T-Ray Science, Inc, an emerging leader in the field of TeraHertz (THz) research, has entered into a research collaboration with the University of Leeds to develop low cost, pulsed and continuous wave (CW), fibre coupled terahertz (THz) spectrometers that operate at telecoms wavelengths.
Professor Edmund Linfield (Chair in Terahertz Electronics, director of the Institute of Microwaves and Photonics) will lead the project in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, with Dr John Cunningham (Reader in High Frequency Electronics and Terahertz Photonics), and professor Giles Davies (Chair of Electronic and Photonic Engineering). The commercial advantage to developing a spectrometer at the telecom wavelength is the ability to use mass produced telecom components such as lasers, fibres and couplers which could reduce the cost of a system by 90 per cent compared to THz systems currently available.
“The collaboration with the University of Leeds could lead to low cost, compact and easy to use THz diagnostic and imaging systems for applications in medical imaging, explosives detection, airport security, and manufacturing quality control,” said Thomas Braun, president and CEO of T-Ray Science. “We are honoured to have the opportunity to work with a world class university in developing this cutting edge technology. T-Ray is a natural industrial partner for the University of Leeds as we hold the exclusive license from MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for the CW coherent detection system. Our collaboration with the University of Leeds compliments our other collaborations with the University of Victoria, the University of Sherbrooke and the University of Manitoba, all aimed at lowering the cost and increasing the power of existing THz diagnostic and imaging systems.”
The University of Leeds received a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom to fund a project to develop a low cost, pulsed and continuous wave (CW), fibre coupled terahertz (THz) spectrometer which operates at telecoms wavelengths. T-Ray supported the grant application and will assist in the project through laboratory tests of the newly developed system. The company will also have the opportunity to license any Intellectual Property that may result from the project.
T-Ray owns the exclusive license from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the only known CW coherent detection system which was invented by Dr Simon Verghese and Dr Alex McIntosh. The CW system being developed by Leeds will produce continuous THz waves at a fixed frequency for a very low cost and will be more compact and robust because of the use of mass produced diode lasers, rather than the large and expensive Ti:Sapphire lasers traditionally used by THz researchers.
T-Ray is also pleased to announce that it has engaged Caliber Capital Partners Inc. to provide investor relations and communications activities for the company. Caliber Capital is a Canadian capital markets consulting company focused on providing investor relations and corporate finance services to public companies. Under the terms of the agreement, Caliber will receive a monthly retainer of US$ 5,000 for a period of up to 12 months. Subject to the necessary approvals, T-Ray also intends to grant to Caliber an option to purchase 250,000 common shares of the company at a price of US$ 0.20 per share for a period of five years. The options shall vest over a period of 12 months pursuant to TSX Venture policy.
The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
T-Ray has exclusive rights to platform technology and is developing a Skin Cancer Imaging device which utilizes the unique properties of TeraHertz waves (THz).