Advantest Targets New Markets with Terahertz Wave Measurement Technology
September 18 2009 - 2:42PM
PR Newswire (US)
. . .Successfully Develops World's First Terahertz Wave 3D Imaging
System TOKYO, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advantest
Corporation (TSE: 6857TSE:NYSE:TSE:ATE) today announced that it has
successfully developed the world's first terahertz wave imaging
system, using Advantest's original terahertz wave technology, for
nondestructive three dimensional (3D) analysis and inspection. The
system is the first product developed within the framework of
Advantest's New Concept Product Initiative, launched in March 2009,
and is expected to form a cornerstone of the company's new business
strategy. Anticipating diverse industrial applications for
terahertz waves, Advantest has announced a commitment to exploring
applications in fields including industrial materials, medicine,
biotechnology and security. Straddling the border between radio and
optical emissions, terahertz waves have frequencies ranging from a
few tens GHz to 100 THz. These electromagnetic waves possess
remarkable properties including absorption spectra (also known as
fingerprint spectra) that enable them to penetrate visually opaque
materials. In addition, their spatial resolution is suitable for
practical spectroscopic imaging applications. However, basic
techniques for THz generation, detection, and measurement, until
recently, had not been developed for commercial use, hampering the
exploration of practical applications for terahertz wave
technology. Advantest has now announced the successful development
of its Terahertz Wave 3D Imaging System, which integrates the
company's longstanding expertise in optical and electronic
measurement with its newly developed, proprietary femtosecond fiber
laser technology, as well as imaging technology developed by
Advantest in collaboration with Dr. Kodo Kawase of Nagoya
University. The system boasts unprecedented capabilities for
nondestructive visual analysis of the spatial distribution,
chemical identification, and quantification of constituents of the
material under inspection, e.g. ceramics or plastics. Further, the
new system's high-speed reflection-transmission measurement
function, covering the 0.02-3 THz band (up to 7 THz in the optional
configuration), allows probing for specific substances within a
sample under inspection and providing 3D images, facilitating
analysis of the spatial distribution of constituents or structural
defects within the sample. In industrial applications, terahertz
wave imaging enables a level of analysis that is impossible with
microwave, infrared, X-ray, or ultrasonic techniques. And in the
even more complex realms of medicine and biotechnology, potential
applications for terahertz wave imaging include crystal
polymorphism and ingredient analysis. Advantest is in the process
of developing chemical and industrial applications for the new
system, and is engaged in continuing research, in partnership with
customers, to further expand the scope of new applications.
Advantest will exhibit the Terahertz Wave 3D Imaging System at
Electrotest Japan, to be held Jan. 20 - 22 at Tokyo Big Sight,
Japan. - System Overview The Terahertz Wave 3D Imaging System
integrates ultra-short pulse femtosecond fiber laser technology,
high-speed measurement technology employing terahertz wave
radiation, terahertz wave sensor technology for improved
sensitivity, and 3D tomographic imaging technology to enable
nondestructive 3D analysis of samples. In addition, it exploits the
properties of terahertz waves, including their substance-intrinsic
absorption spectrum and transparency, to enable probing and
analysis of specific constituents of samples. (1) 3D Imaging
Analysis Using Terahertz Waves Using newly developed technology to
compensate for refraction in the terahertz wave region, conducting
a spatial scan of each sample while measuring its transmission
characteristics, and taking advantage of computed tomography (CT)
techniques for reconstructing images by means of the back
projection method, Advantest's new system provides 3D images of
measurement results, facilitating analysis of sample structure and
constituent ingredients. The company has also developed a terahertz
wave high-speed optical sampling technique that uses Advantest's
proprietary ultra-short pulse femtosecond fiber laser technology
for high-accurate sampling timing, delivering measurement
throughput approximately 1000 times greater than the company's
previous system, and allowing the new system to obtain its 3D
images with unprecedented rapidity. (2) Broadband Terahertz Wave
Spectroscopic Measurement Advantest's original ultra-short pulse
femtosecond fiber laser supplies pulses of 80 fs duration with a
highly stable repetition rate, enabling spectroscopic analysis at
frequencies up to 3 THz, with an optional configuration covering
the frequencies up to 7 THz. This enables broadband analysis of the
fingerprint spectra of industrial, chemical, and bio-related
materials. (3) Parallel Measurement Capability for Volume
Production Inspection In combination with its high-speed
measurement throughput, additional terahertz wave generation and
detection modules may easily be mounted in the system to provide as
many as 20 channels, enabling the system to carry out terahertz
wave inspection on volume production lines. Additionally, the
generation and detection modules may be flexibly positioned to
accommodate the shape and location of various measurement targets.
The system is customizable to customer requirements and individual
measurement locations. For more information: Greg Self, About
Advantest Advantest Corporation is the world's leading automatic
test equipment supplier to the semiconductor industry, and also
produces electronic instruments and systems. A global company,
Advantest has long offered total ATE solutions, and serves the
industry in every component of semiconductor test: tester, handler,
mechanical and electrical interfaces, and software. Its logic,
memory, mixed-signal and RF testers and device handlers are
integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in
the world. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its
first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries
worldwide. Among them, Advantest America, Inc. is based in Santa
Clara, CA., Advantest Europe GmbH is based in Munich, Germany, and
Advantest Taiwan Inc. is based in Hsinchu, Taiwan. More information
is available at http://www.advantest.com/ DATASOURCE: Advantest
Corporation CONTACT: Amy Gold, Advantest America, Inc.,
+1-212-850-6670, Web Site: http://www.advantest.com/
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