THz Technology Boosts Spectrometers July 9, 2010
T-Ray Science has granted a Sub-Licensing Agreement to TeraView of Cambridge, UK, to use certain CW THz technology, originally patented by MIT, and licensed exclusively to T-Ray Science.
TeraView currently offers a range of advanced, cutting edge THz spectrometers. One of TeraView's leading products, the CW Spectra 400 utilizes the sub-licensed technology. The system generates a continuous wave which has a tunable frequency that is emitted and detected via a set of proprietary, fiber-fed THz photomixers. By the addition of suitable supports, gantries or other units, the CW Spectra 400 is capable of performing spectroscopy and imaging on a range of objects and materials. Under the terms of the Sub-Licensing Agreement, T-Ray Science will collect royalties on the sales of this product and any other products that utilize CW generation in the U.S..
According to BCC Research, overall spectroscopy sales in the US are expected to reach $5.2 billion this year, with an average annual growth rate of 7.7%. Furthermore, BCC Research estimates the THz imaging market will be worth $207 million by 2018, with a compound annual growth rate of 37.2% for the period between 2013 and 2018.
"THz technology is different from other methods because one can image things as well as take measurements," says Thomas Braun, president of T-Ray Science. "We believe that a significant percentage of the THz market will go to CW THz devices due to their relative affordability versus other types of THz instruments.
Therefore, CW THz technology is very well positioned to compete in a market that demands mass production, low cost, and portability."
T-Ray's Science's platform THz imaging technology has been shown to have numerous potential applications including homeland security, the detection of explosives and ceramic knives, process control in the paper, plastics, petro chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and medical imaging for detection of skin and other cancers. THz waves are also a safe, accurate, and economical alternative to other scanning methods such as high frequency ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and near-infrared imaging. This emergent technology has the potential to revolutionize the way many diseases are diagnosed, and ultimately cured. Numerous studies have shown that THz imaging can be used to image various cancers of which skin cancer imaging continues to be the focus of T-Ray Science's research and development.
Source: T-Ray Science, Inc.
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