National Conference on EMERGING TRENDS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING AND EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Tera Hertz Technology and its Applications

Sujith Kumar S B*; Vipula Singh
Depart ment of Electronics and Co mmunication Engineering, R.N.S Institute of Technology, Channasandra, Bangalore, India sujithkumarsb@gmail.co m
Abstract Terahertz is a promising technology for many applications including semiconductor industry, medical field, security etc. In this paper, Terahertz technology, applications, sensors, and sources are briefly reviewed and implementation of a terahertz system for imaging are discussed. We also describe various applications of terahertz imaging and its improvements in the signal processing. Terahertz technology is now moving forward to commercialization. Keywords: Terahertz, S ources, Detectors, Terahertz Pulsed imaging, Non destructive testing.
I.

INT RODUCTION

The range of Tera Hertz (THz) is fro m 300 GHz to 10 THz. Until recently Tera Hertz is inaccessible due to lack of sources and detectors. Key properties of Tera Hertz are it can penetrates through cloths, leather, paper, plastic, cardboard, wood, masonry, ceramics and packing material. It can also penetrate through fog and clouds, but cannot penetrate through metal or water. Materials can be identified using characterises of Tera Hert z spectra. In physics, terahertz rad iation refers to electro magnetic waves propagating at frequencies in the terahertz range. It is synonymously termed sub-millimeter radiation, terahertz waves, terahertz light, T-rays, T-waves, T-light, T-lu x, THz. According to some authors the THz band is also designated as Tremendously High Frequency or THF. Like infrared radiation or microwaves, Tera Hert z waves usually travel in line of sight. Typical attenuation of THz in water is 0.1db/m

As of 2004 the only viable sources of THz radiation were the gyrotron, the backward wave oscillator (BWO), the far infrared laser (FIR laser), quantum cascade laser, the free electron laser (FEL), synchrotron light sources and photomixing sources. THz pulse can be detected by bolometer, pyrometer. THz rad iation detection schemes involve the use of gated photoconducting antennas as detectors for freely propagating THz electro magnetic waves. Recently used detection scheme is free-space electro-optic samp ling. It resolves many of the questions left unanswered by complementary techniques, such as optical imaging, raman and infrared. The various methods for generating THz radiat ion is shown in Table 1. The terahertz gap where until recently bright sources of light and sensitive means of detection did not exist encompasses frequencies invisible to the naked eye in the electro magnetic spectrum, lying between microwave and infrared. Terahertz (THz) is intrinsically safe, non-invasive and non-destructive and it is used to create a powerful spectroscopic and imag ing technique for characterizing mo lecular structures. THz enables 3D imaging of structures and materials, and the measurement of the unique spectral fingerprints of different chemical and physical forms. Th is paper consists of V sections. In section II experimental set up for THz system is discussed. In section III applications of THz is discussed and section IV has conclusion and remarks.
Table 1: Techniques for Generating Terahertz Radiation [6]
Optically pumped THz laser Average power Usable range Time domain spectroscopy BWO Freuency mixing

>100mW 0.310THz Discrete lines CW/ pulsed Yes

~1uW 0.1-2THz N/A pulsed Yes

10mW
~0.11.5T Hz

nW 0.3-10 THz Continu ous CW No

Fig 1: TeraHert z-between radio and light [1] The earths atmosphere is a strong absorber of THz radiation, so the range of THz rad iation is quite short, limit ing its usefulness for co mmunicat ion. Production and detection of THz rad iation was technically challenging until 1990s.Thz radiat ion is emitted as a part of b lack body radiation from anything with temperature greater than 10 Kelv in.

T unablity

200G Hz CW No

CW/pulsed T urnkey system available

National Conference on EMERGING TRENDS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING AND EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

II.

EXPERIMENTAL SET -UP

Experimental set-up for Detection of objects using optical scheme is as shown in fig 2. It consists of THz source, lens, mirror and a detector. The lens is placed 9 cm fro m the source. The mirro r is placed between two lenses which is separated from 12cm and 10cm.

potentially Through-silicon vias (PTS) as shown in fig 4. Key advantages of the THz include: Rapid fau lt isolationminutes rather than days, identification of weak connections that may lead to future faults, ability to isolate faults more efficiently than time-do main spectroscopy which is of 10 micron resolution. THz is an ideal solution for providing 3D imag ing of the inside of an integrated circuit device. THz y ields significant advantages over exis ting techniques such as Xray analysis, which provides only 2D images and can damage the semiconductor in the device, and other techniques such as ultrasound which provides limited resolution and can be difficu lt to implement. Terahertz is used to study Electron carriers. Semiconductor scientists have using terahertz frequency radiation to study impurities, carrier concentration and mobility, and to map out the fundamental physics that governs the way that electrons move in a semiconductor.

