Patents Represented by Attorney Ruth H. Earp, III
  • Patent number: 7876423
    Abstract: A process for simultaneously measuring the velocity of terahertz electromagnetic radiation in a dielectric material sample without prior knowledge of the thickness of the sample and for measuring the thickness of a material sample using terahertz electromagnetic radiation in a material sample without prior knowledge of the velocity of the terahertz electromagnetic radiation in the sample is disclosed and claimed. The process evaluates, in a plurality of locations, the sample for microstructural variations and for thickness variations and maps the microstructural and thickness variations by location. A thin sheet of dielectric material may be used on top of the sample to create a dielectric mismatch. The approximate focal point of the radiation source (transceiver) is initially determined for good measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventor: Donald J Roth