We This paper presents a fully-integrated 0.56 THz 128-pixel near-field 1-D sensor array with 10-12 μm lateral resolution. The sensing elements are based two parallel cross-bridged split-ring resonators that utilize a 3-D topology to exhibit high field confinement in the sensing spot. The sensor comprises a scalable excitation scheme that is designed to maximize the fill factor of the imager for large 1-D arrays. The THz front-end is co-integrated with a digital-read out chain. This enables rapid THz near-field image acquisition of planar and soft surfaces. Furthermore, the imager can be operated as a standalone device that is only powered with a USB cable. As an exemplary application, this work demonstrates THz near-field sensing as a tool for biometric fingerprint reading for the first time.
Hillger, P., Jain, R., Grzyb, J., Mavarani, L., Bücher, T., Pfeiffer, U. R., … & Guillet, J. P. (2018, September). A solid-state 0.56 THz near-field array for μm-scale surface imaging. In 2018 43rd International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and TerahertzTerahertz radiation is electromagnetic energy commonly associated with frequencies around 0.1 to 10 THz, between microwaves and infrared, where many materials reveal distinctive propagation, absorption, and imaging behavior. More Waves (IRMMW-THz) (pp. 1-2). IEEE.