Wide-field mid-infrared hyperspectral imaging beyond video rate

Wide-field mid-infrared hyperspectral imaging beyond video rate

28 February 2024 | Jianan Fang, Kun Huang, Ruiyang Qin, Yan Liang, E Wu, Ming Yan, Heping Zeng
Mid-infrared (MIR) hyperspectral imaging has emerged as a powerful tool for spatially resolving chemical information in various samples, but acquiring three-dimensional data cubes is typically time-consuming due to the limited speed of raster scanning or wavelength tuning. To address this issue, the authors have developed and implemented a high-speed, wide-field MIR hyperspectral imaging system based on broadband parametric upconversion of high-brightness supercontinuum illumination at the Fourier plane. The upconverted replica is spectrally decomposed by a rapid acousto-optic tunable filter, which records high-definition monochromatic images at a frame rate of 10 kHz using a megapixel silicon camera. This system allows for the acquisition of 100 spectral bands over 2600-4085 cm⁻¹ in 10 ms, corresponding to a refreshing rate of 100 Hz. The angular dependence of phase matching in the image upconversion is leveraged to realize snapshot operation with spatial multiplexing for multiple spectral channels, further boosting the spectral imaging rate. The high acquisition rate, wide-field operation, and broadband spectral coverage open new possibilities for high-throughput characterization of transient processes in material and life sciences. The system's performance is demonstrated through experiments on polymer and liquid samples, as well as real-time hyperspectral imaging of liquid mixing dynamics.Mid-infrared (MIR) hyperspectral imaging has emerged as a powerful tool for spatially resolving chemical information in various samples, but acquiring three-dimensional data cubes is typically time-consuming due to the limited speed of raster scanning or wavelength tuning. To address this issue, the authors have developed and implemented a high-speed, wide-field MIR hyperspectral imaging system based on broadband parametric upconversion of high-brightness supercontinuum illumination at the Fourier plane. The upconverted replica is spectrally decomposed by a rapid acousto-optic tunable filter, which records high-definition monochromatic images at a frame rate of 10 kHz using a megapixel silicon camera. This system allows for the acquisition of 100 spectral bands over 2600-4085 cm⁻¹ in 10 ms, corresponding to a refreshing rate of 100 Hz. The angular dependence of phase matching in the image upconversion is leveraged to realize snapshot operation with spatial multiplexing for multiple spectral channels, further boosting the spectral imaging rate. The high acquisition rate, wide-field operation, and broadband spectral coverage open new possibilities for high-throughput characterization of transient processes in material and life sciences. The system's performance is demonstrated through experiments on polymer and liquid samples, as well as real-time hyperspectral imaging of liquid mixing dynamics.
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