Fig 2: Experimental set-up for Detection using optical scheme [1]

(a)

Fig 3 Experimental set up for detection using TPI spectra 1000 [7]

(b)
III.

A PPLICATIONS

Fig 4: (a) Non-Destructive Testing - 3-D Terahertz Imaging of integrated circuit package, (b) 3D terahertz images of different layers at different depths within an integrated circuit device [7]

The major applicat ions of THz is in Semiconductor industry, Solar industry, Pharmaceutical, Ho meland security, Non-destructive testing, Material characterizat ion, Medical imag ing, Security, Teleco mmunications, Microscope Systems, Manufacturing 3.1 Semi-conductor industry. THz rad iation has ability to penetrates deep into the many organic materials without damaging the outer layer. Terahertz spectrometers utilize powerful, ultra -fast laser sources and semiconductor based detection systems to supply full access to the 0.06 4 THz (2 cm-1 - 120 cm-1 ) spectral region. The unit is used to identify and quickly isolate faults on the interconnects of advanced packages, such as Flip Chip, Package on Package (PoP) and

3.2 Pharmaceutical Terahertz technology also produces faster results than Xray and in the pharma industry enables non-destructive, internal, chemical analysis of tablets, capsules and other dosage forms. Terahertz light has remarkable properties. Many common materials and living tissues are semi-transparent and have Terahert z fingerprints, permitting them to be imaged, identified, and analyzed. Moreover, the non-ionizing properties of terahertz radiation and the relatively low power levels used indicate that it is safe. THz is considered to be the next significant unique imaging diagnostic modality, which offers unique measurement and sampling advantages over existing

National Conference on EMERGING TRENDS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING AND EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

imaging technologies such as X-Ray, CT, PET, Ultrasound and MRI.

Terahertz radiat ion is able to recognize the presence of certain chemicals, especially those with long organic mo lecules, and this property can be used to monitor the stages of a chemical react ion additional to this THz has the ability to "see" through ceramics and plastics, this means that terahertz radiation could be a valuable tool for the chemical engineering industry. Also, because terahertz radiation is sensitive to the motion of the atoms in such mo lecules, it is possible to discriminate between chemicals that have the same chemical formula, but different physical structures. This property could be important in deciding which of two isomorphs is present in a pharmaceutical compound. 3.2.2 Instrumentation for the pharmaceuticals industry Pharmaceuticals are often made in several layers, so that different drugs can be released at different times. To check the integrity of coatings , terahertz probes are ideal. These probes rely on the effects of reflection of pulses at the interfaces between layers 3.3 Medical applications 3.3.1 Cancer Diagnosis (Oncology) Terahertz radiat ion has ability to detect certain skin cancers and, possibly, epithelial cancers in the mouth as shown in fig 8. There is also very good evidence that Terahertz probes can be used as intra-operative probes during breast cancer surgery. Since 1999, TeraView has use Terahertz waves for the detection of skin and other surface cancers. Terahertz waves are a safe, non-ionising form of electro magnetic radiation. As such they are ideal for using in the detection of cancer. In-general the Terav iew has developed a number of terahertz algorithms which can effectively differentiat ing between healthy and cancerous tissue. However the limited penetration of terahertz into the human body, applications are limited to surface cancers or as an intra operative probe. Terahertz waves can be used in real t ime to confirm the removal of all the cancer tissue, significantly reducing the need for subsequent operations. In removing cancerous tissue, the surgeon makes his best estimate of where the diseased tissue is. This tissue is then sent to biopsy, where the margins are checked. That is to say they verify that the tissue is surrounded only by healthy cells. Contrary to X-rays, terahertz rad iation has a relatively low photon energy for damaging tissues and DNA. So me frequencies of terahertz radiation can penetrate several millimeters of tissue with low water content (e.g., fatty tissue) and reflect back. Terahertz radiat ion can also detect differences in water content and density of a tissue. Such methods could allow effect ive detection of epithelial cancer with a safer and less invas ive or painful system using imag ing.

