Compact Submillimeter-Wave Sources and Detectors for Biological and Chemical Spectroscopy

This SBIR Phase I project addresses the challenge of minimizing the size, weight and power consumption of a frequency domain THz spectrometer operating in the 0.3THz to 3THz range. Traditional solutions are larger and heavier than necessary since they rely on assembling optical sub-systems by using separately packaged commercial components, or by using general-purpose commercial grade optical mounts. Reducing the size and weight of a THz spectrometer will require advanced assembly techniques that are currently under development at Phasebridge and a small handful of other companies and research groups. This proposal makes the case that the design of the THz spectrometer should be relatively straightforward and can be accomplished in Phase I, and the advanced manufacturing techniques can be introduced in subsequent phases. The challenges in Phase I involve defining the system architecture and identifying the optical and signal processing components that would be part of the compact THz spectrometer system. A successful Phase I will fully establish feasibility of achieving these goals using Phasebridge's hybrid packaging technology. Owing to the mature state of the packaging technology at Phasebridge the prototype for Phase II can be built directly after the successful completion of Phase I.