Infrared-to-visible transducer using temperature sensitive Eu(TTA)3 on self-suspended thin film for inexpensive thermal imaging device

This paper reports a new infrared-to-visible transducer using a Eu(TTA)₃ temperature sensitive paint (TSP) on a self-suspended parylene thin film, which offers excellent thermal insulation. An incident infrared light (IR) raises the temperature of the film, which causes the intensity change of fluorescence from the TSP. The obtained sensitivity was 0.016 %/K. Once IR is converted to a visible light, an inexpensive CCD or CMOS camera can be used for imaging. Thus, the technology presented here has a great potential to widen the applications of IR cameras from military, industrial and scientific fields to e.g. home security and healthcare fields.