The existence of the THz gap in the electromagnetic spectrum is not only preventing the advancement of technologies but also hindering research and developmental activities due to a lack of research facilities operating in the gap region. There are many material candidates with their dynamics lying in the THz gap region whose study could potentially lead to the development of new technologies for the generation, detection and processing of THz signals. This would lead to the transformation of currently existing GHz technologies by increasing their operational speeds by at least 3 orders of magnitude faster. For such a paradigm shift in technological development to occur it is necessary to have a well-equipped and easily accessible research facility where one can perform careful studies of potential candidates which could be used in future THz technology. Here we describe a unique custom-designed quasi-optical system continuously operating in the frequency range 220GHz to 1.1THz with a temperature range of 5-300K and magnetic fields up to 9T. Initial results from test measurements on antiferromagnetic MnF₂ single crystals are included to verify operation of the system.

This article was published in Review of Scientific Instruments and is available here.