Wednesday 31 August 2016

Pharmaceutical applications of terahertz spectroscopy and imaging

Daniel Markl ; Michael T. Ruggiero and J. Axel Zeitler

Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging techniques have advanced the chemical and physical characterisation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients and final solid dosage forms. Terahertz radiation can be used to investigate both chemical and solid structures, as well as provide information on the bulk morphology of pharmaceutical materials. The penetrating and non-destructive properties of terahertz light, coupled with its high acquisition rate, makes this technology a promising candidate for process analytical technology (PAT) applications.

Terahertz radiation corresponds to frequencies between the microwave and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum (300 GHz to 10 THz, or wavelengths of 1mm to 1μm). For many years the terahertz region had been referred to as the ‘terahertz gap’ because of the difficulties in generating and detecting terahertz light. This has changed over the past few decades due to major advances that have brought down costs and instrument size, from $500,000+ laser systems that can take up an entire laboratory space to sub-$100,000 benchtop – and even hand-held – devices. Such breakthroughs have brought terahertz techniques into the mainstream and have enabled terahertz technologies to be implemented in industrial settings.


The full article can be accessed here (subscription required): link
 

New Imaging Spectroscopy Facility at UWA

Professor Vincent Wallace

The University of Western Australia’s Physics Department boasts a new imaging and spectroscopy facility that has the potential to transform crude oil production and refinery processes.

Cutting edge technology is a priority for oil and gas companies who face an increasingly competitive market and are looking for an edge that makes them stand out against the rest.

At UWA our scientists are working with new technologies that will revolutionise the industry and add value to a company’s bottom line through improved productivity.

One such technology is a state-of-the-art terahertz (THz) imaging and spectroscopy system, the TeraPulse 4000, that has just been installed in the School of Physics and is the first of its kind in WA.

UWA’s Associate Professor Vincent Wallace is the co-inventor on several patents relating to THz technologies and he expands on why this technology is a novel tool for industry:

“For the oil and gas, and resources industry, THz spectroscopy provides the capability to understand numerous problems like water content and crude oil viscosity.”

"THz spectroscopy is ideally suited for probing intermolecular interactions and low-energy vibrational, rotational and librational modes of various components of crude oil and the aggregation of certain compounds like asphaltenes."

“Asphaltenes are heavy, polar aromatic molecules found in crude oils that due to aggregation increases its viscosity and thus make it more difficult to extract. Typically, solvents like toluene or benzene are used to dissolve these compounds but there is a lack of understanding as to why they form in the first place.”

 “It is this type of problem that I am looking to engage with industry and solve, using this cutting edge technology. By understanding why asphatelenes form, it will provide us the key to removing them prior to or during extraction and potentially transforming production quality.”


Full article here.

Thursday 18 August 2016

TeraView at SEMICON Taiwan


TeraView will be exhibiting at this year's SEMICON Taiwan. The event will take place between September 7-9 in Taipei, Taiwan.

We will be showcasing our latest product, the EOTPR 5000.

"TeraView’s proprietary Electro Optical Terahertz Pulse Reflectometry (EOTPR) technology provides a 5 micron resolution capability in isolating faults within advanced integrated circuits for mobile phones and computing, including complex packages such as Package on Package (PoP), flip chip, and 3D package with Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). EOTPR has been widely accepted by advanced IC package failure analysis community, and this technology is ready to be deployed in the high volume manufacturing environment for quality assurance inspection."

For further information on the event, please visit the webpage here.

 

Thursday 4 August 2016

TeraView is recruiting


FIELD SERVICE ENGINEER

TeraView Ltd is the world’s first and leading provider of terahertz solutions to Fortune 500 companies, in a variety of industries. TeraView was created in 2001 from a relationship between the Toshiba Corporation and the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. TeraView’s vision is to establish terahertz as the premier imaging and inspection tool for the 21st century.

An opportunity has arisen for a Field Service Engineer to join TeraView’s Service Team to service and support TeraView’s systems, both in the field and in house. You will have a minimum of 3 years experience of working in a field service role, gained within a scientific instrumentation/equipment environment, and be familiar with the set up and alignment of optical instrumentation. Qualified to a minimum of HNC level or above in electronics or other relevant technical discipline, you will be a self- starter with a positive attitude and a proven ability to work in small multi-disciplinary teams. The role entails a significant level of overseas travel, sometimes with little notice. Experience of working within a formal quality system, such as ISO9001 is important.

Key Tasks And Responsibilities Profile, Skills, Experience & Characteristics Required
  •     Servicing and maintaining instruments both in the field and in-house.
  •     Alignment of newly built instruments.
  •     Factory Acceptance testing.
  •     Assisting in the build of instruments.
  •     Installation and Site acceptance testing. 

Profile, Skills, Experience & Characteristics Required

The ideal candidate will possess:
  • HNC or above in electronics or similar technical discipline.
  • Previous experience of working in service/support of scientific instrumentation.
  • Knowledge of lasers and alignment.
  • Knowledge of electronics.
  • Excellent customer facing skills.
  • Excellent technical communication skills both written and oral.
  • The ability to work alone and on own initiative.
  • Ability to travel abroad and at short notice.
  • Own transport and a clean driving licence.
  • Experience in the any of the following areas is desirable but is not required: spectroscopy, semiconductor or semiconductor equipment industry, semiconductor failure analysis, GHz TDR, and terahertz systems.
Further Information
The job location is Cambridge, UK but the successful candidate will be expected to spend up to 50% of their time at customer locations around the world. To apply for this vacancy, please send your CV together with a covering letter which should give details of your current remuneration and examples of where and how you have applied your skills in previous working environments. The letter should also highlight how your skills could be used within TeraView. These should be sent to: support@teraview.com

TeraView offers an excellent salary and benefits package, along with the opportunity for highly- motivated staff to work together in a friendly, intellectually stimulating and challenging environment where there is plenty of scope to influence and shape the development of products in one of the newest, and most exciting, areas of technology.

We are an equal opportunities employer and pride ourselves on our diverse workforce. For further information and background on the company, please visit our website on: www.teraview.com







Tuesday 2 August 2016

EOTPR 5000 launches at SEMICON West, USA.

This year's SEMICON West event in San Francisco saw the launch of our fully automated integrated circuit (IC) package inspection system, the EOTPR 5000.

Building on the success of the EOTPR 2000 which has an established track record in the industry for rapid fault isolation and manual inspection, the EOTPR 5000 is a fully automated advanced IC package inspection system that utilizes TeraView’s proprietary EOTPR terahertz technology to detect weak or marginal interconnect quality in high volume manufacturing environments, which no other technology can detect today.


Don Arnone, TeraView CEO, spoke to Philip Stoten of EMSNowTV (above) to discuss what drove the technology and how it is currently being deployed.