New paint production processes in the automative industry have the potential to be much more cost and materials efficient but require higher levels of process monitoring than are currently available. With its terahertz technology, TeraView Ltd has demonstrated the offline ability to rapidly measure simultaneously several coating layers in a non-contact manner. In this project, we will develop a technology demonstrator to monitor coating thickness in real time on the production line. Several car manufacturers including Ford UK, a consortium member, have expressed interest in applying this technology to assist in monitoring and control of the painting process. The project represents an initial £70M+ business opportunity and, in terahertz, introduces a new sensor technology to the automotive industry. Technical innovations include real time signal processing, roboting control of the terahertz sensor and creation of a ruggedised sensor suitable for industrial deployment.

COVID-19 has dramatically accelerated the need for improved internet connectivity and broadband capabilities, highlighting the need for higher bandwidth. There are an estimated 1.5 billion children who need online schooling (with 30,000 schools in the UK alone closed), and businesses world-wide have moved their operations online. In addition, reports emphasize that the transition to digital learning and business will be especially challenging within lower-income and disadvantages neighbourhoods where broadband adoption rates more often rely [on wireless][0] connections. High speed, wireless technology will therefore be increasingly be an important to both enhance connectivity to combat the economic effects of the virus as well as ensuring equal access to high quality internet for a more inclusive society. To address this challenge, emerging 5G and 6G wireless platforms will use progressively higher frequencies in the 100 Gigahertz (GHz)-1Terahertz (THz) range to achieve 1 Terabit (1012 bit) per second data rates required for broadband. A recent Photonics report stated "**It is not surprising that the THz band has become the promised land for the envisioned next generation of wireless communication---6G**". Development of devices (transceivers and circuits) at these 6G frequencies requires test & measurement equipment operating at these frequencies. Existing equipment based on vector network analysers provides continuous frequency coverage up to only ~ 30GHz, and with limited (banded) coverage available thereafter. Such systems are also prone to errors, e.g. in measuring the phase of data stitched between different frequency bands, as well as the errors arising when probing small samples. TeraView is the pioneer in the commercialization and development of Terahertz systems, and is in a unique position to develop and deploy a system optimised for test and measurement of materials for use in Terabit communications The project has direct benefits to the UK economy, ensuring that TeraView continues as the world-leader in Terahertz technology. It also enables the UK to play a role in emerging global discussion on the allocations of the new frequency band for 6G. [0]: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/20/smartphones-help-blacks-hispanics-bridge-some-but-not-all-digital-gaps-with-whites/

Terahertz (THz) radiation lies between microwave and infra-red in the electromagnetic spectrum. Many materials are partially transparent to THz allowing their internal structure to be examined. THz can also be used for spectroscopic identification. This particular project is aimed at enhancing the imaging application which can be used for measurement of the thickness of layers and coatings. A specific example relevant here is the automotive industry where control of thickness of paint layers is critical. This project is a collaboration between TeraView Ltd, which is commercialising THz technology, and the Photonics Group in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, which is expert in the growth of compound semiconductors on other materials. The two organisations are collaborating to produce a new generation of THz sensors which will operate at higher frequencies than at present which, in turn, will allow thinner films to be measured with greater accuracy. In addition, the comparatively small sensor head can be connected to the rest of the system by an optical fibre so allowing it to be some distance away for convenient use in a factory setting.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

The proposed project seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing pulsed emitter/detector arrays for true broadband 3D terahertz imaging. Typically, current pulsed terahertz systems create images by raster-scanning a point source. Whilst this is acceptable to establish the potential of terahertz in providing the necessary materials characterisation, current throughput falls short of requirements for industrial quality assurance and process monitoring. Pulsed terahertz arrays are therefore seen as an enabling technology for this lucrative, high volume markets.