Advantest's TAS7000 3D imaging analysis system uses terahertz wave technology to visualize concealed data

TOKYO, JAPAN: Advantest Corp. has successfully commercialized a new 3D imaging analysis system, the TAS7000, which utilizes Advantest’s proprietary terahertz wave technology, to perform nondestructive scans of targeted sample materials and deliver 3D visualization of results.

The TAS7000 revolutionizes spectroscopic analysis with its ability to perform structural, chemical, and quantitative distribution scans. This technology makes possible new methods of analysis and inspection, not only in the industrial arena, but also in pharmaceuticals, a field where analysis is set to grow more and more complex in the future, and also in the food and biotechnology arenas.

The system is initially being marketed to the automotive and heavy equipment industries, where it offers significant advantages for evaluating particulate matter (PM) in emissions from diesel engines. Further details will be made available at the SAE 2010 World Congress, to be held in Detroit, MI on April 13th – 15th, and at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2010, to be held in Yokohama, Japan, on May 19th – 21st.

Without destroying samples, the TAS7000 delivers 3D visualizations of their interiors and easily analyzes the distribution of their constituents, structural defects, etc. The system was realized by exploiting an original terahertz imaging technology developed by Advantest in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Kodo Kawase of Nagoya University.

In its initial application, the TAS7000 proposes a new method that enables the distribution of particulate matter (PM) accumulated inside ceramic filters for diesel engines to be nondestructively visualized in 3D and quantitatively analyzed.

Advantest is presently exploring multiple applications, and is aggressively moving forward with the development of a second and a third application targeting fields such as industrial processing and chemicals. The company will also offer options to adapt the basic system configuration of the TAS7000 to customers’ diverse analysis and inspection needs.