Princeton shrinks tabletop terahertz equipment down to a few square millimeters
by noreply@blogger.com (brian wang) from NextBigFuture.com on (#2C3AH)
Researchers at Princeton University have drastically shrunk much of the equipment for terahertz wave generation: moving from a tabletop setup with lasers and mirrors to a pair of microchips small enough to fit on a fingertip.
Terahertz electromagnetic pulses lasting one millionth of a millionth of a second may hold the key to advances in medical imaging, communications and drug development. But the pulses, called terahertz waves, have long required elaborate and expensive equipment to use.
In two articles recently published in the IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, the researchers describe one microchip that can generate terahertz waves, and a second chip that can capture and read intricate details of these waves.
"The system is realized in the same silicon chip technology that powers all modern electronic devices from smartphones to tablets, and therefore costs only a few dollars to make on a large scale" said lead researcher Kaushik Sengupta, a Princeton assistant professor of electrical engineering.
Terahertz waves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum - the broad class of waves that includes radio, X-rays and visible light - and sit between the microwave and infrared light wavebands. The waves have some unique characteristics that make them interesting to science. For one, they pass through most non-conducting material, so they could be used to peer through clothing or boxes for security purposes, and because they have less energy than X-rays, they don't damage human tissue or DNA.
Princeton University researchers have drastically shrunk the equipment for producing terahertz - important electromagnetic pulses lasting one millionth of a millionth of a second - from a tabletop setup with lasers and mirrors to a pair of microchips small enough to fit on a fingertip (above). The simpler, cheaper generation of terahertz has potential for advances in medical imaging, communications and drug development. (Photos by Frank Wojciechowski for the Office of Engineering Communications)
IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits - On-Chip THz Spectroscope Exploiting Electromagnetic Scattering With Multi-Port Antenna
IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits - Dynamic Waveform Shaping With Picosecond Time Widths
Read more
Terahertz electromagnetic pulses lasting one millionth of a millionth of a second may hold the key to advances in medical imaging, communications and drug development. But the pulses, called terahertz waves, have long required elaborate and expensive equipment to use.
In two articles recently published in the IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits, the researchers describe one microchip that can generate terahertz waves, and a second chip that can capture and read intricate details of these waves.
"The system is realized in the same silicon chip technology that powers all modern electronic devices from smartphones to tablets, and therefore costs only a few dollars to make on a large scale" said lead researcher Kaushik Sengupta, a Princeton assistant professor of electrical engineering.
Terahertz waves are part of the electromagnetic spectrum - the broad class of waves that includes radio, X-rays and visible light - and sit between the microwave and infrared light wavebands. The waves have some unique characteristics that make them interesting to science. For one, they pass through most non-conducting material, so they could be used to peer through clothing or boxes for security purposes, and because they have less energy than X-rays, they don't damage human tissue or DNA.
Princeton University researchers have drastically shrunk the equipment for producing terahertz - important electromagnetic pulses lasting one millionth of a millionth of a second - from a tabletop setup with lasers and mirrors to a pair of microchips small enough to fit on a fingertip (above). The simpler, cheaper generation of terahertz has potential for advances in medical imaging, communications and drug development. (Photos by Frank Wojciechowski for the Office of Engineering Communications)
IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits - On-Chip THz Spectroscope Exploiting Electromagnetic Scattering With Multi-Port Antenna
IEEE Journal of Solid State Circuits - Dynamic Waveform Shaping With Picosecond Time Widths
Read more