Terahertz Imaging: Widespread Industrial Application in Non-destructive Inspection and Chemical Analysis

Terahertz imaging is being applied to non-destructive inspection and chemical analysis. The main advantage of this approach is that electromagnetic waves at terahertz frequencies can penetrate non-conductive materials and also provide the material´s spectral response. The application of terahertz imaging is rapidly spreading to fields such as the evaluation of industrial materials and pharmaceutical products, examination of works of art, investigation of cultural assets, quality control in manufacturing processes, diagnosis of buildings, detection of dangerous objects, biomedical diagnostics and more. This paper describes imaging methods which use terahertz pulses and terahertz camera technology. In addition, interesting applications are introduced from the view point of practical use.