Grauling Research, a North American research company and supplier of coating materials, has introduced the IR-ISE (Infrared - Improved Sensor Efficiency), an improved photoconductive infrared sensor.
The new IR thin-film coating greatly enhances the performance and efficiency of infrared sensors; in many applications the coating also seals and protects the device, eliminating the need for glass encapsulation.
The novel thin-film coating was developed for use with lead sulfide (PbS) and lead selenide (PbSe) sensors. The high index of refraction in current lead-salt sensor technology causes around 40 per cent of the incident IR radiation to be lost due to surface reflection in conventional sensor materials. The IR-ISE thin-film PbS and PbSe coating designs can reduce surface reflection by using environmentally-rugged, single- or multi-layered thin-film coatings.
In applications where glass encapsulation is no longer needed, the new IR-ISE reduces the size and weight of the photodetector and lessens the amount of time, materials, and labour costs needed for assembly.