SBIR Phase I: THz Imaging Focal Plane Array

智力优势这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目致力于太赫兹成像焦平面阵列的开发。探测器是薄的悬臂带，其物理特性随温度变化。研究目标包括悬臂梁的建模和设计，光学与电子辐射读出的评估，最大化辐射吸收的方法，以及图像阵列读出技术。这些目标将在第二阶段生产起作用的阵列的框架内实现。从热红外的早期工作来看，与现有的测辐射热计相比，探测器阵列预计非常敏感，响应时间允许高帧速率、高像素计数和开发高分辨率(像素计数)的成像阵列。更广泛的影响太赫兹辐射成像提供了许多X射线的好处，没有电离辐射。太赫兹成像光谱学为选择性成像和识别复杂的化学物种提供了一种新的非常强大的工具。可生产且具有成本效益的高像素数、高灵敏度和高帧速率太赫兹成像焦平面阵列的推出，将使新型系统得以生产，用于安全(通过衣物和包装材料成像、金属检测)、识别和识别(使用皮下血管图案)、标签(利用埋在塑料卡或芯片中的基于太赫兹的编码)、诊断医学(皮下组织的非侵入性探索、内部热成像)以及有机和制药材料的快速识别和表征。

INTELLECTUAL MERIT This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project addresses development of a terahertz imaging focal plane array. The detectors are thin cantilevered strips whose physical properties change with temperature. The research objectives include modeling and design of the cantilevers, assessment of optical vs. electronic irradiance readout, means for maximizing irradiance absorption, and techniques for image array readout. These objectives will be pursued within the framework of Phase II production of functioning arrays. From earlier work in the thermal infrared, the detector array is projected to be very sensitive compared to existing bolometers, with a response time permitting high frame rates, high pixel count, and development of imaging arrays of high resolution (pixel count). BROADER IMPACT Terahertz radiation imaging offers many of the benefits of X-rays, without ionizing radiation. THz imaging spectroscopy offers a new and very powerful tool for selectively imaging and identifying complex chemical species. Availability of a producible and cost-effective THz-imaging focal plane array with high pixel count, high sensitivity and high frame rate will enable production of new classes of systems for security (imaging through clothing and packaging materials, metal detection), identification and recognition (using subcutaneous blood vessel patterns), taggants (with THz-based coding buried in plastic cards or chips), diagnostic medicine (non-invasive exploration of subcutaneous tissue, interior thermal mapping), and rapid identification and characterization of organic and pharmaceutical materials.