Fig 5: Graph of monohydrate, anhydrate and anhydrate plot wavenumber v/s absorbance [7]

THz can monitor and control the coating thickness on individual tablets using in-line probe as shown in fig 6 and fig 7. The THz system takes 100 readings per minute and hence can measure several thousand tablets over a full coating run. In real time this data can then be used to show the tablet to tablet variation and when integrated into the wider control system can control tablet coating thickness, end point and alarm if malfunctions occur and with detection limits ranging fro m 30 microns to several mm.

Fig 6:Using terahertz pulsed imaging as a tool to investigate coating integrities [1]

Fig 7: Non-destructive mapping of coating thickness in pharmaceutical tablets [1]

3.2.1 Chemical Engineering Systems to observe the progress

National Conference on EMERGING TRENDS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING AND EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

THz imaging is performed with time do main experimental setups simp ly by scanning an object through the focus of a single pixel. In the full image, each pixel has a complete time-do main waveform and a spectrum. [8]

3.3.3 Monitor the presence of genetic mutations Because biological structures such as DNA will exh ibit characteristic "internal" motions, such as rotation, vibration and twisting at terahertz frequencies, it is possible to monitor the presence of mutations in the sequence of DNA bases using terahertz radiation. 3.4 Security 3.4.1 Detection of explosives and materials characterization Terahertz systems offer great potential for checking for the presence of drugs, explosives and other items beneath clothing or packaging as shown in fig 10. Terahert z can not only identify the presence of materials, but also identify them fro m their spectra. A very different approach for THz imaging is passive imaging, where, similar to IR imaging, a detector array would detect the thermal radiat ion in the THz range. Since THz radiat ion, unlike IR radiat ion, can penetrate many low-loss dielectric materials such as paper, clothing, and cardboard, one of the major applicat ions for THz waves is high-resolution imaging through dielectric material. Although imaging through barriers can be done with millimeter wave systems, THz offers a greater spatial resolution and a smaller aperture. There are a nu mber of security applications for this technology, such as through the-wall imaging, luggage inspection, and detection at a distance of weapons or exp losives (suicide bombers) hidden under clothing.

Fig 8: In vivo surface and depth information (Skin cancer) [1]

Although medical applications of THz imag ing are limited by strong absorption in living tissue, studies have shown the ability to differentiate skin cancer fro m healthy skin using this technique. 3.3.2 Terahertz for Oral Healthcare Applications Dental Caries, or tooth decay, is one of the most common human disorders. Caries is init itated as localized destruction of the outside layer of a tooth called the enamel. Acids in the plaque deposits adhering to teeth cause erosion, known as dimineralization. Caries proceeds by the creation of a subsurface lesion in the enamel. The lesion may extend to the next t issue layer in teeth, the dentine, without macroscopically visib le breakdown or even microcavity formation at the tooth surface. The absence of visual features on the tooth surface makes early detection of tooth decay difficu lt. X-rays, one of the accepted methods used to detect decay, only reveals the problem at a relat ively late stage, when drilling and filling is the only method available to halt the decay. If decay can be detected early enough it is possible to reverse the process without the need for drilling by the use of either fissure sealing or remineralizat ion. Some frequencies of terahertz radiation can be used for 3D imaging of teeth and may be more accurate than conventional X-ray imaging in dentistry.

Fig 10: Detecting metals, non-metals and explosives hidden in clothing. [1]

Fig 9: Tera Hertz is able to distinguish between the different types of tissue in a human tooth; detect caries at an early stage in the enamel layers of human teeth and monitor early erosion of the enamel at the surface of the tooth. [7]

National Conference on EMERGING TRENDS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING AND EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

dangerous gases to be fully automated and maintain ing a very low false alarms level.

Fig 11: Vehicle driving aids ranging from 1-20 meters [1]
Fig 14: Spectra for HCN and Ammonia [7]

The ability of the technology to spectrally identify explosives through clothing has led to the first successful proof of principle experiments at stand off distances for potential applications in building security, airports and defense. The imaging ability of the technology has led to proof of principle demonstrations of shoe scanning, as well as the worlds first practical terahertz system, based on a hand held wand that operates much like a metal detector, but capable of detecting non metallic weapons and certain explosives.
Fig 12: Terahertz Imaging Through Obscurants for helicopter landing [1]

TeraView has worked closely with government and academic laboratories in the US and Europe to supply our terahertz products for detecting and identifying exp losives and improvised explosive devices (IED) at stand-off distances of up to 1 m.

