Super Hardened, EMI and Vibration Immune Chemical Biological FTIR Sensor

The Joint Services have the need for affordable, wide area monitoring, detection and alarm for presence of chemical agents, biological agents and toxic industrial chemical and materials. Infrared spectrometers are known to provide the desired sensitivity and selectivity for the application of interest but they large, delicate and expensive instruments. Translume has developed techniques and manufacturing expertise to fabricate small, optical analyzers for demanding field-applications. These micro-analyzers are carved from glass monoliths. We will use our unique ability to micromachine fused silica, and to integrate mechanical elements with optical elements in a fused silica monolith to produce a very small, extremely robust, inexpensive, yet sensitive Fourier-transform Infrared spectrometer for chemical/biological detection. Our Fourier-transform (FT)spectrometer is based on a monolithic scanning interferometer with integrated optical position readout. This approach is the most conductive to the successful development of a functioning FT spectrometer prototype within the context of a SBIR program.