太赫兹衰减精密测量THz-wave 330-500 GHz_transmission loss measurement.pdfVIP

High dynamic range terahertz-wave transmission loss measurement at 330–500 GHz ‡ Thomas Y. Wu National Metrology Centre, A*STAR, 1 Science Park Drive, Singapore 118221 E-mail: thomas wu@.sg Abstract. Terahertz-wave transmission loss measurement systems at 330–500 GHz using single-channel and dual-channel superheterodyne receivers are described. It is shown that the phase noise effect in single-channel system causes significant signal level fluctuation in the lock-in amplifier. The dual-channel system can eliminate the phase noise effect in synchronous detection and achieve a room-temperature noise floor of −170 dBm. The dynamic range of the dual-channel system is estimated to be 140–152 dB. The measurement uncertainty of the system is analyzed. A 0–100 dB WR–2.2 waveguide attenuator can be measured with expanded uncertainties of 0.078–0.24 dB at 480 GHz. The dual-channel system can serve as a national measurement standard for waveguide transmission measurement at 330–500 GHz and provide traceability for measurements made using commercial instruments. PACS numbers: 07.57.Hm 06.20.Dk 84.30.Ng 84.37.+q 84.40.-x 84.40.Az Keywords: THz-wave, transmission loss measurement, phase noise, phase-sensitive detection, dynamic range, noise floor ‡ Preprint, Measurement Science and Technology, 23 (2012) 085904 2 1. Introduction Terahertz (THz) wave is increasingly being used in broadband communications, radar, remote sensing, security/medical imaging, non-destructive testing and high-speed electronics [1–10]. Correspo