Continuous wave terahertz spectroscopy system with stably tunable beat source using optical switch

A tunable beat source has been made using an optical switch module. A stably-tunable beat source for continuous wave terahertz spectroscopy system was implemented by simply connecting 16 coaxial distributed feedback laser diodes to an optical switch. The terahertz frequency was rapidly changed without frequency drifts by changing the optical path. The continuous wave terahertz frequency was tuned from 0.05 to 0.8 THz in steps of 50 GHz or 0.4 nm. We measured continuous wave terahertz waveforms emitted from the photomixers using the switched optical beat source. We also calculated the terahertz frequency peaks by taking fast Fourier transforms of the measured terahertz waveforms. By equipping the implemented tunable beat source with an optical switch, a continuous wave terahertz spectroscopy system was constructed and used to demonstrate the feasibility of continuous wave terahertz spectroscopy for nondestructive tests using the spectra of two type of Si wafers with different resistivity.