Terahertz waves-related technologies of Hamamatsu Photonics

What are terahertz (THz) waves?

THz waves generally refer to electromagnetic waves with wavelengths from 3 millimeters to 30 micro meters, and it is known demonstrating both light and microwaves properties.

The waves this undeveloped range gains lots of attention as the great potential region on the creation of new application.   

Light has the property of identifying substances, and radio waves have the property of being easy to penetrate substances. Combining the properties of light and radio waves with the unique features of THz waves broadens the potential of various applications.

THz waves are known as non-invasive waves to the human body. In addition, because of its high transparency, it is expected to be applied to inspection of personal belongings.

THz waves are broadband electromagnetic waves  are more suitable than electromagnetic waves used in 5G for high-speed transmission of large-capacity data. Therefore, it is attracting attention as a next-generation communication technology.

The use of THz waves can identify the nature and state of a particular material. For example, they may be used for quality tests such as identifying drug conditions or defects.

Our initiatives

Research on THz waves has not made significant progress because of its are not easy to handle and so have been called the "THz gap".

Therefore, in order to expand and open up new marketplace, we are working on the production and development of new THz waves-related products, as well as the application of THz spectroscopy and THz imaging techniques to analyze pharmaceuticals, foods, and materials.

Related products

THz sensors are sensitive to the terahertz wavelength region, which has attracted attention in recent years. They utilize metasurface technology to convert terahertz waves into electrons.

These are Fresnel rhomb wave plates for controlling THz wave polarization.

Terahertz spectrometer is an attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectrometer integrating a THz wave emitter, detector and total reflection prism into a single unit.

Application

THz spectroscopy is a new spectroscopic technique capable of obtaining information on intermolecular vibrations and crystals. Because different information is obtained compared to that from wavelengths used in UV-visible and infrared spectroscopy, THz spectroscopy is a promising approach to eliminating the problems encountered in conventional spectroscopic analysis.

Related research

Recently, we developed room-temperature electrically-pumped THz QCL sources on the basis of the DAU active region that successfully demonstrated the highest THz output power with a high mid-IR-to-THz conversion efficiency of >1 mW/W2. We have also demonstrated the first terahertz-range imaging at room temperature using our THz QCL.

The realization of high-power terahertz (THz) waves has accelerated research on material responses under strong electric fields, advancing the understanding of novel materials and the development of new technologies.

THz phase shifters are key devices for precisely controlling and identifying the electric field structure within THz pulses. They are attracting attention as enablers for high-power THz applications.

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