Invitation to a Danish Academy of Technical Sciences Conference 2009

5 October 2009

Venue: Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Building 101

OPTICAL TERAHERTZ SCIENCEAND TECHNOLOGY

Invitation

- A playground for fundamental and applied science

Introduction

“ATV and DTU Fotonik will bring together the world’s top technologists from the nascent terahertz industry, the leading scientists in the field of terahertz technology and Danish and foreign companies and scientists”

ATV - Danish Academy of Technical Sciences and DTU Fotonik - Technical University of Denmark, Department of Photonics Engineering arrange this conference on the nascent terahertz technology. The aim is to identify the com-mercial possibilities of the so-called terahertz range. The terahertz range is a broad frequency band between micro-waves and infrared light.

The terahertz range has almost solely been used for scientific purposes so far - mainly due to a traditional lack of easily ac-cessible light sources and detectors in this range. The latest technological breakthroughs have implied that it is necessary to change this perception.

With this conference we hope to inspire future commercial initiatives for Danish companies so that they can benefit from this active technological development. Today terahertz tech-nology is already utilised as an important tool for non-de-structive testing, for certain safety purposes and in hundreds of research laboratories all over the world. The applications will definitely be widespread. Different market analyses inde-pendently indicate that there will be a market of several hun-dreds of millions of euros within the next 10-20 years.

The conference will focus on technology for medical appli-cations, optical systems for terahertz technology, micro-scopy, applications of terahertz technology within European space programs, wireless terahertz communication and non-destructive error detection (for instance in composite materials).

One of the important aims of the conference is to invite the participants to take an active part in the moderated debate that will follow the presentations during the day. At the end of the day a panel discussion will focus on future perspectives on Danish industry within this exciting field.

Conference objective

The overall objective of the conference is to bring together leading experts working in various directions of THz tech-nology with a focus on upcoming applications with leading experts from industry. It is our hope that this opportunity to meet will serve as inspiration for further development of the growing commercial opportunities offered by the incorpora-tion of THz technology in future applications.

In between the cutting-edge presentations, the participants will have ample time to network with top scientists, policy makers, and businessmen from a range of companies and research institutions.

Conference ProgramConference Program

8:30 Registration and morning coffee

9:00 Welcome Address by Chief Scientist Lars Lading, Danish Technological Institute, Chairman of the ATV group on Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Information Technology

9:15 Terahertz Technology

”Looking forward with optical Terahertz technology” by Professor Peter Uhd Jepsen, Technical University of DenmarkThe THz frequency range contains a wealth of scientific as well as commercial opportunities. Parallel to an impressive development of science in the THz frequency range, there is a clear trend in THz research and development that new research becomes more and more oriented towards real-world applications. This can be interpreted as an indication of a maturing field. Peter Uhd Jepsen will briefly discuss where THz technology may take us in 20-30 years from now, and outline a few of the key technologies that will need to be developed in order to get there.

“Seeing resonant currents in electric micro-circuits – Terahertz near-field microscopy” by Dr. Markus Walther, University of Freiburg, GermanyOver the past years many studies have demonstrated the great potential of terahertz imaging for basic research, industry or security applications. In conventional imaging applications, however, diffration is limiting the achievable spatial resolution to orders of the wavelength. Only recently, terahertz near-field imaging techniques have been introduced that can overcome this diffraction limit.

We have developed such a microscopy approach which allows us to measure the amplitude, phase and polarization of electric near-fields at terahertz frequencies with sub-wavelength spatial resolution. Besides the investigation of various microstructures, our approach also allows us to trace the electric field vectors close to optically excited metallic structures on sub-ps time scales. From the measured in-plane electric vector fields we are able to reconstruct the out-of-plane magnetic field vectors. As a result we obtain a comprehensive microscopic picture of the electromagnetic near-fields and ultimately the resonant currents flowing in electric micro-circuits.

