Compact, Lightweight, Low-Cost, Permanently-Aligned Infrared Spectrometers

Military, government and civilian personnel need timely and cost-effective warning of chemical and biological hazards in many arenas.Timely warning allows for effective personnel protection. ManningApplied Technology proposes to construct a novel Fouriertransform-infrared spectrometer which is modular, compact, costs less than $5000in quantity, and is optically tilt-compensated. The proposed designhas excellent immunity to both linear and torsional vibrations as wellas variable resolution. Theelectronics incorporate a novelarchitecture based on a digital signal processor. The powerconsumption is lower than any Fourier transform spectrometer built todate. The part-per-million internal calibration standard is aninexpensive, highly efficientsemiconductor.Dr. Manning is an internationally-recognized FT-IR spectrometer design expert. He holds two recent patents on novel interferometerdesigns; 3 more are pending. Dr. Griffiths authored the textbook on Fourier transform infrared spectrometry andhas 30 years experience in the field. Commercial applications include a wide range of process and quality control, spectral imaging, environmental monitoring, laboratory research, field measurements and remote sensing applications. Conservativeestimates indicate a $10 million per year market for the technology. The low cost insures that it will capture a significant market share.The novel interferometer design is expected to have numerous applications in process and control includingcombustion, commercial remote sensing, spectral imaging.