Self-calibrating technique for terahertz time-domain material parameter extraction

This manuscript introduces a self-calibrating technique for terahertz (THz) time-domain material characterization in transmission mode. The self-calibrating technique utilizes the relations between the multiple transmissions of a transient plane wave through a sample under test in order to extract its material properties. The method presented in this paper is particularly useful in reducing the time required for simultaneous imaging and spectroscopy scans, since existing characterization methods require the knowledge of the waveform of both the plane wave transmitted through a reference sample and the waveform of the plane wave transmitted through the sample under test. The technique presented also ameliorates the problem caused by differences between sample and reference signals due to power and time drifts inherent in a THz system, hence reducing artifacts in the characterization results. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America