Within project "POxIR", new types of sensors for process monitoring are being realized with resource-saving and environmentally friendly materials.

In order for compounds to be detected in process monitoring, the protective window of the sensor used must be sufficiently transparent and chemically, mechanically and thermally stable against the harsh process media and conditions. Sapphire, which is energy-intensive to manufacture, is conventionally used for this purpose.

In the project “POxIR - Production of polycrystalline oxide IR windows and their integration into an IR sensor”, we are therefore developing transparent ceramics (e.g. Mg-Al spinel, yttrium oxide and magnesium oxide). The advantage is a broader IR transmission up to 6-9 µm wavelength. The challenge now is to integrate these transparent ceramics into a sensor. For this purpose, the coating and the soldering process must be adapted to ensure a hermetically sealed sensor structure.