VIGO Photonics have participated in the BROMEDIR Project, developing custom infrared detector for MEMS-FTIR spectrophotometer dedicated to milk analysis in sustainable farming.
The European photonics landscape marks a significant milestone as the pioneering technology initiative, BROMEDIR (Broadband MEMS-based InfraRed spectrometers), officially draws to a successful close. Backed by a €4,999,821.25 grant fully funded by the European Union under the HORIZON Europe program, the project has delivered a new generation of miniaturized Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) and photothermal spectrometer sensing platforms.
By seamlessly leveraging advanced Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology integrated with cutting-edge infrared detectors and sources, BROMEDIR has unlocked high-performance, real-time chemical sensing for both liquids and gases, then tested in three diverse application domains:
1)Sustainable Farming - Focusing on cows farming. This pilot was used for on-farm, fast analysis of individual cow milk samples focusing on the nutritional value of milk and cow’s health traits.
2) Fuel Quality Control - Enhancing transport safety and compliance by monitoring jet fuel quality, alongside precise measurements of biodiesel percentages in automotive and marine diesel.
3) Hydrogen Quality Monitoring - The technology enables process control at three vital stages: in feed gas, post-pre-enrichment, and in product gas following electrochemical compression-separation.
Throughout the project's duration VIGO’s main focus was set on developing a novel, low-noise, custom infrared detector for FTIR spectrophotometer dedicated to milk analysis in sustainable farming.
The main challenge was thermal noise impeding proper detection. In the BROMEDIR, the engineering team resolved this problem by designing advanced epitaxy of T2SL detectors inspired by HOT MCT technology, which reduces the dark current noise and multiplies the number of absorbers in a single epitaxy process. Thanks to this solution it is possible to reduce noises without reducing precision.
The project, finished by June 30, 2026, was developed by BROMEDIR consortium partners comprising: CyRIC (Cyprus), Technische Universität Wien (Austria), Si-Ware Systems (France), NanoPlus (Germany), Université Gustave Eiffel (France), CRA-W (Belgium), SENSEEN (France), ERALYTICS (Austria) and VIGO Photonics S.A. (Poland).
More information about the project>>
