High power THz emitters for non-destructive testing, chemical analysis and imaging

太赫兹辐射（THz，0.03-3毫米长的电磁波）具有许多独特的特性，使其对遥感，化学分析和质量监测特别有吸引力。太赫兹波被水强烈吸收，被金属反射，但很容易穿透纸或塑料包装。此外，许多常见的材料在这个波长范围内具有独特的吸收“特征”。这种方法不仅可以选择性地识别特定材料，还可以获得有关其化学成分的有价值的信息。食品、制药、生物医学、化工、乳品、安全等行业将从太赫兹技术的应用中受益匪浅。然而，目前，由于缺乏紧凑，强大和有效的辐射源，实际应用的THz系统的开发受到严重限制。该研究项目的重点是基于创新的激光和半导体技术开发这种太赫兹发射器。这项工作将与THz领域的加拿大领先公司T-Ray Science Inc.密切合作完成。该项目的结果将使T-Ray Science能够开发可靠且具有成本效益的THz系统，用于光谱分析和成像。这将为许多潜在应用提供适当且负担得起的THz技术做出重大贡献。

Terahertz radiation (THz, electromagnetic waves that are 0.03-3 mm long) has many unique properties that make it particularly attractive for remote sensing, chemical analysis and quality monitoring. THz waves are strongly absorbed by water, reflected by metal, but can easily penetrate paper or plastic packaging. In addition, many of the common materials have distinctive absorption "signatures" in this wavelength range. This make is possible not only to selectively identify specific materials, but also to obtain valuable information about their chemical composition. Industries such as food, pharmaceutical, biomedical, chemical, dairy, security, etc. will greatly benefit from applications of THz technology. At this moment, however, development of practical THz systems for real-world applications is severely limited by the lack of compact, powerful and efficient sources of this radiation. This research project is focused on the development of such THz emitters based on innovative laser and semiconductor technology. The work will be done in close collaboration with a leading Canadian company in the THz field, T-Ray Science Inc. The results of this project will enable T-Ray Science to develop reliable and cost-effective THz systems for spectroscopic analysis and imaging. This will make a significant contribution towards the availability of appropriate and affordable THz technology for many potential applications.