Generation of THz beams in Cd/sub x/Zn/sub 1-x/Te crystals

We have investigated generation of the far-infrared THz pulse in Cd/sub x/Zn/sub 1-x/Te based on optical rectification. For an optical wavelength of 820 nm the best conversion efficiency for the THz pulse generation in the frequency range of 1-2 THz is obtained in ZnTe. Calculations based on the phase matching condition in these (bi-)ternary materials qualitatively explain observation.