But there is one part of the electromagnetic spectrum that has steadfastly resisted our advances. This is the terahertz region, which ranges from frequencies of about 300 GHz to 10 THz (10 x 1012 Hz). This corresponds to wavelengths of between about 1 and 0.03 mm, and lies between the microwave and infrared regions of the spectrum. However, the difficulties involved in making suitably compact terahertz sources and detectors has meant that this region of the spectrum has only begun to be explored thoroughly over the last decade.
A particularly intriguing feature of terahertz radiation is that the semiconductor devices that generate radiation at frequencies above and below this range operate in completely different ways. At lower frequencies, microwaves and millimetre- waves can be generated by “electronic” devices such as those found in mobile phones. At higher frequencies, near-infrared and visible light are generated by “optical” devices such as semiconductor laser diodes, in which electrons emit light when they jump across the semiconductor band gap.
Unfortunately, neither electronic nor optical devices can conveniently be made to work in the terahertz region because the terahertz frequency range sits between the electronic and optical regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Developing a terahertz source is therefore a frustrating business because it involves working in a region where established solid-state technologies fail. Nevertheless, researchers are fascinated by terahertz radiation, not least because it has many potential applications for sensing, imaging and spectroscopy across the physical, medical and biological sciences, and perhaps ultimately in communications too.
In the April issue of Physics World Giles Davies in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Leeds and Edmund Linfield in the Cavendish Lab at the University of Cambridge, UK, describe the latest developments in this field.