Compact fiber-pigtailed terahertz imaging system

James Van Rudd; David A. Zimdars; Matthew W. Warmuth

doi:10.1117/12.386344

23 May 2000 Compact fiber-pigtailed terahertz imaging system

James Van Rudd, David A. Zimdars, Matthew W. Warmuth

Proceedings Volume 3934, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers II; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.386344
Event: Symposium on High-Power Lasers and Applications, 2000, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Terahertz imaging has been shown to be a powerful tool for analyzing a variety of materials. From the amount of water in a leaf over time to looking at the spectroscopic species in a flame, this technique shows great potential for commercial applications. However, in order to work in a commercial environment, the present free-space optical systems must be abandoned in favor of fiber-optic delivery. To this end, we have developed a compact, fiber-pigtailed terahertz imaging system that utilizes a hermetically sealed, photoconductive, transmitter and receiver. The receiver uses an integrated amplifier to obtain a 1000:1 S/N with only 1 mW of power on both the transmitter and receiver and with a one second integration time. This system has usable energy extending from 0.04 to 2 THz and has both a rapid (20 Hz) scanner for short, 40-ps, scans as well as a long rail for scans up to 1 ns. The system hardware is contained in a 1.5 cu. ft. box with fibers feeding both the transceiver units. These units can be configured into either a transmission or reflection mode depending on the user's application. An advanced software system controls the hardware, collects the data, and does image processing.

Citation Download Citation

James Van Rudd, David A. Zimdars, and Matthew W. Warmuth "Compact fiber-pigtailed terahertz imaging system", Proc. SPIE 3934, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers II, (23 May 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.386344

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