Mid-TECH · Infrared sensing made visible: Combining infrared light sources and upconversion sensors for improved sensitivity in medical applications and gas analysis

Infrared sensing made visible: Combining infrared light sources and upconversion sensors for improved sensitivity in medical applications and gas analysis

The Mid-TECH project is an MSCA Innovative Training Network, providing training for 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) working towards a doctoral degree. The project Consortium comprised 6 academic institutions and 2 companies, and was coordinated by Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The Mid-TECH programme aimed to combine novel mid-infrared (mid-IR) light sources, mid-IR upconversion detection and mid-IR applications. The mid-IR wavelength range is an emerging and important new research frontier. Its general importance relates to a multitude of mid-IR industrial and biomedical sensor applications. Chemical fingerprints of most complex molecules such as those found in food, human tissue or combustion compounds all have vibrational absorption features in the mid-IR, thus identifiable through mid-IR spectroscopy. Incidentally, also the fundamental absorption bands of gas molecules are located in the mid-IR enabling novel instrumentation for mid-IR gas spectroscopy allowing for measurement of small concentrations. This is relevant for applications like “leak-tests” or remote sensing of greenhouse gases. The main obstacle for the exploitation of the mid-IR optical range has been a lack of efficient mid-IR light sources and sensitive mid-IR detectors/imaging. In Mid-TECH we have gathered the best European academic and industrial partners to show that in a combined effort, both technological shortcomings can be overcome, paving the way for novel instrumentation for industry and society. Mid-TECH has had an ambitious set of objectives both in relation to science and training: • Train a group of 15 highly skilled ESRs forming a new generation of networked scientists • Develop and discover new technologies for the mid-IR • Technology transfer from university to industry • Promote new innovation and entrepreneurial behaviour • Demonstrate novel instrumentation for society and industry Main actions: The Mid-TECH programme has produced almost 50 ISI indexed publications and 50+ conference contributions, the equivalent of approximately 500 pages of digested research results, covering diverse aspects of mid-IR technologies and applications. In the context of an ITN project, it is interesting to note that one third of the published Mid-TECH ISI publications have more than one beneficiary/partner on the authors’ list, underlining the collaborative and synergetic nature of Mid-TECH. For a comprehensive overview, please refer to the list of publications at the Mid-TECH website. Scientifically the ambitious objectives formulated in the Mid-TECH application have been very successful. Deviations have been mostly in the form of “to what extent” an objective has been accomplished. This we find reasonable; otherwise, we would not have been ambitious enough. Mid-TECH has been highly experimental in nature and has produced a long list of new light sources and sensing principle, addressing novel mid-IR applications. The training activities in the form of summer schools, secondments and training at host universities have been completed and formed the basis of the ESRs’ PhD theses.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union