10:45 Coffee/tea break

11.00 Emerging Terahertz Applications I

“Terahertz wave imaging for non-destructive testing” by Dr. X.-C. Zhang, RPI, Troy, USASince the first demonstration of THz wave time-domain spectroscopy in the late 80’s, there has been a series of significant advances of THz wave sensing and imaging. The development of intense THz sources and more sensitive detectors provide new opportunities for non-destructive testing in the THz frequency range. As pulsed and continuous THz wave technologies improve, new THz wave imaging capabilities impact a range of industrial sectors. This is particularly crucial for non-destructive evaluation (immediate application), national security (three to five years), and medical diagnosis or even clinical treatment in biomedical applications (five to ten years).

“Terahertz technology for space“ by Dr. Peter de Maagt, ESTEC, The Netherlands THz systems are finding and will continue to find wide-spread use in both space and terrestrial applications.The major reason for the interest in THz imaging technologies for terrestrial applications is their inherent spatial resolution, their ability to penetrate through non-metallic objects, their spectral identification capabilities, and their sensitivity to moisture.One of the issues that the space and terrestrial systems have in common is that they require state-of-the-art technology to achieve their ambitious goals; the highest resolution, the highest sensitivity, the highest frequency of operation. Although technology is advancing at a rapid pace in this frequency range, the requirements for these systems go well beyond what is currently available, such that there are also no standards or calibration reference sources in this field.

In this talk the design, construction and testing of ESA’s Herschel and Planck observatories will be used as an example to highlight some of the hurdles that have to be overcome for a space application. Engineers from numerous European space companies have worked together overcoming many challenges that have pushed terahertz reflector and instrument technologies to new limits. Consequently significant advances have been achieved despite the lack of internationally agreed procedures and practices. Systems used in Earth Observation will also be discussed and the drivers identified. Future THz space systems will also be highlighted.

12:30 Lunch

Conference Program13:30 Emerging Terahertz Applications II

“Applications of terahertz pulsed technology in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries” by Dr. Philip Taday, TeraView, Cambridge, UKThe terahertz spectral region extends from the end of the far-IR spectral region (i.e. 133 cm-1 or 4 THz) to the beginning of the microwave spectral region (i.e. 1.3 cm-1 or 0.02 THz). Absorptions observed in this region are commonly associated with intermolecular hydrogen-bonding vibrations and crystalline structure lattice vibrations.TeraView’s terahertz pulsed spectroscopy (TPS) measurements obtained in both transmission and reflectance modes advance the current state-of-the-art for elucidating solid state crystalline structures such as polymorphs, hydrates, and solvates by providing fundamental spectra-structure correlations for hydrogen-bonding and other organic moieties.Terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI) provides a quick and non-destructive 3D mapping technique for determining the composition and integrity of intact materials. TPI yields unique information about materials.More recently, TeraView has been on the next generation of time-domain reflectrometers (TDR) for use in semiconductor failure analysis as a non-destructive method for the location of defects in semiconductor device packages. In this seminar, Phillp Taday will give an overview of terahertz technology and practical implementation considerations for TPS and TPI applications in industry.

“Industrial application of terahertz systems” by Professor Martin Koch, University of Marburg, GermanyTHz spectroscopy systems will soon find their way from research labs into industry. In the talk Professor Koch will give an overview of emerging real world applications for THz technology. Applications include the process control in the polymer industry, the detection of contaminations in food, and the monitoring of the plant water status, the latter being important for plant breeders. Besides, Professor Koch will review recent attempts to develop low cost THz systems.

