Gyrotron-Based Technological Systems for Material Processing—Current Status and Prospects

Among various applications of the gyrotrons to the fundamental physical research and to the high-power terahertz science and technologies, the material treatment based on the irradiation by millimeter and sub-millimeter waves is both one of the oldest and most advanced (industrial grade) technologies. In this paper, we present the recent advancements and the current status of both the development of gyrotron-based technological systems and their utilization for processing of diverse advanced materials. The current status of the work in this broad field worldwide is illustrated mainly by representative results obtained during the longstanding (more than 20 years since 1999) and fruitful collaboration between the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP-RAS) and Research Center for Development of Far-Infrared Region, University of Fukui (FIR-UF).