Terahertz Technologies

The terahertz spectral range covers frequencies from 100 GHz to 10 THz. In this spectral range, many materials are transparent and appear opaque under visible light. Terahertz waves can thus be used to see through most dielectrics (e.g. semiconductors, paper, cardboard, plastics). This allows non-destructive testing of plastic components or composite materials. Even thin resist films can be measured with terahertz technology without the measuring instrument having to touch the resist. The many applications of industrial relevance are processed at the Fraunhofer ITWM in the Department for Material Characterization and Testing.

The development of new sensor systems, evaluation algorithms or laser sources for terahertz generation extends into basic research.