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This paper presents a survey of the status of five active THz imaging modalities which we have developed and investigated during the last few years with the goal to explore their potential for real-time imaging. We start out by introducing a novel waveguide-based all-electronic imaging system which operates at 812 GHz. Its salient feature is a 32-pixel linear detector array heterodyne-operated at the eighth subharmonic. This array in combination with a telescope optics for object distances of 2-6 m reaches a data acquisition speed suited for real-time imaging. The second system described then is again an all-electronic scanner (now for around 300 GHz ), designed for object distances of ≥ 8 m , which combines mechanical scanning in vertical direction, synthetic-aperture image generation in horizontal direction, and frequency-modulated continuous-wave sweeping for the depth information. The third and fourth systems follow an optoelectronic approach by relying on several- to multi-pixel parallel electrooptic detection. One imager is based on a pulsed THz-OPO and homodyne detection with a CCD camera, the other on either continuous-wave electronic or femtosecond optoelectronic THz sources and a photonic-mixing device (PMD) camera. The article concludes with a description of the state of the art of imaging with focal-plane arrays based on CMOS field-effect transistors.

We present an electrooptic (EO) terahertz imaging technique providing a demodulating detector array for phase-sensitive multipixel terahertz detection. The terahertz radiation from a quartz-stabilized microelectronic emitter is mixed with the synchronized laser beat signal of a continuous-wave distributed-feedback diode laser pair. A fast laser current control loop provides stable phase locking between the terahertz emitter and the laser difference frequency, whereby a demodulating near-infrared photonic-mixer-device camera is used for depth-resolving EO terahertz imaging. Alternatively, a femtosecond laser is used for the EO read-out.

We present a scanning THz-camera with active illumination. Three different fully electronic transceiving techniques are evaluated: The first employs a commercial 230-320GHz frequency-modulated continuous-wave system with a harmonic mixing detector. Its bandwidth allows a ranging resolution in the mm-range. The second one is based on heterodyne detection operating at 645GHz with sub-harmonic mixer and provides a dynamic range beyond 100 dB. Like in the first system, we employ local illumination (THz beam focused on observed pixel). The third one equals the second one, but utilizes global illumination of the scene. In all cases, the scanning optics consists of a Cassegrainian telescope with a primary mirror diameter of 23 cm and a scanning mirror, which is spinning about a slightly tilted axis which itself is slowly rotated in a perpendicular direction to provide the second scan-dimension. With a typical distance of 0.5m between the scanning mirror and the object plane, the field of view covers several 100cm 2 . While the fast mirror axis spins with about 660RPM, the slow axis turns with at least 1 deg. per second and the data acquisition samples about 40000 points for each THz-image. Single-pixel detectors are used; the frame acquisition time is below 10 s. The development of a video-rate multi-pixel imager with up to 32 sub-harmonic mixers as detectors is in progress.

The development of active THz cameras with the potential for video-rate operation is an emerging and exciting research field. With our currently realized 645 GHz system we achieve scan rates of a few seconds with a one-pixel heterodyne detector and two-dimensional fast rotational scanning. The active illumination allows to resolve the object topography with subwavelength resolution. Within the next evolution step we will realize an active 812 GHz system incorporating a 1x32-pixel heterodyne detector array with one-dimensional scanning. This will allow video-frame-rates for images (amplitude and phase) with approximately 2000 pixels. But for large fields of view the quasioptical system must be optimized to minimize the aberrations inherent in all optical systems. We show, with the use of the optical software package Zemax, how to design, simulate and optimize such quasioptical systems for the one-dimensional 1x32-pixel heterodyne detector array. The resulting quasioptical system is diffraction-limited over the field of view (20 cm x 30 cm) at the design working distance of 4 m and has an adjustable focus optics for distances from 2 m up to 6 m.

We report on the realization of two active fully electronic THz cameras operating at different frequencies (645 GHz and 300 GHz) and room temperature. Active illumination together with the frequency modulation continuous wave approach allows us to implement unique features, such as phase-sensitive detection, working-distance selection and the suppression of spurious reflections. With both systems we are able to acquire images with more than 50000 pixels (phase and amplitude) in 9 seconds. The dynamic range exceeds 35 dB and we achieve a subwavelength depth resolution due to the measurement of the phase. The typical object distance is about 50-100 cm and the image size is on the order of hundreds of cm2. With frequency modulation of the source we are furthermore able to detect the position form objects up to an accuracy of a few mm.

We report on the realization of an active fully electronic THz camera operating at 645 GHz and room temperature. It currently acquires images with about 9000 pixels in 10 seconds. Each pixel contains the amplitude as well as the phase information of the reflected THz signal. Frequency modulation allows to select a specific working distance and to suppress spurious reflections. The typical image size is in the order of hundreds of cm2.

Characterization of the surface figure of technical materials by interferometry in the visible or near-IR wavelength regime becomes difficult or impossible if the surface is rough on the length scale of a tenth of the wavelength used. In this case, THz radiation can provide an interesting alternative. We demonstrate two methods for the accurate determination of the surface topography: THz heterodyne profilometry and THz ESAD (extended shear angle difference) deflectometry.

We explore the application of terahertz spectroscopic techniques for the remote determination of the water content of paper. The aim is the development of a rapid diagnostic imaging tool applicable in paper fabrication processes. THz radiation offers a high sensitivity for water, a good spatial resolution, and insensitivity to scattering at the paper surface. The advent of THz cameras makes fast large-area image detectors feasible. In this paper, we show for the case of a 0.6-THz fixed-frequency system, that the water content of paper can be determined with high accuracy. We demonstrate a quantitative (calibrated) method for determining the moisture content in paper based on extinction and phase measurements in the lower THz range with a spatial resolution in the mm-range and scanning times below two minutes.