SC164 THz Technology

Sunday, May 16, 2010
3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Matthew T. Reiten; Los Alamos Natl. Lab, USA
Level: Beginner (no background or minimal training is necessary to understand course material)


Course Description

Pulsed terahertz (THz) waves with a frequency range from <0.1 THz to 10 THz (sometimes called T-Rays) are finding unique applications in both scientific and industrial applications for medical applications, basic research and material characterization. THz pulses occupy a large portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between the infrared and microwave bands. However, compared to the relatively well-developed science and technology at microwave, optical and X-ray frequencies, advanced technology development in the THz band remains relatively unexplored. Just as one can use visible light to create a photograph, radio waves to transmit music and speech, or X-rays to reveal broken bones, this course will cover how to use THz pulses for similar applications in the far infrared. Participants will leave with an understanding of the fundamentals of free-space THz optoelectronics, including how to generate and detect THz pulses. A variety of different techniques will be discussed, including photoconductive antennas or electro-optic crystals to achieve diffraction-limited spatial resolution, femtosecond temporal resolution, ultra-wide spectral bandwidth and high sensitivity.


Benefits and Learning Objectives

This course should enable you to:

  • Learn what type of optical source is required to drive a pulsed THz system.
  • Choose between photoconductive and electro-optic THz detectors.
  • Design an optimal beam coupling system between a THz source and a detector.
  • Characterize a THz system and optimize its spatial and temporal resolutions, bandwidth and dynamic range.
  • Construct several types of THz imaging systems.
  • Extract the complex refractive index, permittivity or conductivity from a THz measurement.
  • Specify (mostly) off-the-shelf components to build your own THz system.

Intended Audience

This course is designed for graduate students and researchers in academia and industry who are interested in far-infrared pulsed THz radiation.


Biography

Matthew T. Reiten earned his BSEE and BS Physics from the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, North Dakota) and his Masters in applied physics from Rice University (Houston, Texas). After a stint in the armed forces, he returned to graduate school and earned his PhD in electrical engineering at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma). While at OSU he investigated broadband terahertz propagation and imaging with special interest in claims of superluminal propagation through optical tunneling barriers. After graduating in 2006, he joined a small research firm, GMA Industries of Annapolis Maryland, where he worked on optical techniques for non-destructive evaluation for the electronics and aviation industries and developed a prototype time domain terahertz ellipsometer. In mid-2009, he accepted an IC Postdoctoral Fellowship with Los Alamos National Laboratory to develop a novel room temperature narrow band THz emitter based on metamaterial elements and resonant tunneling diodes.