Electronically-Actuated Coded Aperture Arrays for Millimeter and Submillimeter-Wave Imaging

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The objective of this research is to investigate and demonstrate a fundamentally new approach to millimeter and submillimeter-wave imaging based on wavefront processing and multiplexing. The approach is to exploit state-of-the-art millimeter/submillimeter-wave solid-state devices to realize electronically-controlled wavefront modulators and, in conjunction, apply calibration/error-correction techniques to remove systematic errors associated with imaging systems. The intellectual merit of this work lies in its potential to fundamentally transform the conventional approach to millimeter/submillimeter-wave imaging based on focal plane arrays. This research directly addresses the central difficulty impeding the realization of large millimeter-wave imaging arrays, the problem of processing a large number of outputs from a dense array of receivers. In addition, the proposed electronically-controlled coded masks will open a vast array of new wavefront processing techniques and system architectures for research and application to millimeter-wave imaging, techniques that have so far been impractical, but can dramatically improve system performance.The broader impacts of this research include significantly improved instrumentation for scientific fields that directly rely upon millimeter-wave imaging (spectroscopy, astronomy, and, recently, medicine). Moreover, the societal benefits of improved millimeter-wave imaging encompass public security (e.g., screening/monitoring of cargo) and quality assurance (e.g., manufacturing and process control), as well as medical diagnostics. The role of millimeter-wave imaging as a fundamental research topic relevant to public safety issues will be emphasized to introduce service/outreach-oriented undergraduate thesis projects (for example, scanning foods/medicines in sealed packages) into the curriculum, an approach that has shown success in promoting diversity and attracting students from different disciplines.