Terahertz Medical Imaging Research Articles

Innovative flexible and compact patch antenna for multiband terahertz applications

Terahertz antennas have garnered significant attention for use in the fields of telecommunications and medical applications. One of the major issues with THz antennas is the integration of flexibility with multiband characteristics. This article focuses on designing and constructing a new, compact, and flexible dual-band THz antenna using different slots for terahertz applications. The essence of the antenna design is rooted in a careful strategy for positioning slots, both on the ground plane and within the patch. The rising need for flexible electronics is the primary motivation behind the investigation of this flexible, multiband antenna. The examined antenna is supported by a flexible polyimide substrate with small dimensions of 1.5 × 1 × 0.15 mm3. Several adjustments are made to the radiating patch to enable multiband functionality, resulting in operation at 123 GHz and 180.4 GHz. The corresponding return losses are -35.03 dB and -38.71 dB, while the bandwidths for the two frequency bands are 3.3 % and 8.86 %, respectively. For all working bands, the VSWR of the given antenna is lower than 2, with a gain of 4.12 dB and 5.05 dB at the resonating frequency, as well as a radiation efficiency of 81.6 % and 89.3 % inside the resonating bands. Moreover, a parametric investigation was additionally carried out to ascertain the ideal dimensions of the suggested antenna. As the antenna is constructed using a flexible substrate, this article also delves into the analysis of antenna bending in both the x- and y-axes. The suggested antenna can be applied in modern handheld fifth-generation (5 G) and terahertz medical imaging applications, such as breast cancer detection.

Three-in-one polarization detector enabled by metasurface

In the field of biomedicine, the detection of target analytes imposes requirements on polarization information detection and sensitivity. It necessitates non-destructive analysis of proteins and DNA. The combination of dielectric geometric metasurface with terahertz (THz) vortex beams present new opportunities for biomedical sensing. In this work, we employ simulation to demonstrate a novel methodology that integrates off-axis dual-focus with vector vortex beams (VVB). Moreover, the metasurface-based method provides potential solutions for miniaturized polarization detection. The capability of polarization detection is evaluated using different polarization states at three different focal planes. Specifically, the ellipticity and handedness of incident THz waves can be determined by the electric field intensity ratio of the two off-axis focused spots. The major axis direction of linear polarization waves can be determined by extracting the azimuth of the VVB. It is worth mentioning that higher-order VVB, benefiting from its high angular resolution characteristics, exhibits enhanced sensitivity in determining the direction of major axes. Our proposed scheme offers potential applications for THz communications, medical imaging, security detection and remote sensing.

Early detection of gastric cancer via high-resolution terahertz imaging system.

Terahertz (THz) wave has demonstrated a good prospect in recent years, but the resolution is still one of the problems that restrict the application of THz technology in medical imaging. Paraffin-embedded samples are mostly used in THz medical imaging studies, which are thicker and significantly different from the current gold standard slice pathological examination in sample preparation. In addition, THz absorption in different layers of normal and cancerous tissues also remains to be further explored. In this study, we constructed a high-resolution THz imaging system to scan non-tumorous adjacent tissue slices and gastric cancer (GC) tissue slices. In this system, a THz quantum cascade laser emitted a pulsed 3THz signal and the transmitted THz wave was received by a THz detector implemented in a 65nm CMOS process. The slice thickness was only 20μm, which was close to that of the medical pathology examination. We successfully found THz transmittance differences between different layers of normal gastric tissues based on THz images, and the resolution could reach 60μm for the first time. The results indicated that submucosa had a lower THz transmittance than that of mucosa and muscular layer in non-tumorous adjacent tissue. However, in GC tissue, THz transmittance of mucosa and submucosa was similar, caused by the decreased transmittance of mucosa, where the cancer occurs. Therefore, we suppose that the similar terahertz transmittance between gastric mucosa and submucosa may indicate the appearance of cancerization. The images obtained from our THz imaging system were clearer than those observed with naked eyes, and can be directly compared with microscopic images. This is the first application of THz imaging technology to identify non-tumorous adjacent tissue and GC tissue based on the difference in THz wave absorption between different layers in the tissue. Our present work not only demonstrated the potential of THz imaging to promote early diagnosis of GC, but also suggested a new direction for the identification of normal and cancerous tissues by analyzing differences in THz transmittance between different layers of tissue.

Nanoscale biomaterials for terahertz imaging: A non-invasive approach for early cancer detection

Terahertz (THz) technology is developing a non-invasive imaging system for biosensing and clinical diagnosis. THz medical imaging mainly benefits from great sensitivity in detecting changes in water content and structural variations in diseased cells versus normal tissues. Compared to healthy tissues, cancerous tumors contain a higher level of water molecules and show structural changes, resulting in different THz absorption. Here we described the principle of THz imaging and advancement in the field of translational biomedicine and early detection of pathologic tissue, with a particular focus on oncology. In addition, although the main forte of THz imaging relies on detecting differences in water content to distinguish the exact margin of tumor, THz displays limited contrast in living tissue for in-vivo clinical imaging. In the last few years, nanotechnology has attracted attention to aid THz medical imaging and various nanoparticles have been investigated as contrast enhancements to improve the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of THz images. Most of these multimodal contrast agents take advantage of the temperature-dependent of THz spectrum to the conformational variation of the water molecule. We discuss advances in developing THz contrast agents to accelerate the advancement of non-invasive THz imaging with improved sensitivity and specificity for translational clinical oncology.

