ir

components:

The OPAL IR system is a very fast and accurate system for measuring MTF and other optical parameters in the Infra-Red spectral region. A single-element MCT detector is used to scan the image of slit target at a constant speed

The specially-designed detector has a pin-hole aperture at the end of it's 100 mm nozzle. The nozzle allows access to buried image planes, whilst the pin-hole aperture enables the detector to be scanned in both the tangential and sagittal directions without rotation. Image location and centering is very simple and accurate with this detector, allowing bore-sight and distortion measurements to be made with great accuracy.

Image scanning can be done at either a constant speed or in discrete steps. The former method allows very quick measurements to be made, and scan times of only 2-3 seconds are often achieved. A further advantage of the pinhole detector is that it can be scanned in a raster pattern , enabling a two-dimensional picture of the image under test to be built up and displayed. This feature can be used to diagnose strange problems, such as ghost images and unwanted reflections.

The range covered by the detectors is in three bands, SWIR (1.5-2.0 mm), MWIR ( 3-5 mm) and LWIR ( 8-12 mm) giving the full coverage of the infra-red spectrum. Key features in these systems are; the extended detector nozzle giving easy access to all image planes including buried types. The low noise detector system for high accuracy and repeatability, and quick scan mode for fast image location and focusing. Along with the Infra-red hardware, Image science also leads the way in control software for MTF systems.