Terahertz gap

Short description: Electromagnetic radiation from 0.1 to 10 THz

In engineering, the terahertz gap is a frequency band in the terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum between radio waves and infrared light for which practical technologies for generating and detecting the radiation do not exist. It is defined as 0.1 to 10 THz (wavelengths of 3 mm to 30 µm) although the upper boundary is somewhat arbitrary and is considered by some sources as 30 THz (a wavelength of 10 µm).[1] Currently, at frequencies within this range, useful power generation and receiver technologies are inefficient and unfeasible.

Mass production of devices in this range and operation at room temperature (at which energy kT is equal to the energy of a photon with a frequency of 6.2 THz) are mostly impractical. This leaves a gap between mature microwave technologies in the highest frequencies of the radio spectrum and the well-developed optical engineering of infrared detectors in their lowest frequencies. This radiation is mostly used in small-scale, specialized applications such as submillimetre astronomy. Research that attempts to resolve this issue has been conducted since the late 20th century.[2][3][4][5][6]

## Closure of the terahertz gap

Most vacuum electronic devices that are used for microwave generation can be modified to operate at terahertz frequencies, including the magnetron,[7] gyrotron,[8] synchrotron,[9] and free electron laser.[10] Similarly, microwave detectors such as the tunnel diode have been re-engineered to detect at terahertz[11] and infrared[12] frequencies as well. However, many of these devices are in prototype form, are not compact, or exist at university or government research labs, without the benefit of cost savings due to mass production.

## Research

Ongoing investigation has resulted in improved emitters (sources) and detectors, and research in this area has intensified. However, drawbacks remain that include the substantial size of emitters, incompatible frequency ranges, and undesirable operating temperatures, as well as component, device, and detector requirements that are somewhere between solid state electronics and photonic technologies.[13][14][15]

Free-electron lasers can generate a wide range of stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation from microwaves, through terahertz radiation to X-ray. However, they are bulky, expensive and not suitable for applications that require critical timing (such as wireless communications). Other sources of terahertz radiation which are actively being researched include solid state oscillators (through frequency multiplication), backward wave oscillators (BWOs), quantum cascade lasers, and gyrotrons.

