Broadband terahertz and sub-terahertz CMOS modules for imaging and spectroscopy applications

Miniaturized, low cost and easy to use devices able to carry out analysis in the chemical or biomedical domains could extend the use of imaging and spectroscopic techniques, now widely exploited in the professional sector, to applications in the consumer market or in the domain of point-of-care diagnostics. While a number of advanced techniques based on infrared or optical radiation show great potential for use in highly sensitive biosensors, the use of another part of the electromagnetic spectrum, the so called terahertz band (100 GHz – 3 THz), promise the creation of new devices with the capability of carrying out spectroscopy and imaging at the same time, even on samples located in an opaque package. In this paper we present our results demonstrating the possibility to create a miniaturized terahertz imaging and spectroscopy system that can be mass produced at low cost using well-known and robust commercial technologies such as CMOS or 3D chip-scale packaging (3D-CSP). The presented device is able to produce and detect a broadband signal from 20 GHz to 280 GHz with a dynamic range of 44 dB at 140 GHz.