The least-developed parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are not only at the extremes; there is an important frequency band, often referred to as the “THz gap”, that lies between the microwave and the infrared spectral bands, where neither electronic nor optical approaches have delivered continuous-wave broadly-tunable radiation sources—until now.

Spun out of Belkin Group at the Walter Schottky Institute, FIRsense delivers a compact, tunable continuous-wave light sources spanning 1–12 THz, already validated in two pre-production prototypes—one operating at ISMO (CNRS) Paris across 5–11 THz, and another headed to the University Leeds early in November to be used for gas spectroscopy in the 4-5 THz spectral window. While the initial applications of our new sources are scientific, including molecular spectroscopy, metrology, and radio-astronomy, they can also be used to improve established in-situ gas-line analyzers and sensors.

Moreover, our broadband continuous-wave terahertz sources are suitable for non-destructive materials screening and chemical composition analysis as well as layer and thickness inspection in polymers, coatings, and pharmaceutical solids. They are also relevant to semiconductor manufacturing control (process gases, epi/etch exhausts, materials etch control), healthcare and pharma (inspection of solid-state forms, coatings, moisture content), and broader markets such as aerospace, energy, and security, where fast, non-destructive quality control is critical. Looking further ahead, our sources can support the development high-speed data networks, 6G and beyond, by providing coherent, broadly tunable THz signals that can be modulated at up to tens of GHz speeds for channel sounding, device testing, and over-the-air (OTA) calibration.