PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | February 8, 2008
Proc. SPIE. 6840, Terahertz Photonics
KEYWORDS: Reflectors, Refractive index, Lenses, Polymers, Spectroscopy, Nondestructive evaluation, Control systems, Process control, Terahertz radiation, Terahertz spectroscopy
The worldwide production volume of polymers is still rising exponentially and the number of applications for plastic
components steadily increases. Yet, many branches within the polymer industry are hardly supported by non-destructive
testing techniques. We demonstrate that terahertz (THz) spectroscopy could be the method of choice to ensure high-quality
polymer products. Applications range from the in-line monitoring of extrusion processes and the quality control
of commodities in a mass production up to a total inspection of high-tech safety relevant products. Furthermore, we
present an extension to THz time-domain spectroscopy in the form of a new data extraction algorithm, which derives the
absorption coefficient, the refractive index and the thickness of a sample with very high precision in a single pass.
Apart from that, we discuss the ability of THz systems for quality control of polymeric compounds. Here, it is essential
to monitor the additive content as well as additive inhomogeneities within the mixture. Recently, we built a fiber-coupled
THz spectrometer for in-line monitoring of compounding processes. Additionally, we demonstrate the potential of THz
systems for the non-destructive and contactless testing of structural components. THz imaging is capable of analyzing
material thicknesses, superstructures, the quality of plastic weld joints, and of detecting flaws in components.
Plastics and THz form a very fruitful symbiosis. In return, plastics industry can provide THz systems with custom-tailored
components, which have very attractive properties and extremely low costs. Examples of this development are
photonic crystals or polymeric Bragg filters, which have recently been demonstrated.
