Real-time transmission-type terahertz microscope with palm size terahertz camera and compact quantum cascade laser

This paper describes a real-time transmission-type Terahertz (THz) microscope, with palm-size THz camera and compact quantum cascade laser (QCL). The THz camera contains 320x240 microbolometer focal plane array which operates at 30 Hz frame rate and has lock-in imaging function as well as integratio...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Oda, Naoki, Ishi, Tsutomu, Morimoto, Takao, Sudou, Takayuki, Tabata, Hitoshi, Kawabe, Shunsuke, Fukuda, Kyohei, Lee, Alan, Hu, Qing
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: SPIE 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/87070
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1982-4053
Description
Summary:This paper describes a real-time transmission-type Terahertz (THz) microscope, with palm-size THz camera and compact quantum cascade laser (QCL). The THz camera contains 320x240 microbolometer focal plane array which operates at 30 Hz frame rate and has lock-in imaging function as well as integration functions such as frame integration and spatial filter. These functions are found very powerful in improving signal-to-noise ratio. QCL is installed in compact Stirling cycle cooler. A variety of QCLs covers frequency range from 1.5 to 5 THz and provides time-average power of 0.5~2 mW. The illumination area for sample is changed by adjusting one lens in the illumination optics. Performances of the THz microscope, such as signal-to-noise ratio and so on, were measured and are found consistent with the calculations. THz images taken with the THz microscope are finally presented.