Electrically controllable terahertz metamaterials with large tunabilities and low operating electric fields using electrowetting-on-dielectric cells

Harry Miyosi Silalahi, Yi-Hong Shih, Shih-Hung Lin, Yi-Ting Chen, Wan-Yi Wei, Pei-Ling Chao, and Chia-Yi Huang, "Electrically controllable terahertz metamaterials with large tunabilities and low operating electric fields using electrowetting-on-dielectric cells," Opt. Lett. 46, 5962-5965 (2021).

for full paper see https://www.osapublishing.org/ol/abstract.cfm?uri=ol-46-23-5962

Abstract

A simple method that is compatible with all geometrical structures of terahertz (THz) metamaterials for increasing their frequency tunabilities and decreasing their operating electric fields is proposed. This method uses the displacement of glycerol droplets with various volumes to tune the resonance frequency of a THz metamaterial in an electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) cell. The experimental results reveal that the THz metamaterial has a large frequency tunability of 28% at an operating electric field that is smaller than 0.2 V/µm as the glycerol droplets move in and out of the path of a THz beam. The frequency tunability is large because the near field of the metamaterial “experiences” a large difference between the refractive indices of glycerol and air. The EWOD cell with the THz metamaterial is a great achievement for developing electrically controllable band-stop filters with large frequency tunabilities and small operating electric fields.

… The transmittance spectrum of the EWOD cell is measured using a THz spectrometer (TPS 3000, TeraView) in transmission mode, and the polarized direction of a normally incident THz beam is set parallel to the xaxis of Fig. 1(a). The …

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Terahertz spectroscopy of antiferromagnetic resonances in YFe1− xMnxO3 0≤ x≤ 0.4 across a spin reorientation transition

Lee, Howon, Taek Sun Jung, Hyun Jun Shin, Sang Hyup Oh, Kyung Ik Sim, Taewoo Ha, Young Jai Choi, and Jae Hoon Kim. "Terahertz spectroscopy of antiferromagnetic resonances in YFe1− xMnxO3 0≤ x≤ 0.4 across a spin reorientation transition." Applied Physics Letters 119, no. 19 (2021): 192903.

for full paper see https://aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/5.0070952

Abstract

e have conducted a terahertz spectroscopic study of antiferromagnetic resonances in bulk orthoferrite YFe1−xMnxO3  (0≤x≤0.4).  Below TSR, an antiferromagnetic resonance mode emerges and exhibits a large blueshift with decreasing temperature. However, below 50 K, this mode softens considerably, and this tendency becomes stronger with Mn doping. We provide a deeper understanding of such behaviors of the antiferromagnetic resonance modes in terms of the influence of the Mn3+ ions on the magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Our results show that terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is a useful, complementary tool in tracking magnetic transitions and probing the interaction between disparate magnetic subsystems in antiferromagnetic materials with multiple ionic species.

From the experimental section of the paper 

"Our terahertz transmission measurements were conducted on a Teraview TPS3000 (Teraview Ltd., UK) in the frequency range of 0.1–3 THz with the sample temperature controlled over the range of 4–300 K by a helium-free optical cryostat (Cryostation, Montana Instruments, Ltd., USA). All measurements were carried out in dry nitrogen or in vacuum to remove the water-vapor absorption. For transmission measurements, the samples were attached to a holder with a 3 mm hole by using silver paste. Our THz-TDS technique yielded raw data in the form of time-dependent waveforms of electric fields, and these were converted into complex-valued functions of frequency through the fast Fourier transform (FFT). "

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$d$ is the thickness of the sample.

TeraSolve - a new tool to measure tablet porosity and predict dissolution using THz spectroscopy

 

New wave of growth coming for Cambridge terahertz light pioneers TeraView

10-09-2021

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Business Board member Professor Aamir Khalid visited a world-first, homegrown Cambridge business to find out how loan support is helping them to take their growth to the next level.

TeraView is a company reflective of the unique business ecosystem which exists in the region. Born as a ‘spin-out’ from Toshiba and the University of Cambridge, it was co-founded by Sir Michael Pepper and Dr Don Arnone in 2001. Twenty years have since been spent developing patents and intellectual property on ways to use terahertz light for a range of commercial purposes.

Prof Khalid was given a tour of TeraView’s new premises at Cambridge Research Park by Dr Arnone. The new base means it now has space to develop its manufacturing function and grow the business. The move from the more central location of St Johns Innovation Park was supported with a £120,000 Growth Fund loan via the Business Board.

While such groundbreaking technology takes time to develop, the company is now well placed to scale and move to full profitability. Currently employing 21, the relocation will be a springboard for a doubling or even tripling of the workforce over the next five years. Dr Arnone’s projections are that the potential for its technology in the automotive, semiconductor and other industrial inspection markets will approach $100 million over time.

