Miniaturized Terahertz (THz) Sources

Advances in terahertz (THz) technologies have demonstrated their potential to support defense-related applications in a number of areas including concealed or buried explosives, chemical and biohazard detection. However, for many applications, there is a lack of sufficiently powerful miniature THz sources. This lack of THz source technology has been a major limitation and impediment to the exploration, advancement and exploitation of the THz frequency spectrum. InnoSys has developed a solid-state vacuum device (SSVD) technology that addresses several of these problems and limitations, based on its novel techniques for semiconductor microfabrication, micromachining, and microelectromechanical systems, assembly, and packaging. This proposal will explore the scalability of these techniques to provide the requested power ranges, form factors and weight envelopes, and economies of scale at THz frequencies that may result from large-quantity manufacture. Key features of this proposal are the potential for hundreds of milliwatts of THz power in a small form factor (less than 1 cubic centimeter), and InnoSys in-house manufacturing capabilities. InnoSys is a woman-owned small business, with extensive experience in communications, radar, and imaging systems at millimeter and terahertz frequencies. Its facilities include Class 1000 and 100 clean rooms, and a full complement of applicable processing and fabrication equipment.