Continuous-wave terahertz interferometry with multiwavelength phase unwrapping

Continuous-wave (cw) terahertz (THz) phase imaging can accurately and noninvasively present the depth information of an object's surface and interior. However, a 2π ambiguity limits the measurement of a sample with a thickness larger than the detection wavelength of THz waves. A multiwavelength phase unwrapping method is introduced to the cw THz phase imaging to reconstruct the exact phase map of the object. By using this method, three different types of high-density polyethylene samples were measured, and their phase profiles were well extracted. The result shows that this method is effective in cw THz phase imaging and has the potential to improve the applications of cw THz imaging.