At 03:35 AM 2/26/1998 -0600, you wrote:
>Depending on the wavelenght you are looking for, most CCDs, if not all, are
>sensitive (to a certain degree) to short IR (around 890nm). If you have a
>video camera, try to see the light emmited by a remote control (IR of
>course) and you will most likely see it blinking... :)
>
>Calvin
>

Some further info....

Some CCD devices (and cameras), especially black & white devices, are
equipped with an infrared blocking filter, to reduce IR sensitivity.
In some b&w cameras (e.g. Cohu) you can order the camera with and without
the IR blocking filter.

The Cohu B&W camera we used could image a pulsed infrared laser beam
(from a Nd:YAG laser) at a wavelength of 1064 nm.

Check out some of the data sheets for CCDs (on the WWW) from manufacturers
such as Texas Instruments.  They usually include a spectral response
curve.

If you are looking for an imaging device that is sensitive to long
wavelength IR (e.g. for applications involving thermal imaging) you
are talking about more exotic and expensive technologies than
"plain" CCDs used in visible light imaging.  [Check out publications
like Laser Focus World or Photonics Spectra for articles and
advertisements on this type of product.]

Regards,
Gary Pepper

e-mail: gpepper@capitalnet.com