Phase-locking terahertz quantum cascade lasers for high dynamic range heterodyne imaging
Name
1227278167-MIT.pdf
Size
12.61 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
1a22d9d569e1b3897b01fec323c83ce1
Author(s)
Uyehara, Elise(Elise A.)
Advisor(s)
Qing Hu.
Date Issued
2020
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Terahertz radiation exhibits unique properties that make it an attractive candidate for safe imaging. Current barriers to its commercial implementation include the shortage of efficient terahertz detectors and convenient, high-powered terahertz sources. These factors combined with the strong atmospheric absorption of terahertz radiation necessitate the development of an imaging system capable of extracting small terahertz signals from the background noise. This can be achieved using a combination of heterodyne detection and a phase-locked loop to selectively lower the system noise floor while preserving signal power. In this thesis, an optical phase-locked loop using a Schottky diode mixer and 3rd order DFB QCLs is implemented to achieve a maximum SNR of 60 dB, limited by residual phase error from the high free-running linewidth of the QCLs. System limitations and alternative phase-locking configurations are discussed towards the ultimate goal of achieving a 110 dB dynamic range terahertz QCL imaging system..
Description
Thesis: S.M. in Computer Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, September, 2020
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 69-70).
Subjects
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.
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