Antti Näsilä

Towards eye-safe standoff Raman imaging systems

Standoff Raman imaging systems have shown the ability to detect single explosives particles. However, in many cases, the laser intensities needed restrict the applications where they can be safely used. A new generation imaging Raman system has been developed based on a 355 nm UV laser that, in addition to eye safety, allows discrete and invisible measurements. Non-dangerous exposure levels for the eye are several orders of magnitude higher in UVA than in the visible range that previously has been used. The UV Raman system has been built based on an UV Fabry-Perot Interferometer (UV-FPI) developed by VTT. The design allows for precise selection of Raman shifts in combination with high out-of-band blocking. The stable operation of the UV-FPI module under varying environmental conditions is arranged by controlling the temperature of the module and using a closed loop control of the FPI air gap based on capacitive measurement. The system presented consists of a 3rd harmonics Nd:YAG laser with 1.5 W average output at 1000 Hz, a 200 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, UV-FPI filter and an ICCD camera for signal gating and detection. The design principal leads to a Raman spectrum in each image pixel. The system is designed for field use and easy manoeuvring. Preliminary results show that in measurements of <60 s on 10 m distance, single AN particles of <300 μm diameter can be identified.

Short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral imager based on Fabry-Perot interferometer for remote sensing

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a spectral imager for short-wave infrared (SWIR) wavelength range. The spectral imager is based on a tunable Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) accompanied by a commercial InGaAs Camera. The FPI consists of two dielectric coated mirrors separated by a tunable air gap. Tuning of the air gap tunes also transmitted wavelength and therefore FPI acts as a tunable band bass filter. The FPI is piezo-actuated and it uses three piezo-actuators in a closed capacitive feedback loop for air gap tuning. The FPI has multiple order transmission bands, which limit free spectral range. Therefore spectral imager contains two FPI in a stack, to make possible to cover spectral range of 1000 – 1700 nm. However, in the first tests imager was used with one FPI and spectral range was limited to 1100-1600 nm. The spectral resolution of the imager is approximately 15 nm (FWHM). Field of view (FOV) across the flight direction is 30 deg. Imaging resolution of the spectral imager is 256 x 320 pixels. The focal length of the optics is 12 mm and F-number is 3.2. This imager was tested in summer 2014 in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and therefore a size and a mass of the imager were critical. Total mass of the imager is approximately 1200 grams. In test campaign the spectral imager will be used for forest and agricultural imaging. In future, because results of the UAV test flights are promising, this technology can be applied to satellite applications also.

Compact large-aperture Fabry-Perot interferometer modules for gas spectroscopy at mid-IR

VTT has developed Fabry-Pérot Interferometers (FPI) for visible and infrared wavelengths since 90’s. Here we present two new platforms for mid-infrared gas spectroscopy having a large optical aperture to provide high optical throughput but still enabling miniaturized instrument size. First platform is a tunable filter that replaces a traditional filter wheel, which operates between wavelengths of 4-5 um. Second platform is for correlation spectroscopy where the interferometer provides a comb-like transmission pattern mimicking absorption of diatomic molecules at the wavelength range of 4.7-4.8 um. The Bragg mirrors have 2-4 thin layers of polysilicon and silicon oxide.

Spectral imager based on Fabry-Perot interferometer for Aalto-1 nanosatellite

The Aalto-1 is a 3U-cubesat project coordinated by Aalto University. The satellite, Aalto-1, will be mainly built by students as project assignments and thesis works. The Aalto-1 is planned to launch on 2014. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is developing the main Earth observation payload, a miniaturized spectral imager unit, for the satellite. The spectral imager unit contains a spectral imager, a visible RGB-camera and control electronics of the cameras. Detailed design of the spectral imager unit has been completed and assembly of the spectral imager unit will be done in the autumn 2013. The spectral imager is based on a tunable Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) accompanied by an RGB CMOS image sensor. The FPI consists of two highly reflective surfaces separated by a tunable air gap and it is based on a piezo-actuated structure. The piezo-actuated FPI uses three piezo-actuators and is controlled in a closed capacitive feedback loop. The spectral resolution of the imager will be 8-15 nm at full width at half maximum and it will operate in the wavelength range 500-900 nm. Imaging resolution of the spectral imager is 1024x1024 pixels and the focal length of the optics is 32 mm and F-number is 3.4. Mass of the spectral imager unit is approximately 600 grams, and dimensions are 97 mm x 97 mm x 48 mm.

Aalto-1: a hyperspectral Earth observing nanosatellite

This paper introduces the Aalto-1 remote sensing nanosatellite, which is being built under the coordination of The Department of Radio Science and Engineering of Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering. The satellite is a three unit CubeSat, and it will be mostly built by students. The satellite platform is designed to house several payloads, and the main payload of the Aalto-1 mission will be the worlds smallest hyperspectral imager while secondary payloads being a compact radiation monitor and an electrostatic plasma brake for de-orbiting.

