(Peer-Reviewed) Terahertz imaging technology: progress and applications
Yuyuan Tian ¹, Xiaoyin Chen ² ³, Zhuocheng Zhang ⁴ ⁵, Qianze Yan ⁶, Yiming Liu ¹, Chengliang Deng ¹, Min Wan ⁷ ⁸, Jiang Li ² ⁹, Xiaoqiuyan Zhang ⁴ ⁵, Lu Rong ¹ ¹⁰, Elizaveta Tsiplakova ¹¹ ¹², Nikolay Petrov ¹¹ ¹³, Xinke Wang ⁶, Liguo Zhu ² ⁹, Min Hu ⁴ ⁵, Yan Zhang ⁶
¹ School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
中国 北京 北京工业大学物理与光电工程学院
² Institute of Fluid Physics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China
中国 绵阳 中国工程物理研究院流体物理研究所
³ Department of Optics and Optical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
中国 合肥 中国科学技术大学光学与光学工程系
⁴ Terahertz Research Center, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
中国 成都 电子科技大学电子科学与工程学院太赫兹技术及无线通信研究中心
⁵ Terahertz Radiation and Application Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 611731, China
中国 成都 太赫兹科学技术四川省重点实验室
⁶ Beijing Key Laboratory of Metamaterials and Devices, Key Laboratory of Terahertz Optoelectronics of Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
中国 北京 首都师范大学物理系 超材料与器件北京市重点实验室 太赫兹光电子学教育部重点实验室
⁷ Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
⁸ School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
⁹ Microsystem & Terahertz Research Center, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Chengdu 610200, China
中国 成都 中国工程物理研究院微系统与太赫兹研究中心
¹⁰ Beijing Engineering Research Center of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Beijing 100124, China
中国 北京 北京市精密测控技术与仪器工程技术研究中心
¹¹ Digital and Display Holography Laboratory, ITMO University, Saint-Petersburg 197101, Russia
¹² Qingdao Innovation and Development Center, Harbin Engineering University, Qingdao 266000, China
中国 青岛 哈尔滨工程大学青岛创新发展基地
¹³ School of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
中国 哈尔滨 哈尔滨工业大学物理学院
Opto-Electronic Technology, 2026-03-30
Abstract
Terahertz imaging, operating within the 0.1–10 THz frequency range, leverages unique properties such as non-ionizing radiation, sensitivity to polar molecules, and material-specific spectral fingerprints. This review comprehensively surveys major terahertz imaging modalities, highlighting significant progress and applications. Key methodologies, including continuous-wave holography, lensless ptychography, and computed tomography, provide quantitative phase contrast and three-dimensional structural information.
Notably, terahertz pulse time-domain holography leverages the broadband nature of pulsed sources to achieve depth-resolved imaging through time-gated analysis. The development of focal-plane and single-pixel imaging addresses challenges related to detector availability, enabling high-speed and cost-effective systems. A major breakthrough is observed in near-field imaging, which surpasses the diffraction limit to achieve nanoscale resolution for probing materials, biomolecules, and plasmonic phenomena.
While challenges in signal-to-noise ratio, hardware integration, and imaging speed persist, ongoing innovations in laser sources, algorithms, and system design are driving adoption in security, biomedicine, and industrial inspection.
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