Room-temperature mid-infrared single-photon spectral imaging
Room-temperature mid-infrared single-photon spectral imaging
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DOI：
10.1038/nphoton.2012.231
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发表时间：
2012-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
35
通讯作者：
Pedersen, Christian
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dam, Jeppe Seidelin;Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter;Pedersen, Christian
中红外波长的光谱成像和检测正在成为一种具有巨大技术和科学意义的使能技术，主要是因为重要的化合物显示出独特而强大的中红外光谱指纹，可以揭示有价值的化学信息。现代量子级联激光器已发展成为理想的相干中红外激发源，但简单、低噪声的室温探测器和成像系统却落后了。我们通过提出一种新颖的、可现场部署的、用于灵敏、二维、中红外光谱成像的上转换系统来满足这一需求。测量到 0.2 光子/空间元素/秒的室温暗噪声，比低温冷却 InSb 相机的暗噪声水平低十亿倍。获得单光子成像和高达 200 x 100 空间元素的分辨率，并且对于 3 μm 偏振非相干光，连续波量子效率接近 20%，创历史新高。所提出的方法与现有和新的中红外应用相关，例如气体分析和医疗诊断。
The spectral imaging and detection of mid-infrared wavelengths is emerging as an enabling technology of great technical and scientific interest, primarily because important chemical compounds display unique and strong mid-infrared spectral fingerprints that reveal valuable chemical information. Modern quantum cascade lasers have evolved as ideal coherent mid-infrared excitation sources, but simple, low-noise, room-temperature detectors and imaging systems lag behind. We address this need by presenting a novel, field-deployable, upconversion system for sensitive, two-dimensional, mid-infrared spectral imaging. A room-temperature dark noise of 0.2 photons/spatial element/second is measured, which is a billion times below the dark noise level of cryogenically cooled InSb cameras. Single-photon imaging and a resolution of up to 200 x 100 spatial elements are obtained with a record-high continuous-wave quantum efficiency of similar to 20% for polarized incoherent light at 3 mu m. The proposed method is relevant for existing and new mid-infrared applications such as gas analysis and medical diagnostics.