On a different wavelength: scientists set out to create ’superspectral’ camera

A team of engineers is setting out to create the world's first camera sensor capable of 'seeing' across a wide range of wavelengths. Backed by a grant of £1.5m from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), researchers from the University of Glasgow are starting four years of work to develop the 'superspectral' sensor, which could lead to new developments in security screening and medical imaging. They aim to build for the first time a single chip which can resolve images from the mid-infrared (MIR), far-infrared (FIR) and visible areas of the electromagnetic spectrum. MIR sensors can provide thermal images of the heat radiated by a person or object; FIR can be used to probe for objects concealed under clothes or skin and visible light sensors capture images similar to those seen by the human eye. Currently, separate sensors capable of providing information from each of these areas of the spectrum are widely available in consumer, medical and defence products such as digital cameras, clinical imaging devices and airport security scanners. Professor David Cumming, who is leading the project, said: "The most striking development in optical imaging of the last 20 years has been the emergence of digital imaging using complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Camera technology has advanced rapidly, to the point where 10-megapixel sensors are available for £50 or less, and we're starting to see the same increase and quality and reduction in cost in infrared and far-infrared sensors.