News

6 April 2010

 

ULIS’ 17µm LWIR detector chosen by Thermoteknix for portable thermal imaging equipment

Sofradir subsidiary ULIS of Veurey-Voroize, Grenoble, France, which makes uncooled infrared sensors based on amorphous silicon technology for low-cost IR cameras in industrial, professional, and security applications, says that Thermoteknix Systems Ltd of Cambridge, UK has selected its PICO640 17µm longwave infrared (LWIR) detector for performance-driven thermal imaging equipment where size, weight, power consumption and range are critical.

Thermoteknix, which specializes in high-performance, low-power infrared engines for small- and large-volume integrators, joins the more than 20 customers worldwide that have already selected the product.

Launched on 10 December, the PICO640 17µm LWIR is a 640 x 480 video quality (VGA) focal plane array (FPA) that operates in the 8 – 12µm IR waveband. It is claimed to have one of the smallest footprints in its product category (24mm x 24mm) and offers low power consumption (less than 0.16W). It also weighs less than 10g and has less than 10ms of thermal time constant (response rate) — all features that are well suited for 50Hz portable thermal imaging applications, such as battery-powered cameras.

“ULIS’ PICO640 pushes the technology envelope further to provide a higher-performing detector, requiring smaller and lower-cost optics to achieve the same result of larger assemblies in a smaller, lower-cost envelope,” says Thermoteknix’s managing director Dr Richard Salisbury. “PICO640 fits with Thermoteknix’s proprietary technology that enables infrared cameras to be manufactured without TE [thermo-electric] cooling to stabilize detector performance, along with its XTi shutterless technology that removes the need for physical shuttering of the detector and interruption of imaging,” he adds.

“PICO640 is one of a family of high-performance 17µm thermal sensors based on a reliable technology that enables us to produce IR detectors in large volumes,” says ULIS’ managing director Jean-François Delepau. “PICO640 is being well received by the market and we still see significant potential in our amorphous silicon technology for the future.”

ULIS is showcasing the PICO640 at this week’s SPIE Defense, Security & Sensing 2010 exhibition in Orlando, FL, USA.

Search: ULIS Infrared sensors LWIR detector

Visit: www.ulis-ir.com

Visit: www.thermoteknix.com