Ocean Optics, a specialist in miniature photonics, has supplied 10 QE65000 scientific grade spectrometers to the Third Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security in Shanghai.
The spectrometers have been integrated into demo units of the AY01-01 rapid liquid contraband detector, which uses Raman spectrometry to detect a number of liquid and crystal contraband substances.
Currently deployed in various airport locations and border crossings with Vietnam, the QE65000 enables the AY01-01 to detect explosives, drugs, dangerous chemicals and other hazardous liquids or transparent crystals.
The device is currently capable of differentiating between up to 200 different compounds, with the speed and accuracy of Raman spectroscopy.
According to the company, its use is expected to expand beyond airports and borders to large public gatherings such as conferences and sporting events.
Unlimited language options make it suitable for global use.
As it will be used by security and event personnel to screen thousands of people in a short period of time, it was critical that the device selected by the institute was very fast and simple to operate with minimal training.
The highly sensitive QE65000 modular spectrometer can achieve up to 90 per cent quantum efficiency (defined as how efficiently a photon is converted to a photoelectron) with high signal to noise and a rapid signal processing speed.
Its high-speed electronics have been designed for flexibility in connecting to various modules and external interfaces through USB 2.0 (backwards compatible to USB 1.1) or RS-232 communications.
It is suitable for Raman analysis and other low-light-level applications, such as fluorescence, DNA sequencing, thin-film reflectivity and astronomy.
