Single Wavelength Detector D2250
– a new paradigm in mid-infrared light detection
Measuring mid-infrared (MIR) light is inherently difficult due to the small photon energies and finite temperatures of detectors, which results in low detection efficiencies and high levels of noise. The NLIR MIR light detector is based on a novel measurement scheme that upconverts the MIR light to the near-visible regime. Near-visible light detectors (based on for example Si) are far superior to MIR light detectors in terms of efficiency, speed and noise. The NLIR upconversion technology therefore brings these attractive features and the advantages that follow to the MIR regime. New regimes of the MIR region can be explored using the NLIR technology: with up to 10 GHz sampling rate, nanosecond pulses are possible to characterise directly in the time domain or, alternatively, light at specific wavelengths from chemical reactions can be measured at unprecedented much faster than possible otherwise. New regimes of sensitivity also come within reach: the noise-equivalent power of the NLIR singlewavelength detector is as low as 2 fW/√Hz, which is orders of magnitude lower than standard cooled HgCdTe (MCT) MIR detectors.