Lightweight switchable bifunctional metasurface based on VO2: High-efficiency absorption and ultra-wideband circular polarization conversion

Switchable multi-function metasurfaces have received much attention due to their excellent performance of manipulating electromagnetic waves. In this paper, we present a novel design that can realize a high-efficiency absorber and an ultra-wideband circular polarization converter based on an anisotropic metasurface through the phase transition of vanadium dioxide (VO2). At room temperature, the metasurface acts an ultra-wideband circular polarization converter with the VO2 film maintains an insulating state, the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation show that the polarization conversion ratio reaches more than 90% in an ultra-wide band (6.3–15.0 THz) and even reaches almost 100% at two peaks, the relative bandwidth is 82%. When the temperature increases to 68 ℃, the metasurface becomes a high-efficiency absorber with VO2 film in metallic state. Numerical calculations show that the absorber has over 90% high-efficiency absorption of X-linearly polarized wave in the 10.8–13.2 THz frequency range and over 90% high-efficiency absorption of left-handed circular polarization wave in the 10.8–14.4 THz frequency range, both are angle insensitivity for small incident angles from 0° to 20°. The physical mechanisms of the two functions based on our structure are discussed. Our novel design has potential significance in future terahertz medical imaging, non-destructive detectors, polarization converters, and THz communication system.

Continuous-Wave THz Imaging for Biomedical Samples

In the past few decades, the applications of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging technology have seen significant developments in the fields of biology, medical diagnosis, food safety, and nondestructive testing. Label-free diagnosis of malignant tumours has been obtained and also achieved significant development in THz biomedical imaging. This review mainly presents the research status and prospects of several common continuous-wave (CW) THz medical imaging systems and applications of THz medical imaging in biological tissues. Here, we first introduce the properties of THz waves and how these properties play a role in biomedical imaging. Then, we analyse both the advantages and disadvantages of the CW THz imaging methods and the progress of these methods in THz biomedical imaging in recent ten years. Finally, we summarise the obstacles in the way of the application of THz bio-imaging application technology in clinical detection, which need to be investigated and overcome in the future.

THz and mm-Wave Sensing of Corneal Tissue Water Content: Electromagnetic Modeling and Analysis.

Terahertz (THz) spectral properties of human cornea are explored as a function of central corneal thickness (CCT) and corneal water content, and the clinical utility of THz-based corneal water content sensing is discussed. Three candidate corneal tissue water content (CTWC) perturbations, based on corneal physiology, are investigated that affect the axial water distribution and total thickness. The THz frequency reflectivity properties of the three CTWC perturbations were simulated and explored with varying system center frequency and bandwidths (Q-factors). The modeling showed that at effective optical path lengths on the order of a wavelength the cornea presents a lossy etalon bordered by air at the anterior and the aqueous humor at the posterior. The simulated standing wave peak-to-valley ratio is pronounced at lower frequencies and its effect on acquired data can be modulated by adjusting the bandwidth of the sensing system. These observations are supported with experimental spectroscopic data. The results suggest that a priori knowledge of corneal thickness can be utilized for accurate assessments of corneal tissue water content. The physiologic variation of corneal thickness with respect to the wavelengths spanned by the THz band is extremely limited compared to all other structures in the body making CTWC sensing unique amongst all proposed applications of THz medical imaging.

Nanotechnology-supported THz medical imaging

Over the last few decades, the achievements and progress in the field of medical imaging have dramatically enhanced the early detection and treatment of many pathological conditions. The development of new imaging modalities, especially non-ionising ones, which will improve prognosis, is of crucial importance. A number of novel imaging modalities have been developed but they are still in the initial stages of development and serious drawbacks obstruct them from offering their benefits to the medical field. In the 21 st century, it is believed that nanotechnology will highly influence our everyday life and dramatically change the world of medicine, including medical imaging. Here we discuss how nanotechnology, which is still in its infancy, can improve Terahertz (THz) imaging, an emerging imaging modality, and how it may find its way into real clinical applications. THz imaging is characterised by the use of non-ionising radiation and although it has the potential to be used in many biomedical fields, it remains in the field of basic research. An extensive review of the recent available literature shows how the current state of this emerging imaging modality can be transformed by nanotechnology. Innovative scientific concepts that use nanotechnology-based techniques to overcome some of the limitations of the use of THz imaging are discussed. We review a number of drawbacks, such as a low contrast mechanism, poor source performance and bulky THz systems, which characterise present THz medical imaging and suggest how they can be overcome through nanotechnology. Better resolution and higher detection sensitivity can also be achieved using nanotechnology techniques.

Characteristics of Gadolinium Oxide Nanoparticles as Contrast Agents for Terahertz Imaging

For the application of gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) nanoparticles as terahertz contrast agents, their optical properties in a solvent were studied using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The power absorption and refractive index of the samples were measured with various concentrations of nanoparticles. The power absorption was extremely large, as much as three orders of magnitude higher than that of water, so that a few ppms of Gd2O3 nanoparticles were distinguished in terms of their power absorption capacity. The results show that the interaction between the terahertz electromagnetic waves and the Gd2O3 nanoparticles is strong enough to allow their exploitation as contrast agents for terahertz medical imaging.

Reflective terahertz imaging of porcine skin burns

A reflective pulsed terahertz imaging system based on direct detection was developed and used to obtain high-resolution images of a porcine skin specimen with superficial partial-thickness (second-degree) burns. Images were also obtained of the sample through ten layers of dry medical (cotton) gauze with minimal image degradation. The burned and unburned regions of skin had large differences in terahertz reflectivity, displaying clear delineation [20 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) difference signal] between both regions in the images. The terahertz images also exhibited a "halo" surrounding the burn areas that may correlate to the extent of burn injury. The system operated at a center frequency of 500 GHz with 125 GHz of 3 dB bandwidth and used whiskbroom scanning to generate images with a spatial resolution of 1.5 mm. Each pixel was acquired with a 16 ms integration time, resulting in a 40 dB postdetection SNR. The simplicity and high SNR of the reflective terahertz system are promising steps toward real-time terahertz medical imaging.