Fastest Thickness Measurements with a Terahertz Time-Domain System Based on Electronically Controlled Optical Sampling

Featured Application Terahertz thickness gauging of polymers and paint layers; one-hundred percent inspection of plastic pipes; process control. Abstract We apply a fast terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) system based on electronically controlled optical sampling (ECOPS) to contact-free thickness gauging. Our setup achieves a measurement speed of 1600 terahertz pulse traces per second, whichto our knowledgerepresents the fastest thickness measurement performed with any terahertz system to-date. Using a silicon wafer as a test sample, we compare data of the ECOPS experiment to results obtained with a conventional terahertz TDS system and a mechanical micrometer gauge. We show that all systems provide consistent results within the measurement accuracy. Moreover, we perform thickness measurements of a rapidly moving sample and characterize the ECOPS setup with respect to time-domain dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio, and spectral properties.