Patent · US Active

Broadband Terahertz radiation generation and detection system and method

US7894126B2 · kind B2 · utility

16Cited by
3References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 18, 2007
Grant dateFeb 22, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 18, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F2203/13
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a broadband Terahertz (THz) radiation generation and detection system and method. THz radiation is generated by optical rectification of an ultrashort pump pulse of a first wavelength having a duration in the picosecond- or sub-picosecond range in a first nonlinear optical crystal. The THz radiation is detected by electro-optic sampling or another appropriate method of a probe beam having a second wavelength in a second nonlinear optical crystal. According to the invention, at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled: a) the first wavelength is different from the second wavelength; b) the material of the first nonlinear optical crystal is different from the material of the second nonlinear optical crystal. This makes it possible to choose for the generation and for the detection process—independent of one another—the combination of wavelengths and nonlinear material and possibly other features of the pump/probe pulses like polarization with the highest efficiency for generation and detection of Terahertz pulses, respectively.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.