Biosensors & Bioelectronics

Biography

Biography: Anis Rahman

Abstract

Terahertz radiation (T-ray) is the band of energy with corresponding frequencies between 0.1 THz and 30 THz. The non-ionizing nature of T-ray is especially suitable for probing human tissues in a non-invasive and non-contact fashion without any radiation damage. ARP has invented a new mechanism, the dendrimer dipole excitation (DDE) for continuous wave (CW) terahertz generation from a nanomaterial called electro-optic dendrimer. The CW DDE source is different than the legacy photoconductive antenna in that it does not require a femto-second pulsed laser for terahertz generation; yet it generates 10s of milliwatts of power. This source is tunable and produces wideband frequency spectrum. In this paper we report important applications that are developed using terahertz time-domain spectrometer, nano-scanner and 3D imager; all built from the DDE based CW terahertz generator. For example, permeation of nanoparticles through human stratum corneum that leads to bioavailability was measured by a direct method. The stratum corneum was also scanned by the terahertz nanoscanner for its thickness profile which allows quantification of the concentration distribution of the permeated nanoparticles. In addition, reconstructive imaging was conducted for inspecting both the surface and the sub-surface. The images reveal that the nanoparticles form an array on the surface of the stratum corneum. The significance of these results will be discussed. Additional examples will be used to illustrate the technology.