## References

1. ↑ Dhillon, S S (2017). "The 2017 terahertz science and technology roadmap". Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 50 (4): 2. doi:10.1088/1361-6463/50/4/043001. Bibcode: 2017JPhD...50d3001D.
2. ↑ Gharavi, Sam; Heydari, Babak (2011-09-25). Ultra High-Speed CMOS Circuits: Beyond 100 GHz (1st ed.). New York: Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 1–5 (Introduction) and 100. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0305-0. ISBN 978-1-4614-0305-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=iJZIcUwmyfYC&pg=PA1.
3. ↑ Sirtori, Carlo (2002). "Bridge for the terahertz gap" (Free PDF download). Nature. Applied physics 417 (6885): 132–133. doi:10.1038/417132b. PMID 12000945. Bibcode: 2002Natur.417..132S. http://lib.semi.ac.cn:8080/tsh/dzzy/wsqk/Nature/nature417-132.pdf.
4. ↑ Borak, A. (2005). "Toward bridging the terahertz gap with silicon-based lasers" (Free PDF download). Science. Applied physics 308 (5722): 638–639. doi:10.1126/science.1109831. PMID 15860612. http://lib.semi.ac.cn:8080/tsh/dzzy/wsqk/science/vol308/308-638.pdf.
5. ↑ Karpowicz, Nicholas; Dai, Jianming; Lu, Xiaofei; Chen, Yunqing; Yamaguchi, Masashi; Zhao, Hongwei et al. (2008). "Coherent heterodyne time-domain spectrometry covering the entire terahertz gap". Applied Physics Letters 92 (1): 011131. doi:10.1063/1.2828709. Bibcode: 2008ApPhL..92a1131K.
6. ↑ Kleiner, R. (2007). "Filling the terahertz gap". Science 318 (5854): 1254–1255. doi:10.1126/science.1151373. PMID 18033873.
7. ↑ Larraza, Andres; Wolfe, David M.; Catterlin, Jeffrey K. (2013-05-21). "Terahertz (THZ) reverse magnetron". Naval Postgraduate School. https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/33987. [full citation needed]
8. ↑ Glyavin, Mikhail; Denisov, Grigory; Zapevalov, V.E.; Kuftin, A.N. (August 2014). "Terahertz gyrotrons: State of the art and prospects". Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics 59 (8): 792–797. doi:10.1134/S1064226914080075. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271745395. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
9. ↑ Evain, C.; Szwaj, C.; Roussel, E.; Rodriguez, J.; Le Parquier, M.; Tordeux, M.-A.; Ribeiro, F.; Labat, M. et al. (8 April 2019). "Stable coherent terahertz synchrotron radiation from controlled relativistic electron bunches". Nature Physics 15 (7): 635–639. doi:10.1038/s41567-019-0488-6. Bibcode: 2019NatPh..15..635E.
10. ↑ "UCSB free electron laser source". University of California – Santa Barbara. http://www.mrl.ucsb.edu/terahertz-facility/instruments/ucsb-free-electron-laser-source. [full citation needed]
11. ↑ "[no title cited"]. ECS Transactions (The Electrochemical Society) 49 (1 ?): 93 ?. 2012. http://ecst.ecsdl.org/content/49/1/93.abstract. Retrieved 2020-03-18. [full citation needed]
12. ↑ Davids, Paul (2016-07-01). "Tunneling rectification in an infrared nanoantenna coupled MOS diode". Meta 16. Malaga, Spain: U.S. Department of Energy. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1371628. [full citation needed]
13. ↑ Ferguson, Bradley; Zhang, Xi-Cheng (2002). "Materials for terahertz science and technology" (free PDF download). Nature Materials 1 (1): 26–33. doi:10.1038/nmat708. PMID 12618844. Bibcode: 2002NatMa...1...26F. http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/groups/thz/publications/ferguson_2002_npg.pdf.
14. ↑ Tonouchi, Masayoshi (2007). "Cutting-edge terahertz technology" (free PDF download). Nature Photonics 1 (2): 97–105. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2007.3. 200902219783121992. Bibcode: 2007NaPho...1...97T. http://www.ile.osaka-u.ac.jp/research/THP/pdf/nphoton144.pdf.
15. ↑ Chen, Hou-Tong; Padilla, Willie J.; Cich, Michael J.; Azad, Abul K.; Averitt, Richard D.; Taylor, Antoinette J. (2009). "A metamaterial solid-state terahertz phase modulator" (free PDF download). Nature Photonics 3 (3): 148. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2009.3. Bibcode: 2009NaPho...3..148C. http://nanoscience.bu.edu/papers/Averitt - Nature Photonics (2009).pdf.

## Further reading

* Miles, Robert E; Harrison, Paul; Lippens, D., eds (June 2000). "Terahertz Sources and Systems". NATO Advanced Research Workshop. 27. Château de Bonas, France (published 2001). ISBN 978-0-7923-7096-3. OCLC 248547276. https://books.google.com/books?id=xYwPHQ6bHkwC.

## External links

* Williams, G. (2003). "Filling the THz gap". http://casa.jlab.org/seminars/2003/slides/williams_031114.pdf.
* Cooke, Mike (2007). "Filling the THz gap with new applications". Semiconductor Today 2 (1): pp. 39–43. http://www.semiconductor-today.com/features/PDF/Semiconductor Today - Filling the THz gap.pdf.

* Janet, Rae-Dupree (8 November 2011). "New life for old electrons in biological imaging, sensing technologies". SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Press release). Palo Alto, California: Stanford University. "... researchers have successfully generated intense pulses of light in a largely untapped part of the electromagnetic spectrum – the so-called terahertz gap."

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