To date, ATM techniques have utilized THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) because of historical scarcity of strong THz sources and highly sensitive THz detectors that operate at room temperature. Many samples of interest contain large amounts of water that strongly absorb THz radiation, thus requiring a very strong THz source. This requirement is exacerbated when attempting to use highly sensitive THz detectors that conventionally require supercooling to liquid helium temperatures. Worse, the need for supercooling these detectors has made THz detection unavailable to many researchers around the world due to recent sharp rises in the price of liquid helium due to its scarcity. 
To circumvent THz detection hurdles, THz-TDS is utilized as it requires commonly available infrared detectors sensitive in the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum — most commonly around a wavelength of 800 nm. In this case, an electro-optic (EO) crystal, such as gallium nitride (GaN), zinc telluride (ZnTe), is commonly used to detect changes in the THz light after it has passed through a sample. The polarization properties of a synchronized infrared beam of light passing through the EO crystal are changed. This polarization change is detected by an infrared detector, called a [https://www.rp-photonics.com/balanced_photodetection.html balanced detector], that compares the magnitude of two perpendicular polarization components of the infrared beam.
Until more powerful THz sources that provide a wide frequency range and more sensitive room temperature THz detectors are realized, THz-TDS remains a reliable technique for ATM.
The THz-TDS techniques used in ATM may be divided into two categories: rotated sample and stationary sample. Historically, the former technique involved rotation of the sample at the focus of a THz beam while the detector is placed far from the sample in the far-field. For many mechanical reasons, however, a stationary sample technique is preferred. In stationary sample ATM, a polarized THz beam is rotated through 360° in a plane perpendicular to the propagation direction of the beam and typically utilizes a near-field detection scheme in which the sample is mounted in direct contact with an EO crystal that is subsequently analyzed by the infrared beam in a THz-TDS configuration.