Method for defect contour extraction in terahertz non-destructive testing conducted with a raster-scan THz imaging system.

In this paper, a neoteric algorithm based on a two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform is developed to get the defect contour in the terahertz (THz) non-destructive testing result obtained from a raster-scan frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) THz imaging system. In order to prove the method's validity, an experiment is carried out. The result of the experiment shows that the method allows one to extract the defect contour from the THz FMCW interference with severe stripe noises. Moreover, the relative error of defect area between the actual value and that obtained from the extracted defect contour is no more than 3.03%. This means that the method provided an effective and exact way to extract a defect contour in THz FMCW interference.