Real-Time Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy Enabled by Upconversion Technology

Infrared spectroscopy is one of the most fundamental tools in light metrology for materials sciences, life sciences, and chemistry, due to the strong interaction between infrared light and the majority of organic and inorganic molecules in our surrounding environment. For many years, this field has been dominated by FTIR technology, which remains the gold standard for infrared spectroscopy today and is used in labs and industries around the world to provide crucial, decision-enabling information to researchers and production facilities.

However, new applications are placing increasing demands on infrared spectroscopy. Faster and more robust measurements are needed to expand insights and make infrared-based decisions possible in real time. In this presentation, Friis will show how upconversion technology - converting light from infrared to visible wavelengths - enables a brand-new take on infrared spectroscopy that is faster and more robust than FTIR technology, and that enables new applications in research and industry.

Friis will go through the basic physics of upconversion and show in detail how this fundamental nonlinear optical phenomenon is used to realize a functional mid-infrared spectrometer. Secondly, Friis will demonstrate a number of applications where full spectra are captured in only milliseconds, thus providing decision-enabling data in real time.

About the presenter
Søren M. M. Friis, Ph.D, is head of sales and business development at NLIR, where he focuses on mid-infrared spectroscopy solutions for research and industrial applications. He has been involved in both technology development and commercialization since joining NLIR in 2017. His work brings together photonics, application development, and customer needs to help translate advanced optical technology into practical measurement solutions. Friis has co-authored 19 peer-reviewed journal papers, numerous conference papers, and has served as a reviewer for several scientific journals.