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A ThintriMARKET STUDY

2010

Terahertz SystemsTechnology & Emerging Marke

www.thintri.com

Terahertz Technology

Overview TerahertzBasics

HealthandSafetyIssues

Imaging

Spectroscopy

Sources ElectronicandElectro-

magneticsources,free

electronlasers

Opticalgenerationand

laser-drivensources

Quantumcascadelasers

Detectors Bolometers

Heterodynedetectors

Pyroelectricdetectors

Focalplanearrays

Plasmondetectors

Emergingdetector

technologies

Thintri,Inc.announcestherelease

ofthe2010editionofTerahertz

Systems: Technology and Emerging

Markets,anupdatedstudythat

exploresthecurrentstateof

terahertztechnologyandmarket

opportunitiesforsystemsoperating

intheterahertzrange.Thisin-depth

investigationdiscussesterahertz

technologiesalreadycreating

markets,emergingtechnologies

thataresettocreatenewmarket

opportunities,thetechnicalhurdles

thatmustbeovercomeforwider

commercialacceptanceoftera-

hertzsystems,andoverallmarket

development.Thereportsurveys

todaysterahertztechnology,

separateshypeandskepticismfrom

realityandassessestheapplica-

tionswhereterahertztechnologywill

openupsignicantnewmarkets,

andthosewhereitwont,including

bracketedve-andten-yearmarket

forecasts.

Contents

The Terahertz Ba

Thintri IncBusiness Intelligence Technology Assessment

Thintri Inc.ThintriInc.providesbusinessand

marketintelligenceforawiderangeof

technologiesthroughcustomconsult-ing,technologyassessments,and

publishedmarketstudies.

wSemiconductors

wElectronics

wPhotonics

wTelecommunications

wMaterialsengineering

Terahertz Systems

Hardwareconsiderations CWvs.pulsedsystems

Guidedwavedevices,

endoscopes

Cameras

Standardsandknowledge-

baseissues

The Industry Today Commercialhypevs.

buildingmarkets

Deploymentissues

Funding

Industryandgovernment

participation

Markets

Todaysterahertzmarkets

Emergingapplications

o Medicineand

Biological

o CivilianSecurity

o Defense

o Manufacturing

o Wireless

communications

o Research,environm

talandspacescie

Marketfeasibilityand

requirements

Thenext5-10years

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Background on Terahertz

Systems & Their MarketsTerahertzradiation,whichcanpenetrateto

somedegreemostmaterials,haslongbeen

establishedasaresearchtool,e.g.,helping

astronomersdetectantimatterinspace.The

transparencyofmostmaterialstoterahertz

waveshasmadeitdifculttoworkwith,

andconnedapplicationstothosewhere

usersaretolerantof,forexample,havingto

detectverylowpowerlevelsofradiation,

ortheneedtocoolsystemstoliquidhelium

temperatures.

Now,ongoingdevelopmentsintechnolo-

giesassociatedwithterahertzradiation

havebroughtaboutthepossibilityof

openingupanextraordinaryrangeofnew

marketsinthisdecade.

Thetremendousversatilityofterahertz

technologyallowsittobeusedinboth

imagingandspectroscopicmodalities,or

bothatonce.Thus,aterahertzsystemcould

notonlyidentifyaconcealedweaponon

anairlinepassenger,itcouldalsoidentify

amaterialcarriedbythatsamepassenger

anddistinguishbetweenanexplosiveanda

harmlesscosmetic.

Justafewoftheapplicationsthatareenvi-

sionedinthisonetechnologyarena:

Airportscreeningofpassengersfor

weapons,explosives,drugsorother

contraband

Securewirelesscommunications

Cancerdetection,woundinspection

andothermedicalimaging

BiochipanalysisofDNA,proteinsand

otherbiologicalmaterials

Detectionofchemicalandbiological

warfareagents

Detectionoflandminesandburied

explosivedevices

Monitoringmanufacturingprocesses

Measuringthewatercontentoffoodto

detectspoilage

Inspectingnishedproductsthrough packaging

Determiningthethicknessofalayerof

paintwhileitisstillwet

Qualitycontrolofinsulatedwiresduring

manufacture

Inspectingsemiconductorwafersfor

defects

Inspecting(andreading)unopened

mail

Whentherstversionofthisstudywaspub-

lishedin2007,theindustryfaceddaunting

challengesintechnologydevelopment

thathadtobeaddressedbeforesigni-

cine,securityandmanufacturingarelikely

toreachthetensorhundredsofmillionsof

dollarsperyearby2020,leadingtooverall

marketspossiblyinthebillions.

TheThintrimarketstudy,TerahertzSystems:

TechnologyandEmergingMarkets,relieson

extensive,in-depthinterviewswithindustry

executives,marketdevelopmentmanagers

andgovernmentandacademicresearch-

ers.Thereportprovidesasurveyofthecur-

rentstateoftheartinterahertztechnology,

anassessmentofpotentialapplications

intermsoftheirviabilityandrequirements

intechnologydevelopment,discussion

ofmarketdevelopmentandbracketed

forecastsforindividualmarketsin2015and

2020.

