Applications
Applications and Technical Information
AIRS Imaging Applications
American Infrared Solutions supplies cameras and integrated dewar-cooler assemblies (IDCA’s) for integration into virtually all advanced infrared imaging and spectral sensing applications. Our clients are pushing the boundaries of imaging science, and they leverage our expertise to accomplish their goals. Some of the applications content on this page will link you to a few of the manufacturers who use our products and services.
Many of the advanced infrared and hyperspectral imaging applications require infrared modules with extremely high thermal sensitivity and specific spectral bandpass filters. Unfortunately, most major infrared camera manufacturers can’t justify building custom or prototype systems to satisfy these emerging applications.
There are several different infrared sensor technologies available and a broad range of cryogenic cooling options, all of which are available from different manufacturers. Sorting through the different sensor options, cooler, filter, and lens combinations can be a daunting task. Thermal camera sensitivity specifications are usually presented with a defined scene temperature and low F number lens, and the actual performance of the system can vary. If your application requires longer lenses, higher F numbers, or has colder scene temperatures than the advertised NETD specification, you may be disappointed in system performance. We can help you navigate these challenges, and since we are sensor and cooler agnostic, we can provide objective guidance.
If you have questions about which cooled sensor is best for your application, cooler and lens options to meet a SWAP specification, or you need specific spectral response data on any of our systems, please give us a call. For ITAR reasons we only display a limited amount of technical data on our products, but we are happy to share additional information to approved US persons.
Our IDCA’s and cameras support imaging applications across the full infrared spectrum to include:
Multispectral Imaging
Hyperspectral Imaging
SWIR Short Wave Infrared Imaging
E SWIR Extended SWIR Imaging
Mid-Wave Imaging
Long-Wave Imaging
Broadband infrared Imaging
Our sensor offerings include:
InSb
MCT
HOT MCT
SLS
SWIR APPLICATIONS
SWIR imaging is the fastest growing segment in the infrared spectrum. A steady stream of new and meaningful applications for SWIR cameras in environmental, medical and defense are driving this growth. AIRS supplies special camera modules to OEM’s who deliver solutions for these emerging markets.
Hyperspectral cameras for crop health
Hyperspectral cameras for mineral detection
Hyperspectral mapping
Gas and aerosol cloud analysis
Medical Imaging
Our extended SWIR systems with 0.9 to 2.5µm wavelength sensitivity provide the ability to see laser spots up to 2.5µm. This is beyond the capabilities of InGaAs based SWIR cameras that drop off at 1.7µm. Extended SWIR provides improved visibility through fog, haze, and glass.
Telops manufactures multispectral camera systems for the full range of infrared applications, including imaging of combustion reactions, mineral imaging, and optical gas imaging.
https://www.telops.com/products/multispectral-cameras
Headwall Photonics manufactures and supports high-performance hyperspectral camera systems. Their products include wavelength performance out to eSWIR at 2.5µm.
https://www.headwallphotonics.com/hyperspectral-sensors
Corning’s Advanced Optics Group offers a full range of hyperspectral and remote sensing solutions for science and defense.
Space, Defense and Security Applications we support:
Thermal weapon sights
Wide area surveillance
Drone based Search and Rescue systems
IBDSS Integrated base defense security systems
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle long range gimbal camera systems
Long Range Thermal Security Systems
Satellite infrared imaging systems
MTI Moving target indicator imaging modules
Target signature applications
Counter Drone Detection
Critical Infrastructure Protection systems
Maritime Situational Awareness systems
Port Security systems
Airport Perimeter Security Infrared systems
Airborne IED detection systems
Commander thermal sights
Laser pointer imaging (SeeSpot imaging)
Nightglow imaging
SWIR Camouflage detection
Chemical Imaging and sensing in FTIR systems
Scientific and Commercial Applications
FTIR Fourier Transfer Infrared sensing
Metrology
Chemical Imaging
Medical imaging applications
Optical Gas Imaging Systems (OGI)
Scientific research
Infrared Microscopy systems
High Speed infrared systems
Here’s a link to a well-crafted article by Dr. Austin Richards on spectral selection.
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Infrared_Spectral_Selection_It_Begins_with_the/a25132
Useful Hyperspectral Imaging and Information Links:
Here’s a link to the USGS spectral library:
https://crustal.usgs.gov/speclab/QueryAll07a.php
https://www.usgs.gov/labs/spec-lab/capabilities/spectral-library
Here’s a link to an IEEE article on the Comparison of Mid Wave Infrared (MWIR) and Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) Imagery for Precision Agriculture Applications
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8742183
More on precision agriculture and remote sensing open articles are available through MDPI, a peer-reviewed open access journal about the science and application of remote sensing technology.
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing
More information related to infrared imaging
WorldWideScience.org is a global science gateway comprised of national and international scientific databases and portals.
https://worldwidescience.org/topicpages/m/mid-wave+infrared+mwir.html
Cooled vs. Uncooled infrared cameras
Photon counting vs. resistive element sensors
For those who are new to evaluating infrared cameras, the key performance attributes differ somewhat from the visible spectrum.
For visible light cameras, we rarely give much thought to the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor, or to the pixel density. Prior to digital imaging, film ISO (sensitivity) was a primary consideration and to a lesser extent film grain. For performance infrared cameras, thermal sensitivity, or the NETD (noise equivalent temperature difference) and pixel density (fill factor) are two of the differentiators between uncooled microbolometer sensors and photon counting cooled sensors.
Thermal sensitivity is typically measured and presented in NETD. A cryogenically cooled infrared camera can typically resolve a 25mk temperature difference, where a good quality uncooled microbolometer camera will usually resolve about a 40mk delta. The visible difference in these systems appear as a much cleaner and sharper image in the cooled (photon counting) cameras as opposed to the microbolometer cameras.
Another benefit of the high sensitivity of cooled sensors is that this allows for powerful compact zoom optics. Uncooled sensors suffer with high F number lenses and are rarely coupled with zoom lenses. In the most demanding remote sensing applications the lens sizes will make an uncooled sensor impractical.
Uncooled microbolometer sensors are well suited to low cost thermography, industrial inspection, and short-range security applications since they can run for years without maintenance. But they don’t offer the performance required for demanding remote sensing, scientific and hyperspectral applications.
Additionally, uncooled microbolometer sensors have very slow integration times. This can be problematic for many airborne and scientific applications where smearing combined with noise can reduce the probability of target detection. Most commercially available microbolometers offer a 10ms integration time, compared to high performance cooled sensors that can operate at integration speeds up to 50 µs.
Cryogenically cooled sensors operate at different temperatures depending on the sensor technology and application. InSb sensors are typically cooled to 77K, but may be cooled to 70k to reduce dark current and to further reduce noise. High Operating Temperature sensors including MCT or SLS might run at 120K or 130k.
Link to additional reading at semantic scholar.org
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Digital-Pixel-Focal-Plane-Array-Technology-Schultz-Kelly/1a1f024cb14e9dec036248d638953175c697d4c1/figure/2
Invention of the microbolometer is credited the American astronomer Samuel Pierpont Langley in 1878.
This video from Sunpower provides an excellent Stirling Cryogenic Micro-Cooler overview
Cryogenic linear and rotary micro-coolers have improved over the years in both performance and size, and they are available from several manufacturers. We can integrate, service and support most micro-coolers, including those from FLIR, Thales, AIM, Ricor,
Here’s a Thales cooler overview.