Quantitative measurement of laminar material properties and structure using time domain reflection imaging

David Zimdars; Jeffrey White; G. Fichter; A. Chernovsky; S. L. Williamson

doi:10.1117/12.777603

15 April 2008 Quantitative measurement of laminar material properties and structure using time domain reflection imaging

David Zimdars, Jeffrey White, G. Fichter, A. Chernovsky, S. L. Williamson

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6949, Terahertz for Military and Security Applications VI; 69490B (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.777603
Event: SPIE Defense and Security Symposium, 2008, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Time domain terahertz (TD-THz) reflection imaging tomography can be used to investigate the laminar structure of objects. In a monostatic configuration, a sequence of pulses is generated by reflection from each discontinuity in index of refraction. Through analysis of the return pulses, the material absorption and index of refraction properties of each layer can be determined. TD-THz reflection tomography can be used to precisely measure the thickness of coatings such as yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBC) on aircraft engine turbine blades; paint on aircraft, ships, and cars; and other thin film measurement applications. In each of these cases, precise determination of the optical delay of the TD-THz pulses is required with as little as sub-10 femtosecond precision for pulses which can be greater than 500 fs in duration. We present a method to accurately measure optical delay between layers where the pulses are fit to a reference template. These are demonstrated to achieve micron scale accuracy in coating thickness. As an example, TD-THz non destructive evaluation (NDE) imaging is used to two-dimensionally map the thickness of YSZ TBCs on aircraft engine turbine blades. Indications of thermal degradation can be seen. The method is non-contact, rapid, and requires no special preparation of the blade.

Citation Download Citation

David Zimdars, Jeffrey White, G. Fichter, A. Chernovsky, and S. L. Williamson "Quantitative measurement of laminar material properties and structure using time domain reflection imaging", Proc. SPIE 6949, Terahertz for Military and Security Applications VI, 69490B (15 April 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.777603

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