The UT Dallas research team has fabricated an innovative imager chip, which has the potential to transform mobile phones into visualizing devices. These devices can visually penetrate across walls, paper, wood, plastics, and various objects.
The research was carried out based on microchip technology and electromagnetic spectrum.
The electromagnetic spectrum includes wavelengths of energy. The night vision devices are powered by infrared wavelength, while cell phones and other AM and FM signals are supported by microwaves and radio waves, respectively.
In between the microwave and infrared wavelength, there exists a terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be accessed easily by majority of consumer devices.
Based on the new approach by UT researchers, certain images having signals in the terahertz range can be generated. The images eliminate the need to include several lenses within a device, thereby reducing overall cost and size.
Furthermore, the characteristics of microchip technology in the development of device includes the key CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) technology, which is fundamental for creating chips that are incorporated in electronic devices such as smart phones, personal computers, game consoles and high definition TV.
The researchers intend to implement distance range of < 4-in. This new technology approach will enable the detection of studs in walls and counterfeit money as well as validation of important documents. It can be used for industrial process control.
More communication channels are available in terahertz, thereby enabling more rapid sharing of information than at other frequencies. Terahertz can effectively be deployed for monitoring air toxicity, imaging and detection of cancer tumors, and in breath analysis-diagnosis.
The research was presented at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC).
Source: http://www.utdallas.edu/