelson or Martin-Puplett type) SA is reported in [2], [3]. The time trace of the selfhomodyne interferogram generated by adding a delay in one of the two interferometer arms is Fourier transformed in order to obtain the spectral characteristics.…”

“…The maximum travel of the delay stage, its accuracy and speed limit the obtainable frequency range, the resolution and the measurement time of this SA. A frequency range from 100 GHz up to 1.5 THz, a minimum resolution of 750 MHz and a dynamic range of 45 dB have been demonstrated [2], [3]. Despite being a fast and inexpensive architecture of an SA, the low resolution limits the SA to the detection of wideband or low coherence signals only.…”