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Updated: Jun 17, 2026

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Non-equilibrium Microwave Plasma for Efficient High Temperature Chemistry
Published on: August 1, 2017
Summary
A novel grille spectrometer design enables thermal infrared emission measurements. While achieving low noise levels, optimal performance requires a detector system better suited for the instrument's high throughput.
Area of Science:
- Spectroscopy
- Infrared Technology
- Optical Engineering
Background:
- Traditional spectrometers face limitations in measuring thermal infrared emissions.
- Developing instruments with high optical throughput is crucial for sensitive measurements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new grille spectrometer design for thermal infrared emission analysis.
- To evaluate the performance and identify limitations of the novel design.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of grilles using self-supporting etched metal foil.
- Implementation of a curved chessboard pattern for optical chopping.
- Oscillation of the exit grille to isolate spectral elements.
Main Results:
- The new spectrometer design facilitates thermal infrared emission measurements.
- An effective noise level as low as 1 erg sec(-1) cm(-2) sr(-1) cm(-1) was achieved with a 448 ms integration time.
- The specific detectivity of the thermister bolometer was suboptimal due to the instrument's large throughput.
Conclusions:
- The developed grille spectrometer shows promise for thermal infrared emission studies.
- Further optimization requires a detector system with higher specific detectivity, better matched to the instrument's throughput.
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