Infrared used for painting surfaces, medical technology and military hardware can be used to make cheap and lightweight night vision goggles. Transparent metal films made of semiconductors can be used to develop infrared sensors that can be seen in the dark.

The proof of concept research published in Advanced Photonics magazine demonstrates a compact alternative to modern infrared imaging. It should be noted that infrared light is invisible to the human eye, and extensive research has been conducted in this field to detect this light.

This ultra-thin film was developed by a group of researchers from Australia and Europe, who claimed that the material developed was hundreds of times thinner than a human hair. Researchers convert infrared light into visible light, which can then be used to "develop compact infrared imaging equipment for applications in infrared vision and life sciences."

To develop the film, they arranged gallium arsenide, a semiconductor that has been used to make solar cells and transistors for many years, in a crystal structure. The thickness of the semiconductor is only a few hundred nanometers, allowing visible light to pass through it.

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When night vision goggles receive infrared light and convert electrons to display, the researchers used a different method because the film changes the energy of photons passing through it. This process is called a nonlinear optical process, and it requires a small laser to be irradiated with the film.

The use of film can reduce the bulky nature of night vision goggles worn by army and air force pilots on already heavy high-tech cameras. One of the biggest advantages of the newly developed film is that it works at room temperature, so there is no need for a cooling system to reduce the fluctuations seen in traditional night vision goggles.

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Researchers say that people who wear glasses with a film during the day will be able to see what normal eyes see, except for the infrared information displayed on the helmet.

"Our research results are conducive to the future development of compact night vision instruments and sensor devices. Such films help to make ultra-thin and ultra-compact imaging devices. In addition, they can also provide new functions, such as multi-function at room temperature. Color imaging," the researcher said.

As the infrared imaging software market is expected to grow by US$46705 million between 2021 and 2025, this new research may pave the way for the development of inexpensive and lightweight imaging equipment.

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