Efficient Tunable THz Wave Generation Using Spectral Shaping in Electro-Optic Combs

We propose a novel method for generating terahertz (THz) waves using cascaded electro-optic modulators (EOMs), providing numerical simulations and experimental validations to demonstrate its effectiveness. The key of this technique is to apply hybrid amplitude and phase modulation to the incident light, which significantly enhances the control capability over the output optical spectrum. This enhanced control turns to be crucial for the efficient generation of THz waves. By carefully adjusting the relative phase between microwave RF signals applied to the amplitude and phase modulators and by applying an appropriate DC bias to the amplitude modulator, we can considerably reduce the optical power of unwanted sidebands. This allows us to concentrate more energy on desired frequencies, facilitating the generation of high-purity THz waves through optical heterodyne mixing at the detector. To validate our concept, we have successfully generated a dual-frequency-like laser with as spectral separation of 0.897 THz. This result was accomplished by modulating the phase EOM at 34.5 GHz with a modulation depth of ∼4.7, paving the way for the generation of more practical and efficient THz waves.