“Terahertz wireless communications” by Dr.-ing. Thomas Kleine-Ostmann, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, GermanyThe increased need of unoccupied and unregulated bandwidth for future wireless short-range communication systems will require the extension of carrier frequencies to values of 300 GHz and beyond in the lower THz range. The Terahertz Communications Lab is a joint activity of three research groups at the Technical University of Braunschweig and one at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, the German National Metrology Institute, also in Braunschweig. It aims to do research on system aspects, technology, propagation and channel modelling at sub-mm wavelengths. As part of this cooperation, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt covers metrological aspects within this frequency range. A 300 GHz transmission system designed for THz communication channel modelling and propagation studies has been set up and characterized with regard to link budget and noise. It consists of autarkic transmitter and detector units based on Schottky diode mixer technology. For demonstration, analogue and digital video signals have been transmitted over distances of up to 52 m. First channel measurements have been performed in an office environment. This talk gives an overview of recent and envisaged research activities within the Terahertz Communications Lab.

15:00 Coffee/tea break

15:15 Moderated debate/panel discussion

16:00 Closing remarks

Moderator

To facilitate an active discussion between the speakers of the conference and the participants, the sessions will be moderated by Professor Søren Rud Keiding, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University.

Conference Program

Speakers

Dr. Philip Taday, TeraView Limited, UK

Dr. Philip F. Taday earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics (1986), and his PhD in chemistry (1991) from the University of Reading, England. In August 2000 Dr. Taday began working at Toshiba Research Europe Limited, Cambridge, England, on terahertz spectroscopy. In April 2001 this terahertz program was spun-out of Toshiba, becoming TeraView Limited. Dr. Taday currently holds the post of Principal Scientist and head of the Applications at TeraView Limited. He has authored and co-authored 95 published papers and presented at numerous scientific conferences. He is a co-inventor of 5 patent applications.

Dr.-ing.Thomas Kleine-Ostmann, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Germany

Thomas Kleine-Ostmann received the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, in 1999, and the Dipl.-Ing. degree in radio frequency engineering and the Dr.-Ing. degree, both from Technical University Braunschweig, Germany, in 2001 and 2005, respectively. He worked as a research assistant in the Ultrafast Optics Group at NIST and the University of Colorado, Boulder (JILA) and in the Semiconductor Group at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, Germany, before he started working on his PhD in the field of THz spectroscopy. Since 2006, he has been working as a permanent scientist in the Electromagnetic Fields Group at PTB and since 2007 he is head of the group. Currently he is working on realization and transfer of the electromagnetic field strength, electromagnetic compatibility and THz metrology. He received the Kaiser-Friedrich-Research Award in 2003 for his work on a continuous-wave THz imaging system.

Professor Martin Koch, University of Marburg, Germany

Martin Koch is a professor of semiconductor physics at the physics department of the Philipps University Marburg, Germany. After Martin Koch completed his degree in physics at the universities of Marburg and Heidelberg he earned his PhD degree in Marburg in 1995 with a thesis in the field of ultra fast spectroscopy of semiconductors. Among other things Martin Koch worked as a scientific assistant in the Photonics and Optoelectronics group at the University of Munich, Germany, before he became an associate profes-sor of terahertz systems technology at the electrical engineering department of the Technical University Braunschweig, Germany. In 2003 Martin Koch was awarded the Kaiser Friedrich research price.

Dr. X.-C. Zhang, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA

Dr. Xi-Cheng Zhang is Eric Jonsson Professor of Science, Professor of Physics and Professor of Electrical Engineering. He is the director of the Centre for Terahertz Research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Zhang has received 22 US patents, published 14 books and book chapters, and has authored or co-authored over 300 refereed journal papers. He has received several awards and honours throughout his career. He is a Fellow of IEEE, the Optical Society of America, and the American Physics Society. Xi-Cheng Zhang’s research interests include ultra fast optics, electronics and optoelectronics; nonlinear photonics and semiconductor characterization.

Dr. Markus Walther, University of Freiburg, Germany

Markus Walther received the diploma and PhD degrees from the University of Freiburg, Germany, in 1999 and 2003, respectively. After working as a visiting scientist at Aarhus University, Denmark, and at the University of Toronto, Canada, he spent two years as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Since 2006 he is head of the Terahertz Research Group, Department of Molecular and Optical Physics, Albert-Ludwigs University, Freiburg, Germany. Dr. Walther received the Pfizer Research Award at the University of Freiburg in 2004. His research interests include both spectroscopy and imaging with pulsed terahertz radiation. Besides the investigation of various systems ranging from biological to semiconducting and metallic structures, he also works with his group on the development of novel THz near-field imaging systems.