TeraView is a world-first company in the application of terahertz light technology. Terahertz light lies between infra-red and microwaves, and as such has unique properties which enables it to pass through objects and to transmit images and compositional (spectroscopic) information that is ordinarily hidden. Terahertz is non-destructive, safe and fast, making it the ideal inspection and imaging modality for many applications across a range of industries. TeraView’s customers include semi-conductor manufacturers and those in the car, food and pharmaceutical industries. Clients have included Ford and Intel, showing the potential to attract global ‘blue chip’ clients.

Asia and the US will continue to be key markets for TeraView, which is predominantly an export business. It is building sales and technical support based in those key markets, but Dr Arnone said it wants to retain its R&D base in Cambridge. New jobs in both its manufacturing and development teams will be created as part of its planned major workforce expansion. Another benefit to the local economy is the use of local suppliers to support the manufacture of its products, where Dr Arnone said they offer both the precision and flexibility needed by TeraView.

Prof Aamir Khalid of the Business Board said: "This is another breakthrough company emerging from the exciting, dynamic business environment we have in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. To turn a pioneering technology into a viable commercial opportunity is a fantastic achievement and I applaud TeraView for the ingenuity and hard work it has taken to get to this point.

“TeraView was at a key phase where it needed to change locations in order to scale up and I’m glad the Business Board has been able to play a part in helping their move. Visiting their premises it was clear they now have a great platform to accelerate their growth, with both local people and the local supply chain the beneficiaries through more skilled jobs and greater business opportunities.”

Prof Khalid is the Chief Executive of The Welding Institute (TWI Ltd), which is based at Granta Park near Cambridge.

from https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/new-wave-growth-coming-cambridge-terahertz-light-pioneers-teraview

Antibodies Processed Using High Dilution Technology Distantly Change Structural Properties of IFNγ Aqueous Solution

Penkov, Nikita. "Antibodies Processed Using High Dilution Technology Distantly Change Structural Properties of IFNγ Aqueous Solution." Pharmaceutics 13, no. 11 (2021): 1864.

for full paper see https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/13/11/1864

Abstract

Terahertz spectroscopy allows for the analysis of vibrations corresponding to the large-scale structural movements and collective dynamics of hydrogen-bonded water molecules. Previously, differences had been detected in the emission spectra of interferon-gamma (IFNγ) solutions surrounded by extremely diluted solutions of either IFNγ or antibodies to IFNγ without direct contact compared to a control. Here we aimed to analyse the structural properties of water in a sample of an aqueous solution of IFNγ via terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). Tubes with the IFNγ solution were immersed in fluidised lactose saturated with test samples (dilutions of antibodies to IFNγ or control) and incubated at 37 ◦C for 1, 1.5–2, 2.5–3, or 3.5–4 h. Fluidised lactose was chosen since it is an excipient in the manufacture of drugs based on diluted antibodies to IFNγ. After incubation, spectra were recorded within a wavenumber range of 10 to 110 cm−1 with a resolution of 4 cm−1 . Lactose saturated with dilutions of antibodies to IFNγ (incubated for more than 2.5 h) changed the structural properties of an IFNγ aqueous solution without direct contact compared to the control. Terahertz spectra revealed stronger intermolecular hydrogen bonds and an increase in the relaxation time of free and weakly bound water molecules. The methodology developed on the basis of THz-TDS could potentially be applied to quality control of pharmaceuticals based on extremely diluted antibodies.

Experimental 

2.2. THz-TDS 

In this study, we used the THz-TDS technique. It allows the simultaneous acquisition of absorption and refraction spectra of the test substance to calculate complex dielectric functions without using the Kramers–Kronig transformations. The details of this method are described, for example, in [46]. The spectra were recorded with a TPS Spectra 3000spectrometer (Teraview, Cambridge, UK) in a wavenumber range from 10 to 110 cm−1 with a resolution of 4 cm−1 . To obtain one spectrum, averaging over 2000 scans was performed. The humidity of the air in the room during the measurements was controlled and was approximately 35%. The spectra of solutions were recorded in two identical cuvettes with different distances between the windows: 50.02 µm and 100.17 µm. The spectrum of the solution in the first cuvette was considered to be the background spectrum, and the spectrum of the same solution in the second cell was considered to be the spectrum of the sample. 

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Papers at IRMMW 2021 using TeraView systems

The following papers were presented at this year IRMMW 2021 conference in China. 