Understand the Markets

Howmanyoftheseapplicationswillactu-allyleadtogrowthmarketsisuncertain;

chancesare,notallwill.However,given

theextraordinarybreadthandpotential

volumesofthesemarkets,andtheunique

abilityofterahertztechnologytoaddress

fundamentalissuesinthesemarkets,acon-

servativebetisthatatleastseveralofthese

marketswilltakeoff.Thequestionis,which

ones?Ultimatelytheanswerwilldependon

acombinationoffactorsthatincludeappli-

cationandmarketdevelopment,customer

awarenessandeducation,andevolution

oftechnology.Whatisclearisthatthetera-

hertzindustryasawholeisonthevergeofsignicantgrowth.Thismarketstudyreects

theinputofanumberofindustryexperts

onthemostlikelycourseofdevelopment

interahertzsystemsandtheconsequentvi-

abilityofindividualemergingmarkets.

Price:$3,900

Contact:

J.ScottMoore,Ph.D.,Presiden Thintri,Inc.

MountKisco,NY

Phone:914/242-4615

Fax:914/666-4114

E-mail:smoore@thintri.com

Web:www.thintri.com

cantmarketscouldemerge.Sourceswere

weak,detectorswereinsensitiveandmany

neededcryogeniccooling,andsystems

werebulky,notrobustandmostimportantly,

veryexpensive.Anysignicantpenetration

ofcommercialmarketsrestedonaseries

ofsignicanttechnologicaldevelopments

whichatthetimewereuncertain.

Since2007,thesituationhaschangeddra-

matically.Robust,relativelyinexpensiveand

evenportableterahertzsystemsareavail-

ablecommercially,suitableforanumber

ofthehighproleapplicationsdiscussed

inthereport.Industryplayersareprepar-

ingtoenterastonishinglyvariedmarkets,

fromsecuritytomedicinetomanufacturing

processcontroltowirelesscommunications

andothers.Earlystageterahertzcameras

havealsobeendeveloped,overcominga

signicanthurdleonthewaytocommercial

terahertzimagingsystems.

However,thedevelopmentandusercom-

munitieshavebecomemuchmorepolar-

izedsince2007.Someusers,havinginvested

perhapstooearlyinthetechnology,grew

frustratedwiththeexpenseandlimited

capabilitiesofthetechnologyofthetime.

Evensomeparticipantsinterahertztech-

nologyhavewithdrawnatleastpartially,

discouragedbyperceivedlackofmarket

readinessandlackofcustomerinterest.On

theotherside,developershavecomeup

withcomponentsandsystemsthathave

overcomesignicanttechnicalhurdles.

Whiletechnologydevelopmentremainsanongoingneed,commerciallyavailablesys-

temsareavailabletoaddresssomeofthe

mostpromising,highprolemarkets.

Terahertztechnologyispoisedtomove

intosubstantialmarketsinthenextfew

years.Already,commercialsystemsare

inuseforsecurityscreening,toinspect

pharmaceuticalandotherproductsfor

defectswhilealreadypackaged,tomoni-

tormanufacturingprocessesortocheck

materials(liketheinsulatingfoamonthe

SpaceShuttle)foraws.Clinicaltrialsfor

detectionofcancerwithterahertztechnol-ogyareunderway.Commerciallyavailable

terahertzsystemsareavailablethatareso

portableandrobust,theycanbedelivered

bymail.Terahertzspectrometerscandetect

materialsofinterestinpartspertrillionlevels.

Potentialcustomersarebecomingincreas-

inglyawareofthepromiseofterahertz

technologyandplayersinfoodprocessing,

pharmaceuticalsandmanufacturingare

makinginquiriesandconductingtrialsand

evaluationsofthesystems.

Marketopportunitieswithinthedecadeare

promising.Anumberofmarketswithinmedi-

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Report Contents

Executive Summary ........................................................1

Part 1:Terahertz Overview ........................................................5

1.1 Introduction .........................................................5

1.2 Health&SafetyIssues....................................................8

1.3 Imaging . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...10

1.4 Spectroscopy .......................................................13 1.5 Imagingvs.Spectroscopy..........................................16

