The PI 640i infrared microscope kit is ideal for engineers who need accurate temperature data on small electronic devices or Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). The ability to see thermal variations and make measurements on small targets depends on the detector resolution, and the optics focus the heat energy from the device onto the IR camera’s detector elements. This ensures precise and reliable temperature measurements, essential for detailed thermal analysis of miniature components.

Many engineers find that temperature measurements made with contact thermocouples on small electronic devices do not correlate with measurements made using a properly equipped infrared camera. This discrepancy is common when the target size is small, as the connection with the thermocouple can act as a thermal bridge, conducting heat away from the target. In such cases, measurements with a non-contact infrared camera are more accurate, as they avoid the heat conduction issues associated with contact methods.

As with microscopes that operate in the visible spectrum, choosing the right optic for any application involves a trade-off between the total observable field of view and the smallest target that needs to be observed and measured. The PI 640i microscope objective can detect temperature changes on targets as small as 28 µm within a total field of view of 18.2 mm x 13.8 mm. A high-resolution IR camera with standard wide field of view optics will only deliver accurate measurements of microelectronic targets with the right infrared microscope optics. The PI 640i microscope packages combine a high-resolution infrared camera with German-designed infrared microscope objectives and a precision mounting stage for working distance adjustment, ensuring precise thermal measurement and analysis of small targets.

Most IR camera manufacturers will quote a single pixel size or IFOV (Instantaneous Field of View) to promote a camera’s ability to resolve small targets. However, accurately measuring temperature with an infrared camera always requires more than one pixel. Infrared cameras with small detector pitch or pixel element size can require as many as 7 x 7 pixels to deliver a temperature measurement within the camera’s accuracy specification. The MFOV (Measurement Field of View) specification is crucial for obtaining correct temperature measurements, as it accounts for the necessary number of pixels to ensure accurate readings.

In addition to low thermal noise, the optimal pixel pitch size of 17 µm for long-wavelength infrared radiation allows a small Measurement Field of View (MFOV) of just 3 x 3 pixels, unlike other infrared cameras with smaller pixels. The superior quality and larger size of the optics also guarantee high image quality, minimising image distortion and ensuring uniform attenuation across the entire image. A wide variety of interchangeable lens optics are available to properly frame and maximise pixel count on the target to be measured. The infrared camera supports a frame rate of 32 Hz in standard mode or 125 Hz in high-speed subframe mode, allowing for the monitoring of fast manufacturing processes.

The PI 640i works with Optris PIX Connect software, available as a free download with free updates. The PIX Connect package includes tools for locating hot and cold spots, histograms, temperature profiling, image subtraction, and other thermal image processing features. For researchers and process engineers, the PC-based PIX Connect platform offers powerful thermal image processing capabilities, enabling users to extract and document fully calibrated temperature measurements from any pixel in the scene.

Time-versus-temperature data can be extracted from live thermal video feeds and recorded thermal video files containing stored temperature data. Engineers can utilise the data collection capabilities to extract the highest, lowest, and average temperatures from areas of any size or shape, along with complex alarm signals. Additionally, the system supports replaying stored thermal video frame by frame, allowing engineers to capture and store radiometric images and trigger snapshots during temperature changes.

Many engineers will take data on several locations on electric devices over a long period using the Temperature/Time feature, which logs data at user-specified intervals and stores it in .csv files. Some engineers prefer capturing the full image and use calibrated sequence files or calibrated .tiff images, which can be recorded at user-specified intervals. The Snapshot sequence storage routine also supports CSV file storage of the complete temperature matrix at user-specified intervals, providing comprehensive data for analysis.