Abstract:
An apparatus and method for detecting at least one component gas in a sample includes a radiation source for providing radiation along an optical path in a pre-selected spectral band having at least one absorption line of the component gas to be detected and an optical detector for detecting radiation at the optical path. A sample chamber is positioned in the optical path between the source and the optical detector to contain a quantity of a sample gas. At least one gas cell enclosing an amount of the gas to be detected is fixedly positioned in the optical path in series with the gas chamber. A mathematical relationship is determined between the detected radiation and the concentration of a sample gas filling the sample chamber.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for correction of temperature-induced variations in the analog output characteristics of a microbolometer detector in an infrared detecting focal plane array utilizing electronic means to correct for the temperature variation of the individual microbolometer detector. The electronic circuitry and associated software necessary for implementation is also described.
Abstract:
A microbolometer array has pixels with a thin platform of silicon dioxide having a metal absorber layer, and having a resonant gap with a substrate reflector. The pixel resistor of vanadium oxide has low total resistance with metal contacts on opposite edges.
Abstract:
A method and system are disclosed for imaging a planetary surface region of interest (ROI). In a primary application, a plurality of space vehicles having antennas mounted thereupon are utilized to collect thermal radiation emitted from the ROI and generate corresponding thermal emission signals. Such thermal emission signals may be combined to yield one or more simple interferometric fringes. The simple fringes may be employed to yield a pixel image of the ROI. In one aspect, one or more simple interferometric fringes may be utilized to generate one or more compound interferometric fringes for use in formation of the pixel image. One or more compound fringes may be utilized to generate additional levels of compound fringes for use in formation of the pixel image. In another aspect, the space vehicles may be positioned in a “near-field” imaging arrangement relative to the ROI and a matched filtering approach may be utilized for extracting amplitude data from the interferometric fringe(s) on a basis for use in pixel image formation.
Abstract:
An infrared imaging device includes a board which is movable inside the infrared imaging device, plural kinds of magnification lenses, and plural kinds of infrared light radiation parts which radiate infrared lights having respective radiation temperatures, wherein the lenses and the infrared light radiation parts are situated on the board.
Abstract:
An infrared detector includes an optical cavity structure with an infrared reflection film on a semiconductor substrate. The infrared reflection film and an infrared absorption film provide high efficiency infrared detection.
Abstract:
A reference bolometer and the associated methods for fabricating a reference bolometer and for fabricating an array of bolometers are provided. The reference bolometer is fabricated such that a thermally conductive layer underlies the detector element, i.e., the absorber and transducer elements, and is encapsulated by a protective coating. The protective coating serves to prevent the thermally conductive layer underlying the detector element of the reference bolometer from being etched during the process of etching or otherwise removing other portions of the thermally conductive layer that underlie the detector elements of the imaging bolometers. As such, the thermally conductive layer of the reference bolometer maintains the desired thermal communication between the detector element and the substrate such that the output of the reference bolometer is unaffected by incident radiation. Methods for fabricating the reference bolometer are also provided that should increase the reliability and yield, thereby permitting manual inspection of the resulting focal plane array to be reduced.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to the infrared detection of hydrocarbon gases; infrared light from a source (10) is passed through a filter (12) to produce a beam (14) passing through a space (16), which can potentially contain hydrocarbon gases. The wavelength of the beam (14) contains a wavelength that is absorbed by hydrocarbon gases (sample wavelength) and a wavelength that is not absorbed by hydrocarbon gases (reference wavelength). The beam (14) falls on a detector that contains sensors (22, 24) that receive light that has passed through respective filters (18, 20). Sample filter (20) allows a single wavelength to be transmitted; reference filter (18) allows two wavelength bands to be transmitted, the bands having wavelengths located on either side of the sample wavelength in order to eliminate the effects of atmospheric conditions that are unconnected with hydrocarbon gases.
Abstract:
A photometer for measuring gas components. The photometer has an infrared radiator with radiator modulation, a measuring cell with a measurement and comparison chamber, and a detector which absorbs optopneumatically onto the gas component X, that is filled with gas component X. In order in the case of a photometer of this type to render it possible for a plurality of gas components to be measured with high accuracy and the smallest possible outlay in apparatus, at least one further detector is arranged downstream of the first detector. For the purpose of measuring the gas component Y the further detector is filled with its isotope Y*, and the first detector is optically transparent with regard to the further gas component Y* to be measured or the characteristic absorption bands thereof.