Boston Chapter of the IEEE Photonics Society

Wed
Oct 12, 2005
7:00 PM
 

MIT Lincoln Laboratory
 

Terahertz Transceivers & Potential Applications

Dr. Eric Mueller, Coherent Inc, Santa Clara, CA

Abstract:  A great deal of work has been performed in THz imaging utilizing short-pulse broad-band THz transceivers.  More recently groups have begun to do similar imaging work with CW THz sources.  While much of that work has utilized incoherent detectors, some  groups have started to use fully-coherent transceivers to realize more than 10 orders of magnitude improvement in available dynamic range.  This talk will provide an overview of THz transceiver technologies with an emphasis on fully-coherent CW transceivers, and include a review of material properties in the THz band.  Background motivation for CW imaging will be presented along with both amplitude and phase-contrast CW THz images.

Biography:  Dr. Mueller has a PhD. in Physics from the University of Massachusetts. His PhD. work included: the first identification of D-centers (two electrons bound to one donor center) in semiconductor quantum wells (SQW), the first measurements of the central-cell correction for donors in SQWs, and the first use of a SQW as a THz heterodyne receiver.   After completing his PhD., Dr. Mueller accepted a position at the Submillimeter Technology Laboratory (STL) at UMass-Lowell and an Adjunct Professorship in the Physics Department. During his tenure at STL he made a number of individual contributions including: developing the world's first coherent THz laser radar, co-inventing the etalon diplexer, inventing a new type of single-sideband receiver, developing a THz sideband-generator-based laser radar, and developing  a model required to begin the detailed design of the 2.5 THz space laser.  Dr. Mueller left UMass in 1996 to be part of the startup of DeMaria Electro-Optic Systems (DEOS). While at DEOS, and subsequently Coherent, Dr. Mueller has helped  in building a substantial development group and scientific CO2/THz product portfolio for Coherent.  Dr. Mueller has provided oversight to the team's activities, managed a number of programs, and authored a number of key patents. Some of the programs are: LLO (the 2.5 THz space laser which is now in-orbit), the NIST laser leak detector ATP, the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center tunable THz laser program (this program won the 2001 Tibbetts award for "Exemplifying Excellent in SBIR Research"), the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center air-cooled THz laser program, the SALTI program (Synthetic Aperture LADAR for Tactical Imaging - this will be the world's first flight laser SAR), and Whisper (a special purpose commercial laser-based system).  Dr. Mueller serves on the program committees for a number of topical conferences including the Military Sensing Symposium on Active E-O Systems and the newly formed THz section of CLEO.  In 2004 Dr. Mueller was elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in recognition of "his pioneering work in CW THz sources and transceivers".  Dr. Mueller is a member of the Technology Advisory Council of Coherent, Inc.