The Boeing Company
Surface inspection system, apparatus, and method

Abstract:

An apparatus for surface inspection comprises a terahertz emitter, a detector, and a computing device. The terahertz emitter is oriented to emit energy toward a surface having a surface layer disposed on the surface in a proximity of a surface feature. The detector is positioned to receive the energy from the terahertz emitter that is reflected by the surface. The computing device is in signal communication with the detector and is configured to detect the surface feature using a signal from the detector.