Technology trend in real-time, uncooled image sensors for sub-THz and THz wave detection

Naoki Oda

doi:10.1117/12.2222290

25 May 2016 Technology trend in real-time, uncooled image sensors for sub-THz and THz wave detection

Naoki Oda

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9836, Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications VIII; 98362P (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2222290
Event: SPIE Defense + Security, 2016, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

The author summarizes development of uncooled microbolometer terahertz (THz) focal plane arrays (FPAs) and real-time cameras for sub-THz and THz wave detection. The array formats are 320x240 and 640x480, and the cameras have several functions, such as lock-in imaging, external-trigger imaging, image processing (pixel binning and frame integration), beam profiling and so on. The FPAs themselves are sensitive to sub-THz, THz and infrared radiations. Active imaging systems based on the imagers are described. One of them is a real-time transmission-type THz microscope which contains a THz camera and a quantum cascade laser (QCL). The other one is an active sub-THz imaging system, where a transmission imaging mode and a reflection imaging mode can be switched with one-touch operation. Strong THz emitters, such as far-infrared gas lasers and QCLs, are strongly coherent and often produce interference fringes in an image. A method of reducing the interference fringes (beam homogenizing) is described. Microbolometer FPAs developed by other groups, antenna-coupled CMOS FPA, array detectors based on GaAs high-mobility heterostructure and so on are also summarized, which operate in real-time and at room temperature. A fair method of evaluating performance of detectors with different sizes and at different wavelengths is explained and the performances of the detectors are compared.

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Naoki Oda "Technology trend in real-time, uncooled image sensors for sub-THz and THz wave detection", Proc. SPIE 9836, Micro- and Nanotechnology Sensors, Systems, and Applications VIII, 98362P (25 May 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2222290

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