Principles, Instrumentation, and Applications of Infrared Multispectral Imaging, An Overview

Abstract

An infrared (IR) multispectral imaging spectrometer is an instrument that can simultaneously record infrared spectroscopic and spatial information of a sample. Chemical and physical properties of the sample can be elucidated from such images. In a multispectral imaging instrument, a camera is used to record the spatial distribution of the sample, and the spectral information is obtained with a dispersive device. This overview article describes operational principles and recent development of various components used in IR multispectral imaging instruments, including the electronic dispersive devices (acousto‐optic tunable filter and liquid crystal tunable filter) and near‐ and middle‐IR cameras (InGaAs, InSb, HgCdTe, and QWIP cameras). Recent applications and unique use of the IR imaging instruments will be described followed by discussion of the future prospects of the technique.

Keywords:

• Acousto‐optic tunable filter
• acousto‐optic tunable filter
• liquid crystal tunable filter
• focal plane arrays
• In‐Ga‐As
• InSb
• HgCdTe
• infrared
• imaging