Continuous wave terahertz wave spectrometer based on diode laser pumping: Potential applications in high resolution spectroscopy

We constructed a high resolution terahertz (THz) spectroscopic system with an automatic scanning control using a continuous wave (cw) THz wave generator based on difference frequency generation method by excitation of phonon-polariton mode in GaP. The pump and signals lasers were compact, tunable external cavity laser, and distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, respectively. The generated THz waves were tuned automatically by changing the temperature of the DFB laser using a system control. We present the water vapor transmission characteristics of the THz wave and also absorption spectrum of a white polyethylene in the frequency range of 1.97-2.45 THz. The spectroscopic measurements performed at an output power level of 2 nW, which was obtained with a 15-mm-long GaP crystal at 2 THz. The advantage of this cw THz spectrometer is wide frequency tuning range (0.7-4.42 THz) with an estimated linewidth of full width at quarter maximum <8 MHz and this system has a potential application in high resolution spectroscopy. (C) 2009 American. Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3258202]