Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Recent progress in laser and semiconductor technology has allowed for far
easier generation and measuring of coherent terahertz radiation, a previously
difficult region in the radiation spectrum to coherently generate.
Time based terahertz spectroscopy is a rather unique form of spectroscopy.
Not only is it time based, but the electric field is measured instead of the
intensity.
This allows for the measurement of the complex refractive index. From this
one can obtain certain details of the structure and environment of the sample
being studied.
A terahertz time-domain spectroscopy setup was constructed during this
project. This setup used low temperature grown GaAs photoconductive antennae,
with multiple antenna size options available for both the receiving and
transmitting antennae.
After the construction and alignment of this setup, the antennae were characterized.
Lastly measurements were performed on the background, sugar and silicon
to demonstrate the capabilities of the system.
It was found that the measured terahertz electric field amplitude increased
with the intensity of the pump pulse and that the amplitude of the measured
terahertz electric field was dependent on the polarization of the pump pulse. As
the size of the antenna was increased so too did the amplitude of the measured
electric field and conversely the bandwidth of the measured terahertz electric
field decreased with the increase of antenna size. This held true for both the
transmitting and receiving antennae. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Danksê onlangse tegnologiese onwikkelings in lasers en halfgeleier het dit
veel makliker geraak om terahertz straling te genereer wat fase samehangendheid
toon. Voor hierdie ontwikkelings was straling in hierdie spektrale gebied
moeilik om te genereer op ’n wyse wat fase samehangendheid toon.
Tyd verwante terahertz spektroskopie is taamlik uniek, aangesien die metings
in tyd geneem word en die elektriese veld amplitude word pleks van die
intensiteit gemeet.
Een van die voordele van hierdie metode is dat dit toelaat vir die meeting
van die komplekse brekingsindeks van monsters. Dit is moontlik om van
die komplekse brekingsindeks strukturele en omgewings eienskappe van die
monster af te lei.
Gedurende die projek was ’n tyd verwante terahertz spektroskopie sisteem
gebou wat gebaseer was op lae temperatuur gegroeide GaAs foto-geleidende
antennas. Die sisteem bevat vier antennas van verskillende groottes aan beide
die sender en ontvanger kant.
Die antennas was gekarakteriseer na die bou en belyning van die terahertz
sisteem en meetings was gedoen op die agtergrond, suiker en silikon om die
sisteem se vermoë te demonstreer.
Dit was gevind dat die amplitude van die gemete terahertz elektriese veld
groter geraak het soos die intensiteit van die pomp puls verhoog was en dat
die die amplitude van die gemete terahertz electriese veld afhanklik was van
die polarisasie van die pomp puls. Die amplitude van van die gemete terahertz elektriese veld het gegroei met die grootte van die antenna, maar hoe groter
die antenna geraak het, hoe kleiner was die bandwydte van die gemete terahertz
elektriese veld. Hierdie was die geval vir beide die sender en ontvanger
antennas.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/96733 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Smith, Shane Raymond |
| Contributors | Neethling, Pieter H., Rohwer, Erich G., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Physics. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xv, 80 pages : illustrations |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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