Miniaturized spectral imager for Aalto-1 nanosatellite

The Aalto-1 is a 3U-cubesat project coordinated by Aalto University. The satellite, Aalto-1, will be mainly built by students as project assignments and thesis works. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland will develop the main Earth observation payload, a miniaturized spectral imager, for the satellite. It is a novel highly miniaturized tunable filter type spectral imager. Mass of the spectral imager will be less than 400 grams, and dimensions will be approximately 80 mm x 80 mm x 45 mm. The spectral imager is based on a tunable Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) accompanied by an RGB CMOS image sensor. The FPI consists of two highly reflective surfaces separated by a tunable air gap and it is based either on a microelectromechanical (MEMS) or piezo-actuated structure. The MEMS FPI is a monolithic device, i.e. it is made entirely on one substrate in a batch process, without assembling separate pieces together. The gap is adjusted by moving the upper mirror with electrostatic force. Benefits of the MEMS FPI are low mass and small size. However, large aperture (2-10 mm) MEMS FPIs are currently under development, thus it is not yet known if their performance is adequate. The piezo-actuated FPI uses three piezo-actuators and is controlled in a closed capacitive feedback loop. The drawback of the piezo-actuated FPI is its higher mass. However, it has a large aperture which enables a shorter exposure times. Selection of the FPI type will be done after thorough evaluation. Depending on the selected FPI type, the spectral resolution of the imager will be 5 - 10 nm at full width at half maximum and it will operate in the visible and/or near infrared range.

Micro-machined Fabry-Pérot interferometer for thermal infrared

We designed and demonstrated a surface micro-machined tunable Fabry-Pérot interferometer for the thermal infrared wavelengths 7.6 μm <; λ <; 10.3 μm. The device is based on two poly-Si/air distributed Bragg reflectors, separated by an electrostatically adjustable gap. Our work introduces the first micro-machined single-wafer solution for this wavelength range with the resolution adequate for the spectroscopic applications in pharmaceutics and biotechnology. The optical performance under the electrostatic tuning is presented and analyzed. Analytical model and numerical computation, including electromechanical FEM simulation, are exploited for evaluating the spectral behavior of the measured transmission peak width, height, and location.

Visible spectral imager for occultation and nightglow (VISION) for the PICASSO Mission

PICASSO - A PICo-satellite for Atmospheric and Space Science Observations is an ESA project led by the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, in collaboration with VTT, Clyde Space Ltd. (UK), and the Centre Spatial de Liège (BE). VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. will deliver the Visible Spectral Imager for Occultation and Nightglow (VISION) for the PICASSO mission. The VISION targets primarily the observation of the Earths atmospheric limb during orbital Sun occultation. By assessing the radiation absorption in the Chappuis band for different tangent altitudes, the vertical profile of the ozone is retrieved. A secondary objective is to measure the deformation of the solar disk so that stratospheric and mesospheric temperature profiles are retrieved by inversion of the refractive raytracing problem. Finally, occasional full spectral observations of polar auroras are also foreseen. The VISION design realized with commercial of the shelf (CoTS) parts is described. The VISION instrument is small, lightweight (~500 g), Piezo-actuated Fabry-Perot Interferometer (PFPI) tunable spectral imager operating in the visible and near-infrared (430 – 800 nm). The spectral resolution over the whole wavelength range will be better than 10 nm @ FWHM. VISION has is 2.5° x 2.5° total field of view and it delivers maximum 2048 x 2048 pixel spectral images. The sun image size is around 0.5° i.e. ~500 pixels. To enable fast spectral data image acquisition VISION can be operated with programmable image sizes. VTT has previously developed PFPI tunable filter based AaSI Spectral Imager for the Aalto-1 Finnish CubeSat. In VISION the requirements of the spectral resolution and stability are tighter than in AaSI. Therefore the optimization of the of the PFPI gap control loop for the operating temperature range and vacuum conditions has to be improved. VISION optical, mechanical and electrical design is described.

MOEMS Fabry–Pérot interferometer with point-anchored Si-air mirrors for middle infrared

We studied how a micromachined Fabry–Perot interferometer, realized with wide point-anchored Si/air-gap reflectors, performs at the middle-infrared. A computational analysis of the anchor mechanical behavior is also presented. Compared with solid-film reflectors, this technology features better index contrast, which enables a wider stop band and potentially higher resolution. In this work, we investigate whether the performance is improved according to the index-contrast benefit, or whether the mechanical differences play a role. For comparison, we manufactured and characterized another design that applies solid-film reflectors of Si/SiO2 structure. This data is exploited as a reference for a middle-infrared interferometer and as a template for mapping the performance from the simulation results to the measured data. The novel Si/air-gap device was realized as a non-tunable proof-of-concept version. The measured data is mapped into an estimate of the achievable performance of a tunable version. We present the measured transmission and resolution data and compare the simulation models that reproduce the data. The prediction for the tunable middle-infrared Si/air-gap device is then presented. The results indicate that the interferometer’s resolution is expected to have improved twofold and have a much wider stop band compared with the prior art.

PICASSO VISION instrument design, engineering model test results, and flight model development status

PICASSO - A PICo-satellite for Atmospheric and Space Science Observations is an ESA project led by the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, in collaboration with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Clyde Space Ltd. (UK) and Centre Spatial de Liège (BE). The test campaign for the engineering model of the PICASSO VISION instrument, a miniaturized nanosatellite spectral imager, has been successfully completed. The test results look very promising. The proto-flight model of VISION has also been successfully integrated and it is waiting for the final integration to the satellite platform.