Snapshot Hyperspectral Imaging
Third Floor Materials, in partnership with NCSU, is developing a thin-film plasmonic filter array to enable snapshot hyperspectral imaging (HSI). Hyperspectral data can be reconstructed from a few individually filtered, pixel-level intensity measurement of a scene if the filter transmission functions are well characterized and uncorrelated. Since the filter array can be bonded directly to the imaging sensor, the resulting imager is extremely compact and collects the complete hyperspectral image cube in a single snapshot measurement.
Algorithmic Spectroscopy
We are developing an algorithmic approach to infrared spectroscopy. Using machine-learning techniques, we seek to expand well-established non-dispersive infrared sensors (NDIR) into true spectroscopic instruments. Cost reductions for spectroscopic systems have been slow, and technical change has remained evolutionary. Third Floor Materials is working on and transformative approach by eliminating typical hardware tasks in spectroscopy and implement them by means of software. Lowering the cost of entry for IR spectroscopy for industry, educational and small business settings will increase the rate of innovation and enable new technologies.
Infrared Optical Limiters
Based on Third Floor Materials know-how of fabricating epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials in the infrared we are developing an optical limiter that operates at mid-IR energies. ENZ materials allow for intense light-matter interactions at sub wavelength scale, leading to large non-linear optical effects. These energy-dependent changes in optical properties can be leveraged by optical antenna structures to design filters exhibiting over one-order of magnitude reduction in transmission/reflection as a function of incident energy.