Towards a Microtechnology based 4-channel infrared detector unit for a miniaturised NDIR system

An infrared detector unit to be included in a miniaturised nondispersive infrared system (NDIR) is being developed with the aid of different microtechnologies: CMOS technology, silicon bulk micromachining and flip-chip techniques. The chosen application for this optical gas sensing approach is the storage ambient control of climacteric fruit such as apples. For this application the detection of different gases is of interest; ammonia (as a result of leaks of the cooling system), ethylene (as a monitor of the ripeness state of the fruit), and acetaldehyde or ethanol (as a measure of fruit stress)