High-end Infrared Camera with Lens

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Applicants have developed an infrared (IR) laboratory of excellent academic reputation worldwide. One of the main trust of this laboratory is the research program «Thermography Non Destructive Evaluation» (TNDE) funded through applicants NSERC Discovery grants. In TNDE experiments, specimens are thermally stimulated (warmed) and thermal response is picked up by an IR camera enabling to extract information such as material structure, thermal properties, etc. TNDE is now used in inspection for advanced aircraft composites, etc. Our TNDE program will be supported by the requested equipment. Currently 15 HQPs supervised by the applicants are involved in this research program. Our laboratory is equipped with a variety of IR cameras from near IR to long wave IR and also a middle wave cooled IR camera. This last camera - our Phoenix from Indigo - is the workhorse of our laboratory. It was purchased in 2004. After 14 years of excellent service and generations of HQPs involved (43 MSc and PhD in total used the Phoenix in their research toward their diploma), this camera needs to be replaced. It now operates on «intermittent schemes» due to some internal troubles that have not been not possible to fix (Indigo company is no longer in operation). In case of fatal breakdown of our Phoenix, research projects of these HQPs would be in critical jeopardy. New cooled middle wave IR cameras with enhanced performances are now available on the market, notably better spatial resolution, thermal sensitivity, high frame rate, fast interface (ex: GigE) with open software (such as Matlab compatibility), spectral filtering. This last feature is interesting to select restricted spectral bands for particular applications. For example our current TNDE studies in cultural heritage applications would gain of having the possibility to restrict the camera operation in the 1.6-2.3 micron (some common paint pigments are transparent in this band enabling to «see through»). Two quotations are provided and the selected one fits within the budget from the NSERC Research Tools and Instruments Program with key specifications: cooled Indium Antimonite 1280 x 1024 IR detector matrix, full frame rate of 105 Hz, external triggering, spectral filtering capability, 16-bit data stream on GigE interface, Matlab routines for easy access and manipulation of the images. Cooled IR detector are preferred (with respect to uncooled IR detector) to get lower detector thermal noise and hence better thermal sensitivity. Applicants have currently no access to any other grant or budget that could be used to purchase the requested instrument. We selected the best available specifications on the market to insure the new camera will offer premium performances for the years to come as the Phoenix has done since 2004. This is important for the research programs the HQPs will be associated to in order for them to make their mark in the international research community.