A Low-Cost Terahertz Camera
A Low-Cost Terahertz Camera
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DOI：
10.3390/app9122531
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发表时间：
2019-06-02
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Cooke, David G.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Blanchard, Francois;Nkeck, Joel Edouard;Cooke, David G.
广泛的科学和工程应用需要具有成本效益的成像。对于太赫兹（THz）频率范围内的电磁波，阻碍该光谱范围广泛应用的一个关键缺失因素是廉价且高效的成像设备。近年来，基于氧化钒的热传感器已迅速进入夜视功能市场。同时，基于该技术的传感器已应用于太赫兹领域，但定价范围大两个数量级。在这里，我们展示了，通过简单的修改，商用热成像相机可以用作太赫兹成像设备。通过比较商用太赫兹相机和这种低成本设备，我们发现主要的灵敏度差异并非归因于设备固有的任何东西，而是归因于模数转换器和动态背景扣除功能。低成本太赫兹相机的演示可能有助于快速开发适合工业和科学应用的经济实惠的太赫兹成像解决方案。
Cost effective imaging is required for a wide range of scientific and engineering applications. For electromagnetic waves in the terahertz (THz) frequency range, a key missing element that has prevented widespread applications in this spectral range is an inexpensive and efficient imaging device. In recent years, vanadium oxide based thermal sensors have rapidly entered the market for night vision capability. At the same time, sensors based on this technology have been applied to the THz domain, but with two orders of magnitude larger pricing range. Here we show that, with a simple modification, a commercially available thermal imaging camera can function as a THz imaging device. By comparing a commercially available THz camera and this low-cost device, we identify the main sensitivity difference is not attributed to anything intrinsic to the devices, but rather to the analog-to-digital converter and dynamic background subtraction capability. This demonstration of a low-cost THz camera may aid in the rapid development of affordable THz imaging solutions for industrial and scientific applications.