Professor Peter Uhd Jepsen, Technical University of Denmark

Peter Uhd Jepsen obtained the Master’s degree in 1994 from Odense University, Denmark, and the PhD degree in 1996 from Aarhus University, Denmark. He was postdoctoral fellow and later assistant and associate professor at the University of Freiburg, Germany 1996-2004, and has been at the Technical University of Denmark since 2005. Currently he is heading the Terahertz Technologies and Biophotonics research group at DTU Fotonik - Department of Photonics Engineering, where he specializes in terahertz technolo-gies for novel sensing applications, spectroscopic measurement techniques, and imaging applications. Peter Uhd Jepsen received Elektrofondets Elektropris in 2007.

Dr. Peter de Maagt, European Space Agency, the Netherlands

Peter de Maagt received the M.Sc. and PhD degrees from Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 1988 and 1992, respectively, both in electrical engineering. He is currently with the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), European Space Agency, Noordwijk, the Netherlands. His research interests are millimeter- and submillimeter-wave re-flector and planar integrated antennas, quasioptics, electromagnetic band gap antennas, and millimeter- and submillimeter-wave components. Dr. de Maagt has received a number of awards and memberships. He is an active member of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society as well as a distinguished lecturer for the IEEE APS.

Professor Søren Rud Keiding, Aarhus University, Denmark

Søren Rud Keiding is Professor in Chemistry at Aarhus University and has throughout his scientific career been dedicated to the inter-play between the academic and industrial world. He has worked at IBM in the U.S. and was among the pioneers when THz technology was introduced in the late 1980’s. Later he has worked on the development and application of modern light sources in close coopera-tion with industry. His research focus in the recent years has primarily been water and the role of water in chemical reactions. Søren Rud Keiding has also played a key role within the education sector, especially in the construction of the civil engineering educations in Aarhus and in the cooperation between Aarhus University, the Engineering College of Aarhus and the regional business community.

Organisation

OrganiserThe ATV group on Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Information Technology and DTU Fotonik

Organising CommitteeProfessor Peter Uhd Jepsen, DTU FotonikChief Scientist Lars Lading, Danish Technological InstituteDirector, Professor Anders Bjarklev, DTU FotonikProject Manager Søren Elmer Kristensen, ATV

ParticipantsThe conference will bring together a broad panel of Danish and international scientists, directors and decision makers from private enterprises, organisations and institutions involved in setting the national and international agenda on research and development. Invited speakers will represent state-of-the-art knowledge on different terahertz technologies.

Participation feeIncludes coffee/tea, lunch and conference whitepaper.

Ordinary participants: DKK 1,400 ATV members: DKK 700Graduate students: DKK 500 All prices are exclusive of 25 % VATRegistration is binding. The invoice will be sent upon receipt of registration. If cancellation is received later than 28 September the participation fee cannot be reimbursed.

Conference SecretariatDanish Academy of Technical Sciences, ATVLundtoftevej 266DK-2800 Kongens LyngbyAtt. Søren Elmer Kristensen

Telephone: +45 45 96 08 16E-mail: sek@atv.dk

www.atv.dk

VenueBuilding 101, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby

RegistrationWritten registration is necessary. Please use the online registration www.atv.dk/tilmelding

Deadline for registration: 01 October 2009

Sponsors

Conference SecretariatDanish Academy of Technical Sciences

Lundtoftevej 266 • DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby

Att. Søren Elmer Kristensen

Telephone: +45 45 96 08 16 • E-mail: sek@atv.dk • www.atv.dk

RegistrationWritten registration is necessary.

Please use the registration form

on www.atv.dk.

ATV wishes to thank Siemensfonden and DTU Fotonik for financial support of the conference

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