The LT3111 series pyroelectric lithium tantalate (LTO) detectors by LASER COMPONENTS offer a new detector series with a 7-µm-thick chip. These are well suited for Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Compared to other materials, LTO is extremely temperature stable and powerful. These detectors do not require additional cooling by a Peltier element at high temperatures.
At low to medium modulation frequencies, the LT3111 features high detectivity with a good signal-to-noise ratio. With a specific detectivity of typically 4.0 E+09 Jones at 10 Hz, they deliver the same performance as more expensive thermoelectrically cooled semiconductor detectors.
Fourier-transformed IR spectroscopy (FTIR) requires sensitive detectors. At low to medium modulation frequencies, special pyroelectric LTO detectors are very well suited for this purpose. For pyroelectric detectors, thinner chips provide higher detectivity. While other detector types in industrial environments require a Peltier element, LTO technology works well even at high temperatures without additional cooling.
