T-Ray Science licenses MIT's terahertz technology

There is a growing interest in the potential of terahertz radiation, and we recently wrote about Goodrich choosing U.K. terahertz technology specialist TeraView for developing a DHS-sponsored chemical detection system for government and public buildings, and on the battlefield (see 20 October 2008 HS Daily Wire). We thus note with interest that Vancouver, British Columbia-based T-Ray Science, an emerging leader in the field of TeraHertz (“THz”) research, has just announced that with the exclusive patent license agreement that was reached with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, T-Ray has gained the rights to the only known coherent detection technique that can be used to detect a continuous-wave (cw) THz signal using THz photoconductive antennas as heterodyne receivers gated by a pair of frequency detuned cw laser modes.

This detection system was granted a patent in 2002 and is based on research done by George Verghese et al. at MIT. T-Ray’s exclusive rights allow university researchers to continue using the system royalty free, but any commercial enterprises who wish to make, use, or sell systems that use part or all of these patented rights will need to obtain a license from T-Ray first.

“T-Ray believes the detection system licensed to us by MIT is the best and most common method of cw THz detection currently used by researchers,” said president and CEO Thomas Braun. “Our exclusive license positions the Company as a leader in the field of THz research and development.”