Aug 13 2010
Researchers at the Harvard University and University of Leeds have developed a teraherz semi-conductor laser, which might be capable of detecting biological agents, without major side effects.
The new development brings the teraherz technology to a broad range of breakthroughs and applications. The U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council partially funded the research project.
The THz rays from the semi-conductor laser can penetrate paper, clothing, and plastic. These rays can also be utilized in detecting cracks in different materials, hidden weapons, tumors, and in high-sensitivity detection of interstellar material concentrations. When compared to traditional THz laser sources, the new semiconductor laser emits laser beams with smaller divergence.
To eliminate the existing limitations, the scientists have developed an array of sub-wavelength metamaterial on the quantum cascade lasers’ surface. These metamaterials emit beams in the spectrum’s far-infrared part, at a 3 THz frequency. The metamaterial-usage played a pivotal role in the project. The metamaterials can be used in applications including illicit substances scanning, cloaking, high-resolution imaging, and quality control for pharmaceuticals. However, the use of metamaterials has been limited.