A new infrared thermometer, sensitive to wavelengths between 3 μm and 3.5 μm, has been developed. It is based on an Indium Arsenide Antimony (InAsSb) photodiode, a transimpedance amplifier, and a sapphire fiber optic cable. The thermometer used an uncooled photodiode sensor and received infrared radiation that did not undergo any form of optical chopping, thereby, minimizing the physical size of the device and affording its attachment to a milling machine tool holder. The thermometer is intended for applications requiring that the electronics are located remotely from high-temperature conditions incurred during machining but also affording the potential for use in other harsh conditions. Other example applications include: processes involving chemical reactions and abrasion or fluids that would otherwise present problems for invasive contact sensors to achieve reliable and accurate measurements. The prototype thermometer was capable of measuring temperatures between 200 °C and 1000 °C with sapphire fiber optic cable coupling to high temperature conditions. Future versions of the device will afford temperature measurements on a milling machine cutting tool and could substitute for the standard method of embedding thermocouple wires into the cutting tool inserts. Similarly, other objects within harsh conditions could be measured using these techniques and accelerate developments of the thermometer to suit particular applications.

A zero-drift, mid–wave infrared (MWIR) thermometer constructed using a chopper stabilised operational amplifier (op-amp) was compared against an identical thermometer that utilised a precision op-amp. The chopper stabilised op-amp resulted in a zero-drift infrared radiation thermometer (IRT) with approximately 75% lower offset voltage, 50% lower voltage noise and less susceptibility to perturbation by external sources. This was in comparison to the precision op-amp IRT when blanked by a cover at ambient temperature. Significantly, the zero-drift IRT demonstrated improved linearity for the measurement of target temperatures between 20 °C and 70 °C compared to the precision IRT. This eases the IRT calibration procedure, leading to improvement in the tolerance of the temperature measurement of such low target temperatures. The zero-drift IRT was demonstrated to measure a target temperature of 40 °C with a reduction in the root mean square (RMS) noise from 5 K to 1 K compared to the precision IRT.