New developments in planar array infrared spectroscopy.

A planar array infrared (PA-IR) spectrograph offers several advantages over other infrared approaches, including high acquisition rate and sensitivity. However, it suffers from some important drawbacks, such as a limited spectral range and a significant curvature of the recorded spectral images, which still need to be addressed. In this article, we present new developments in PA-IR spectroscopy that overcome these drawbacks. First, a data processing method for the correction of the curvature observed in the spectral images has been developed and refined. In addition, a dual-beam instrument that allows the simultaneous recording of two independent spectral images has been developed. These two improvements have been combined to demonstrate the real-time background correction capability of PA-IR instruments. Finally, the accessible spectral range of the PA-IR spectrograph has been extended to cover simultaneously the methylene stretching (3200-2800 cm(-1)) and the finger-print (2000-1000 cm(-1)) spectral regions.