Visualizing liquid transport through coated pharmaceutical tablets using terahertz pulsed imaging

Dong, R., and J. A. Zeitler. "Visualizing liquid transport through coated pharmaceutical tablets using terahertz pulsed imaging." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

… Above the flow cell, a commercial time-domain terahertz system (TeraPulse 4000, TeraView Ltd, Cambridge, UK) with a reflection probe was used to acquire the terahertz time-domain waveforms while water penetrated the tablet. The beam waist …

Terahertz waveform selection of a pharmaceutical film coating process using a recurrent network 

Li, Xiaoran, Bryan M. Williams, Robert K. May, Michael J. Evans, Shuncong Zhong, Lynn F. Gladden, Yaochun Shen, J. Axel Zeitler, and Hungyen Lin. "Terahertz waveform selection of a pharmaceutical film coating process using a recurrent network." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

Detecting capacity of THz method applied to art painting

Smolyanskaya, Olga A., Sergey V. Sirro, Alexander V. Minin, V. Yu Toropov, Olga V. Kravtsenyuk, Anastasiya A. Lykina, Alessia Portieri et al. "Detecting capacity of THz method applied to art painting." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-1. IEEE.

……The image of paints on canvas was recorded using the TerPulse Lx (TeraView, UK) system with a spectral range 0.06 THz – 6.00 THz …….

Terahertz Response of L-Serine at Low Temperatures

Sanders, T. J., J. L. Allen, J. Horvat, and R. A. Lewis. "Terahertz Response of L-Serine at Low Temperatures." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

… At room temperature a terahertz time domain spectrometer (THz-TDS; TeraView TeraPulse 4000) has been employed. Low temperature measurements were taken on a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS; Bruker IFS 125HR), using a 125 µm mylar …

Quantifying water absorption of hygrothermally aged epoxies with terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

Lin, Hungyen, Benjamin P. Russell, Prince Bawuah, and J. Axel Zeitler. "Quantifying water absorption of hygrothermally aged epoxies with terahertz time-domain spectroscopy." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

… We performed transmission THz spectroscopy using a commercial THz-TDS setup (Terapulse 4000, TeraView Ltd., Cambridge, UK). Frequency-dependent optical constants can then be calculated from the measurements and converted to …

Is there a terahertz absorption peak in frozen aqueous solutions of DNA nucleosides?

Tao, Yu Heng, Stuart I. Hodgetts, Alan R. Harvey, Stephen Moggach, and Vincent P. Wallace. "Is there a terahertz absorption peak in frozen aqueous solutions of DNA nucleosides?." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

….Measurements were conducted in a cryostat and measured in a commercial time-domain-spectroscopy (TDS) spectrometer (Terapulse 4000, TeraView Ltd, Cambridge, UK) in transmission mode. The measurements were made within a chamber purged with nitrogen, and the reference was taken with no sample present……

Enhanced THz signal via Au encapsulated in hydrogel gel for non-enzymatic glucose sensing

Zhao, Jingjing, Shaohua Lu, Shuting Fan, and Zhengfang Qian. "Enhanced THz signal via Au encapsulated in hydrogel gel for non-enzymatic glucose sensing." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

… A commercial THz-TDS system, TeraPulse 4000 from TeraView Ltd., was used to measure the absorption of the samples. … 

Phase diagram method for efficient THz images reconstructing

Nastasiu, D., M. Bernier, C. Ioana, C. Tréhoult, L. Lyannaz, and F. Garet. "Phase diagram method for efficient THz images reconstructing." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

… Experimentally, we used a commercial THz-TDS spectrometer (TeraPulse from Teraview) to perform 10 000 pixels’ images (3 cm x 3 cm – step 300 µm) of geometric patterns with different sizes, printed with conductive ink on dielectric and …

Terahertz Biosensors with high sensitivity for the recognition of neurotransmitter 

Lu, Shaohua, Di Zhou, Jingjing Zhao, Zhengfang Qian, and Shuting Fan. "Terahertz Biosensors with high sensitivity for the recognition of neurotransmitter." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

.... reflection module of a commercial terahertz time domain spectroscopy system (TeraPulse …

THz and IR spectroscopy of H2O@C60 endofullerene 

Melentev, Alexander V., Sergey S. Zhukov, Vasileios Balos, Gabriela Hoffman, Shamim Alom, Mikhail Belyanchikov, Elena Zhukova et al. "THz and IR spectroscopy of H 2 O@ C 60 endofullerene." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

… Spectroscopic transmission measurements were carried out in a wide temperature range of 6–300 K using time-domain terahertz spectrometer TeraView TPS Spectra 3000....

Assessing Changes in Human Skin Using in vivo Terahertz Measurements

Lindley-Hatcher, Hannah, A. I. Hernandez-Serrano, Jiarui Wang, Juan Cebrian, Joseph Hardwicke, and Emma Pickwell-MacPherson. "Assessing Changes in Human Skin Using in vivo Terahertz Measurements." In 2021 46th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz), pp. 1-2. IEEE.

… A TeraPulse 4000 system from TeraView Ltd was used to perform in vivo point scans of human skin in a reflection geometry with the skin in contact with a quartz window for the duration of the measurement, as shown in Fig. 1. a). .....

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