Electronically-Actuated Coded Aperture Arrays for Millimeter and Submillimeter-Wave Imaging

用于毫米波和亚毫米波成像的电子驱动编码孔径阵列

• 批准号: 0823885
• 负责人: Robert Weikle
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: University of Virginia Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0823885&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Electronically; Actuated; Coded; Aperture; Arrays

The objective of this research is to investigate and demonstrate a fundamentally new approach to millimeter and submillimeter-wave imaging based on wavefront processing and multiplexing. The approach is to exploit state-of-the-art millimeter/submillimeter-wave solid-state devices to realize electronically-controlled wavefront modulators and, in conjunction, apply calibration/error-correction techniques to remove systematic errors associated with imaging systems. The intellectual merit of this work lies in its potential to fundamentally transform the conventional approach to millimeter/submillimeter-wave imaging based on focal plane arrays. This research directly addresses the central difficulty impeding the realization of large millimeter-wave imaging arrays, the problem of processing a large number of outputs from a dense array of receivers. In addition, the proposed electronically-controlled coded masks will open a vast array of new wavefront processing techniques and system architectures for research and application to millimeter-wave imaging, techniques that have so far been impractical, but can dramatically improve system performance.The broader impacts of this research include significantly improved instrumentation for scientific fields that directly rely upon millimeter-wave imaging (spectroscopy, astronomy, and, recently, medicine). Moreover, the societal benefits of improved millimeter-wave imaging encompass public security (e.g., screening/monitoring of cargo) and quality assurance (e.g., manufacturing and process control), as well as medical diagnostics. The role of millimeter-wave imaging as a fundamental research topic relevant to public safety issues will be emphasized to introduce service/outreach-oriented undergraduate thesis projects (for example, scanning foods/medicines in sealed packages) into the curriculum, an approach that has shown success in promoting diversity and attracting students from different disciplines.

这项研究的目的是研究和演示一种基于波前处理和复用的毫米波和亚毫米波成像的全新方法。该方法是利用最先进的毫米波/亚毫米波固态器件来实现电子控制波前调制器，并结合应用校准/误差校正技术来消除与成像系统相关的系统误差。这项工作的智力价值在于它有可能从根本上改变基于焦平面阵列的毫米波/亚毫米波成像的传统方法。这项研究直接解决了阻碍大型毫米波成像阵列实现的核心难题，即处理密集接收器阵列的大量输出的问题。此外，所提出的电子控制编码掩模将为毫米波成像的研究和应用开辟大量新的波前处理技术和系统架构，这些技术迄今为止还不切实际，但可以显着提高系统性能。这项研究的影响包括显着改进直接依赖毫米波成像的科学领域（光谱学、天文学以及最近的医学）的仪器。此外，改进的毫米波成像的社会效益包括公共安全（例如，货物的筛查/监控）和质量保证（例如，制造和过程控制）以及医疗诊断。将强调毫米波成像作为与公共安全问题相关的基础研究课题的作用，以将服务/外展导向的本科论文项目（例如，扫描密封包装中的食品/药品）引入课程中，这种方法已在促进多样性和吸引来自不同学科的学生方面取得了成功。