Part 2: Sources ......................................................17

2.1 Introduction .......................................................17

2.2 ElectronicDevices.......................................................17

2.3 FreeElectronLasers&RelatedSource

Technologies .......................................................18

2.4 SolidStateLasersandLaser-DrivenSources.............20

2.5 LaserDiodeSources....................................................21

2.5.1Photomixing .......................................................21

2.5.2QuantumCascadeLasers.................................21

Part 3: Detectors ......................................................25

3.1 Introduction .......................................................25

3.2 TodaysDetectors.......................................................25

3.2.1Bolometers .......................................................25

3.2.2HeterodyneDetectors.......................................26

3.2.3PyroelectricDetectors........................................26

3.2.4PhotoconductiveAntennas..............................27

3.3 PerformanceIssues......................................................27

3.3.1FrequencyResponse.........................................27

3.3.2TemperatureDependence...............................28

3.4 FocalPlaneArrays.......................................................28

3.5 EmergingAlternatives.................................................29

3.5.1SingleChipDetectors.........................................30

3.5.2FrequencySamplingorElectro-Optic

Rectication .......................................................30

3.5.3PlasmonDetectors..............................................31

3.6 Detectors:TheFuture..................................................32

Part 4: Systems and Deployment Issues ....................................36

4.1 Introduction .......................................................36

4.2 HardwareConsiderationsinSystems.........................36

4.2.1Cameras .......................................................36

4.2.2CWversusTimeDomain....................................37

4.2.3GuidedWaveDevices.......................................39

4.2.4ExceedingtheDiffractionLimitonResolution.40

4.2.5ElectronicsandSolidState................................41

4.3 StandardsandKnowledgeBaseIssues.....................42

4.3.1Metrology .......................................................42

4.3.2CatalogingofTerahertzMaterialResponses..43

Part 5: The Industry Landscape ..................................................44

5.1 Introduction .......................................................44

5.2 LimitationsofTerahertz,CommercialHype andBuildingMarkets...................................................44

5.3 IssuesofCost,BulkandEaseofUse...........................47

5.4 FundingofTerahertzTechnology,Application

andProductDevelopment........................................48

5.5 IndustryParticipation...................................................49

5.6 InuentialGovernmentOrganizations&Consortia.50

Part 6: Markets & Applications ...................................................53

6.1 Introduction .......................................................53

6.2 TodaysTerahertzMarkets..........................................53

6.3 Medicine . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...54

6.3.1BasicIssuesinMedicalTerahertzApplications..5

6.3.2CancerDetection..............................................57

6.3.3Dentistry .......................................................59

6.3.4BiochipsandBiosensors.....................................59

6.3.5ObstaclestoMedicalMarketBuilding.............63

6.3.6MarketsforMedicalTerahertzSystems............63

6.4 Security .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .65

6.4.1Introduction .......................................................65

6.4.2Security-Civilian.................................................66

6.4.2.1Civi lianSecurityToday... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ....66

6.4.2.2CargoScreening... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .67

6.4.2.3CompetingTechnologies. ... ... .... ... ... ... ...67

6.4.2.4TechnicalIssues........................................68

6.4.2.4.1 FrequencyBandIssues............... 68

6.4.2.4.2 StandoffIssues............................. 69

6.4.2.4.3 ReliabilityIssues............................ 71

6.4.2.5MailandPackageInspection................71

6.4.2.6NeedsinCivilianTerahertz

SecuritySystems................................... 72

6.4.2.7Multi-modalApproaches........................73

6.4.3Security-Defense...............................................73

6.4.3.1MilitarySpectrometers.... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .73

6.4.3.2StandoffIssues..................................................74

6.4.4ChemicalandBiologicalAgentDetection.............74

6.4.4.1ChemicalAgentDetection............................75

6.4.4.2BiologicalAgentDetection............................75

6.4.5MarketsforTerahertzSecuritySystems.....................76

Table6-2MarketsforTerahertzSecuritySystems.............77

6.5 ProcessControl,ProductInspectionand

MaterialEvaluation .......................................................77

6.5.1Introduction .......................................................77

6.5.2PharmaceuticalInspection...............................78

6.5.3GeneralProductInspection..............................80

6.5.4MaterialsEvaluation,Semiconductor

Fabrication .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .81 6.5.4.1GeneralMaterialsEvaluation.. ... ... ... ... ...81

6.5.4.2NASA .......................................................82

6.5.4.3SemiconductorWafer&

CircuitInspection.................................................82

6.5.4.3.1 WaferInspection......................... 83

6.5.4.3.2 CircuitInspection........................ 86

6.5.5MarketsinProcessControl,Product

InspectionandMaterialsEvaluation.........................86

6.6 WirelessCommunications...................................................88

6.6.1Introduction .......................................................88

6.6.2TechnicalIssues .......................................................89

6.6.3PotentiallyViableWirelessTerahertzOpportunities90

6.6.4TheOutlookforTerahertzWirelessMarkets..............91

6.6.5MarketsforTerahertzWirelessCommunications Systems .......................................................92

6.7 Research,EnvironmentalandSpaceScience.................93

6.7.1GrowthoftheResearchMarket...............................93

6.7.2MarketsinResearch,Environmentaland

SpaceScienceApplications......................................93

6.8 MarketFeasibilityandRequiredDevelopments..............94

6.9 TheNext5-10Years .......................................................95

6.9.1HardwareDevelopment............................................96

6.9.2OverallMarketForecasts...........................................96