Terahertz optical thickness and birefringence measurement for thermal barrier coating defect location

We present a normal incidence terahertz reflectivity technique to determine the optical thickness and birefringence of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Initial verification of the method was achieved by measurement of a set of fused silica calibration samples with known thicknesses and showed excellent agreement (<1% of refractive index) with the literature. The THz-measured optical thickness and its variation through the depth profile of the YSZ coating are shown to be in good agreement (<4%) with scanning electron microscope cross-sectional thickness measurements. In addition, the position of discontinuities in both the optical thickness and birefringence appear to be correlated to coating failure points observed during accelerated aging trials.