Fig 13: Characterization of explosives [7]

3.4.2 Terahertz Detection of Noxious Gases Terahertz Continuous Wave (CW) spectroscopy will give superior resolution when co mpared to infra red or ion mobility type techniques. This superiority co mbined with the speed of analysis enables the detection of noxious or

3.4.3 Terahertz for Mail Screening As terahertz radiation is not scattered significantly by soft materials like paper, it can be used to investigate the contents of envelopes and paper packages without opening. For mail screening Terahert z Pulsed Imag ing (TPI) can be used for two different applications. Text was applied to paper using pencil, ballpoint and a laser printer. The pages were then placed in an envelope and scanned using Terahertz Pulsed Imag ing (TPI).Whichever way the text was generated, Terahertz Pulsed Imaging (TPI) was able to read the script fro m outside the package. In addition to mail screening TPI can be used to read the contents of valuable or delicate documents without having to unfold or open the item where damage might occur. In other mail screening applicat ions, the aim is to identify materials or substances contained in a letter. These substances may be hazardous and cause harm to the recipient or could also be controlled substances being sent through the mail system. In either case, TPI is able to detect the presence of such materials . So the presence of the substance can be detected using TPI and terahertz spectroscopy can be used to determine its chemical identity as shown in fig 14.

National Conference on EMERGING TRENDS IN SIGNAL PROCESSING AND EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

cells, in the terahertz range of frequencies. It is important to develop new techniques of near field spectroscopy for potential applications in biological research. 3.7 Co mmunicat ions systems Terahertz communication systems may offer many advantages in terms of antenna size and bandwidth. They are, at present, in their infancy but promising results are reported for transmission of broadband signals through free space, despite the problems of atmospheric attenuation. Satellite-tosatellite communications, atmospheric absorption is not a problem. THz provides larger bandwidth and therefore higher transmission rate. Indoor wireless communicat ions with THz may provide mu ltip le data channels with gigabit per second or greater capacity. Potential uses exist in high-altitude telecommun ications, above altitudes where water vapor causes signal absorption, aircraft to satellite, or satellite to satellite.
IV.

Fig 15: THz image to check materials inside the envelope [7]

3.5 Non-destructive testing systems Terahertz waves can penetrate many common materials , such as plastics or ceramics, and because they can be sent through such materials in pulses, it is possible to detect the presence of foreign bodies or flaws in structures such as laminates or composites. The method used is somewhat similar to that used in radar. THz is used for Non-contact remote measurements, high precision and accuracy in thickness determination and ability to measure the thickness of individual layers in mu lti-layered coatings, measurement of the coating thickness uniformity distribution over an area, identification of painting defects, and have the ability to determine the orig in of the defect, mon itoring of wet-todry processes. Terahertz radiation has the unique ability to non destructively image physical structure and perform spectroscopic analysis without any contact with valuable and delicate paintings and artefacts. For centuries, artists have applied paint to canvas, parchment, pottery and buildings producing many delicate and valuable works of art. Degradation caused by chemical reaction, sunlight, environ ment and other factors is a continuing process that conservators wish to slow down, stop or even reverse. Key to the conservation process is understanding the chemical and physical structure of the work of art , how much deterioration has already taken place and what were the causes. With this knowledge, the process of repair, restoration and care can start. Terahertz Pulsed Imaging (TPI) is a non-destructive technique that can image the sub-surface structure of materials such as heritage plastics, film negatives and paint layers on canvas, walls or pottery. Each layer of paint can be identified and thicknesses measured down to the base material, whether that is canvas or ceramic. Furthermore, 3D TPI provides the unique ability to identify the presence and to investigate the origins of defects in multi-layered painted car panels with both metallic and plastic (sheet-moulded compound parts) substrates. 3.6 Microscope Systems At present we are "blind" to the properties of small quantities of materials, especially living materials such as

CONCLUSION

THz is very promising technology for many applications. This technology is now moving forward to commercialisation. Backward wave oscillator (BWO) is most successful tube for generating Tera Hertz. The only disadvantages of BWOs include the need for a large external magnetic field required for a highly stable high-voltage power supply. Pyrometer is the most successful detector used for detection of the objects. The cost of the THz imaging system is very high. Because of this reason, most developing countries cannot afford this. This motivates the researchers to carry out work in this field to bring down the cost of the equipment. In conclusion, present THz system has long distance to go before it can be co mmercially used all over the world.
V.

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