You can expect us to look absolutely radiant when hearing such good news – meaning a new publication on IR radiation in the Sensors journal! In recent years, investigations on this subject have attracted much research attention due to its harmless effects on human health and ubiquity (emitted by objects near room temperature). Hence, it is applicable in various branches of human life such as, e.g., industry, military, medicine, environmental monitoring, telecommunication, biotechnology, etc. Nevertheless, some applications require IR radiation with specified parameters.
The most valuable information on IR properties is provided by near-field analysis. Due to the limited and short distance covered by the near field, direct near-field measurements with commercially available detectors are challenging. Hence, the measurements are performed in the far field by applying additional light-focusing optomechanical components and commercially available detectors to measure the intensity. It’s not the best solution, though.
That’s why our researchers have proposed a new approach to laser beam investigation on semiconductor IR-lasers using novel types of detectors based on thermocouples. The working principle of the detectors made of thermocouples arranged in a linear array relies on the Seebeck effect. Their publication covers the design, the fabrication of detectors, and the experimental validation of their sensitivity to IR radiation.