An Integrated-Circuit Approach to Terahertz Nearfield Imaging

Terahertz waves exhibit advantageous properties, such as low photon energies in the range of 0.4-40 meV, making them attractive for many applications in fundamental science through practical imaging applications. However, their rather long wavelength creates challenges for super-resolution imaging. The presentation will focus on a new integrated-circuit approach to terahertz near-field imaging for ex vivo life-science applications. The approach is compatible with silicon process technologies and can scale-up to large-count multi-pixel imaging arrays able to reveal the microscopic nature of dynamic processes at THz frequencies in real-time. Topics covered during the talk include: 1) Fundamental and sub-harmonic RF circuit design methodologies 2) RF power generation and detection techniques and their limitations at THz 3) Evanescent field sensing in silicon process technologies 4) Dielectric permittivity based imaging for ex vivo life-science applications 5) Examples for a 128-pixel 0.56THz sensing array for real-time near-field imaging in 0.13µm SiGe BiCMOS