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IR Detectors

Thermal detectors such as thermocouples, bolometers, and pneumatic devices were historically used to detect infrared radiation. However, their characteristics are inferior to photon detectors used in the ultraviolet and visible regions. The most common thermal detectors are thermocouples, bolometers, pyroelectric detectors, and pneumatic detectors. Thermocouples consist of two dissimilar metals that produce a voltage difference in response to temperature changes caused by infrared absorption. Bolometers and thermistors have resistance that changes with temperature. Pyroelectric detectors produce a temperature-dependent voltage in response to infrared radiation. Pneumatic detectors contain a gas-filled chamber that heats in response to infrared absorption.

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28 views

IR Detectors

Thermal detectors such as thermocouples, bolometers, and pneumatic devices were historically used to detect infrared radiation. However, their characteristics are inferior to photon detectors used in the ultraviolet and visible regions. The most common thermal detectors are thermocouples, bolometers, pyroelectric detectors, and pneumatic detectors. Thermocouples consist of two dissimilar metals that produce a voltage difference in response to temperature changes caused by infrared absorption. Bolometers and thermistors have resistance that changes with temperature. Pyroelectric detectors produce a temperature-dependent voltage in response to infrared radiation. Pneumatic detectors contain a gas-filled chamber that heats in response to infrared absorption.

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Anime GAMING
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© © All Rights Reserved
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IR Detectors ( Thermal detectors )

Various photodetectors used in the Ultraviolet and visible region do not work in infrared
region because photons in infrared radiations lack sufficient energy to cause photoemission
of electrons.

“Infrared radiations possess the property of heat and heat detectors that transduce heat into
electrical signal can be used.”

Historically, thermal detectors, such as thermocouples, bolometers, and pneumatic devices,


were used to detect all but the shortest IR wavelengths. These detectors are still found in
older dispersive IR spectrometers.

The characteristics of most thermal detectors are, however, much inferior to those of the
photon detectors used in the UV/visible region.

Most Fourier transform IR spectrometers use a pyroelectric transducer or the MCT


photoconductive detector.

Construction and working of thermal detectors:

A thermal detector consists of a tiny blackened surface that absorbs infrared radiation and
increases in temperature as a result. The temperature rise is converted to an electrical signal
that is amplified and measured. Under the best of circumstances, the temperature changes
involved are extremely small, amounting to a few thousandths of a degree Celsius. The
difficulty of measurement is increased by thermal radiation from the surroundings, which is
always a potential source of uncertainty. To minimize the effects of this background radiation,
or noise, thermal detectors are housed in a vacuum and are carefully shielded from their
surroundings. To further minimize the effects of this external noise, the beam from the source
is made to alternate between maximum intensity and zero intensity by a rotating slotted disk,
called a chopper, which is inserted between source and detector.

The transducer converts this periodic radiation signal to an alternating electrical current that
can be amplified and separated from the dc signal resulting from the background radiation.
Despite all these measures, infrared measurements are significantly less precise than
measurements of ultraviolet and visible radiation.
Types of thermal detectors:
Four types of thermal transducers are used for infrared spectroscopy.
•Thermocouple/thermopile:
The most widely used is a tiny thermocouple or a group of thermocouples called a thermopile.
A thermocouple consists of two dissimilar metal wires, for example, antimony and bismuth,
connected at two points (hot junction and cold junction). When a temperature difference
exists between the two points, a potential difference is developed which can be measured.
One of the junctions, then, is placed in the path of light from monochromator. A thermopile
consists of up to six thermocouples in series, mounted in a vacuum to minimize heat loss by
conduction. Half are sensing and half are bonded to a substrate. Thermopiles have response
times of about 30 ms.
•The bolometer consists of a conducting element whose electrical resistance changes as a
function of temperature. Bolometers and thermistors are materials whose resistance is
temperature dependent. The thermal resistors are made of sintered oxides of cobalt,
manganese and nickel. Their change in resistance is measured in a Wheatstone bridge circuit.
The advantage of these over thermocouples is more rapid response time (4ms, compared
with 60ms) and thus improved resolution and faster scanning rates can be accomplished, but
sensitivity is compromised.

The response of thermal detectors is generally independent of the measurement.


• A pneumatic detector consists of a small cylindrical chamber that is filled with xenon and
contains a blackened membrane to absorb infrared radiation and heat the gas.

•Pyroelectric detectors are manufactured from crystals of a pyroelectric material, such as


barium titanate or deuterated triglycine sulfate. A crystal of either of these compounds
sandwiched between a pair of electrodes produces a temperature-dependent voltage when
exposed to infrared radiation. Pyroelectric transducers are used in IR spectrometers,
particularly the Fourier transform instruments (FTIR) .

For rapid measurements required with FTIR instruments, and for high sensitivity
measurements, photon detectors are used. Examples are solid-state lead sulfide (PbS), lead
selenide (PbSe) or indium gallium arsenide (ingaas) photoconductive detectors. Photovoltaic
detectors are even faster (as fast as 20ns response) and sensitive, but they require liquid
nitrogen cooling. The InSe detector is limited to 5.5 um. While PbSnTe detector works in the
5- to 13- um range. InGaAs offers the house ghest sensitivity in near-IR and has become the
detector of choice.

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