Portable real-time THz imaging setup based on QC lasers

Christopher Bonzon; Giacomo Scalari; Maria I. Amanti; Fabrizio Castellano; Dana Turcinkova; Mattias Beck; Jerome Faist

doi:10.1117/12.908569

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22 February 2012 Portable real-time THz imaging setup based on QC lasers

Christopher Bonzon, Giacomo Scalari, Maria I. Amanti, Fabrizio Castellano, Dana Turcinkova, Mattias Beck, Jerome Faist

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Proceedings Volume 8261, Terahertz Technology and Applications V; 82610N (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.908569
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

A portable, stand-alone, real-time THz imaging system for high resolution is presented. The total weight of the apparatus is less than 15 kg and its physical dimension is of approximately (65 cm)³. A quantum cascade laser emitting at 3.4 THz based on a third-order distributed feedback cavity is used as radiation source for transmission and reflection imaging modes. We report real-time THz imaging with a bolometric camera operating at 15 Hz producing movies with a resolution of 120 x 160 pixels. With the help of a Stirling motor cryocooler the laser operates in continuous-wave at 40 K with more than 1 mW output power and less than 300 mW of power consumption. We were able to image small objects employing refractive elements that we manufactured in high density polyethylene achieving a resolution of twice the wavelength.

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Christopher Bonzon, Giacomo Scalari, Maria I. Amanti, Fabrizio Castellano, Dana Turcinkova, Mattias Beck, and Jerome Faist "Portable real-time THz imaging setup based on QC lasers", Proc. SPIE 8261, Terahertz Technology and Applications V, 82610N (22 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.908569

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