Abstract

For the development of terahertz (THz; 100 GHz-10 THz) transmitters that are required for a significant amount of THz applications like communication, spectroscopy or imaging, spectrum analysers are needed to evaluate their performance, determine their spectral cleanliness and the absence of undesired harmonics. To date, electronic spectrum analysers with frequency extender modules are predominantly used in the THz range. In order to fully cover the frequency range from 100 GHz up to 1.5 THz at least seven extender modules are needed [1]. As each extender has to be individually aligned and calibrated, this makes them a time-consuming as well as an expensive option, despite their outstanding performance. Alternative approaches [2,3] are either also an extension to electronic spectrum analysers [2] or require extensive cooling [3]. We present a wide-band, potentially inexpensive photonic spectrum analyser (PSA) with competitive performance. We discuss the noise performance of the system as well as its capability to measure arbitrary signals.

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