SBIR Phase I: High Resolution Terahertz Video Camera for People Screening and Medical Imaging

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to advance a camera for applications including security and medical screening. The security screening and medical imaging applications both call for practical camera solutions that can offer both high resolution and real-time video frame rates. The airport passenger screening market was estimated at $2 B in 2017, and medical imaging technologies represents a $34 B market. The proposed project will advance the development of an imaging technology that is safer than other forms of radiation. The intellectual merit of this project is to explore translation of a Terahertz (THz) imaging sensor array, to be monolithically produced on a large substrate using processes already available in the flat panel industry. THz imaging offers extra safety as it is non-ionizing. The long wavelengths translate to larger sensor pixels than those of visible or infrared sensor arrays. Large arrays needed for high resolution will require physically large sensor arrays that are ideally suited for the large plate sizes available in display glass fabrication foundries. Making suitable THz sensor structures using such a manufacturing technique will require process adaptation as well as innovative device designs for THz applications. This project will advance the design and development of a camera core consisting of a 256x256 pixel array that can operate at a 10-30 Hz frame update rate. The project will also develop the optics necessary for imaging associated with security and medical applications. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.