Ultra-high Speed Solid-state Ftir Spectroscopy and Applications for Chemical Defense

We introduce a new class of FTIR spectrometers capable of acquiring 6×10 – 1.4×10 interferograms (spectra) per second, over the spectral range of 1 μm – 12 μm, with a resolution of 10 cm or better. The new FTIR technology is based on the use of birefringence interferometers and employs photoelastic modulators (PEMs) as birefringent elements for ultra-high modulation speed. With characteristic data rates of tens of kHz and wide spectral range, these spectrometers are eminently suitable for high-speed, spectrally detailed, chemical biological (CB) hyperspectral imaging.