Photonic Integrated Frequency-Domain Terahertz Spectrometer

Photonic integration has the potential to revolutionize terahertz (THz) spectroscopy by addressing key limitations of state-of-the-art systems. Currently, these systems are still only infrequently adopted in industrial applications as their large size and low measurement rate limits applications. By utilizing frequency-domain THz systems based on optoelectronic photomixing technology, photonic integrated solutions can offer compact designs and scalable costs. Furthermore, the incorporation of a fast tuneable semiconductor laser and optical phase modulation could significantly enhance the measurement rates, even surpassing the capabilities of existing commercial THz spectrometers. With such photonic integrated spectrometers, a wide range of applications in spectroscopy, non-destructive testing and vector network analysis in the THz range becomes accessible and affordable.