Towards longwave infrared tuneable filters for multispectral thermal imaging applications

Many thermal imaging applications stand to gain from the inclusion of multispectral capabilities in the long wave infrared (LWIR). While infrared spectral imaging systems presently exist, the addition of multispectral capabilities will provide a number of advantages, including the ability to accurately quantify the temperature distribution a scene, and the potential for dramatically improved target identification using spectral processing algorithms. We report here on our microspectrometer technology, based on electrically tuneable Fabry-Perot filters, which is moving towards implementation in the LWIR (8 – 12 micron wavelength) for multispectral thermal imaging applications.