Innovations in space-based technologies sometimes impact Earth-based sensing applications. That same pattern applies to infrared imaging. Short wave infrared has been used in space for Earth observation, but is now becoming more grounded.
Lynred, a specialist in infrared imaging based in France, announced it has launched an extended-short wave infrared (SWIR) sensor for down-to-earth industrial and environmental uses that draws on Lynred’s own space-proven tech. SWIR sensors have traditionally been used to see through fog, dust and smoke for materials analysis.
The new sensor is dubbed Sirocco SW and is capable of detecting wavelengths up to 2.5 microns in VGA resolution, which is beyond most conventional sensors. It can be applied for identifying chemicals and differentiating material and characterizing soils. Companies use such information to locate new mineral deposits or to monitor greenhouse gases and aid in agricultural land use.
The new sensor can help companies with faster decision making, Lynred said, to prevent unnecessary drilling or to support spectral soil mapping for airborne or spaceborn satellites, drones or aircraft. Gases detected include CO2, CO, CH4 and N20, for regulatory compliance. In industry, the Sirocco SW can detect above 300 degrees C, according to a statement from Lynred.
Lynred developed and qualified Sirocco SW through space programs on mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) technology, enabling reliable gas detection up to 2.5 microns. By comparison, traditional indium gallium arsenide SWIR sensors are typically limited to 1.7 microns. This improvement expands the useful spectral window for spectroscopy, Lynred argued. The full spectral response is rated at 0.8 to 2.5 microns, with frame rates up to 200 frames per second for precision.
These space capabilities of eSWIR are now available to industrial and environmental users “who need better data to address resource scarcity, climate constraints and sustainability challenges,” stated Pierre Jenouvrier, cooled product unit director for Lynred. Sirocco comes in two configurations: as a focal plane array for custom use or as a packaged detector in a PlugUp platform that is standard from Lynred. The company is also developing a space-enhanced cryogenic design.
Grand View Research valued the SWIR sensing market at up to $600 million in 2024 and has projected it to grow to more than $1 billion by 2030. SWIR sensing is used in many areas beyond those identified by Lynred for Sirocco, including new areas such as semiconductor inspection and plastic recycling. Medical imaging is a more conventional market. SWIR has the ability to see through fog and smoke to analyze materials.
While Lynred focused its Sirocco release on a market for industrial and environmental applications, there are other companies that make SWIR cameras principally for scientific research, including Andor and Kaya Vision.Sirocco SW will be shown at SPIE Photonics West from Jan. 20-22 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.