At Photonics West, Toptica launched a terahertz imaging extension for its successful time-domain spectroscopy platform, TeraFlash. Owing to the unique spectral bandwidth of the TeraFlash (0.105THz), researchers can exploit the full potential that the combination of imaging and spectroscopic methods has to offer.
The imaging extension uses two precise linear stages to scan a sample through the focus of the terahertz beam. The translational movement is synchronised with the delay-stage within the TeraFlash, speeding up the measurements, allowing the system to acquire complete waveforms for up to 16 pixels per second. The positioning accuracy is better than 200µm over a 15 x 15cm field of view.
Co-developed with experts from Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (Berlin, Germany), the imaging extension comes in two versions – a ‘basic’ setup for researchers who wish to use their own optical components, and a ‘complete’ version that includes parabolic mirrors for beam shaping and focusing.
The ‘complete’ imaging extension offers flexibility – with the help of alignment pins, users can reconfigure the optics quickly from a transmission setup to a reflection geometry and vice versa.
Both versions feature a software package that offers a choice of contrast parameters including amplitude, phase and layer thickness.