Blackbody is a device that works as near perfect emitter of thermal radiation in spectral range from visible to microwaves. There are many blackbodies available on international market. Inframet specializes in high-tech blackbodies optimized for narrow market of high requirements. The blackbodies offered by Inframet can be divided into following groups:

• TCB series blackbodies (low temperature area blackbodies),
• BNUC blackbody sets for two point NUC of thermal imagers,
• BMED blackbodies (reference medical blackbodies for fever screening thermographs)
• BLIQ blackbodies (low temperature area blackbodies including subzero temperatures),
• MTB blackbodies ( medium temperature area blackbodies),
• MAB blackbodies (large area blackbodies for THz/short microwave range).
• HTB blackbodies ( high temperature cavity blackbodies),
• UHT blackbodies ( ultra high temperature cavity blackbodies),
• VSB (low temperature area blackbodies for vacuum chambers).

TCB blackbodies

TCB blackbodies are differential temperature, area blackbodies (thermoelectrically controlled) of temperature regulated from 0°C to +100°C (option from -40°C up to +150°C). The blackbodies are characterized by excellent temperature resolution (1 mK), temperature stability (up to 1 mK) and emissivity (typically 0.98 option -0.99). The emitter area vary from 50x50 for TCB-2D model to 300x300mm for TCB-12D model (or even 500x500mm for optional TCB-20D). These blackbodies are targeted for high or ultra high requirement applications like systems for testing cooled staring thermal imagers, metrological standards, or research programs.  

BMED reference medical blackbody	BNUC blackbody set

BMED blackbody is a specialized blackbody optimized for accurate simulation of human body and be used as a part of fever screening thermographs. In detail, parameters of BMED blackbody are at level much over requirements of IEC 80601-2-59 standard is situation when significant portion of medical blackbodies offered on the market do not fulfil requirements of this standard.

There are many low cost blackbodies offered on international market that can be used potentially for two point NUC applications. However, due to significant and specular reflectivity, noticeable thermal uniformity and temporal stability, and not ability to work in temperature chambers these blackbodies are not suitable for professional applications. Inframet offers BNUC series sets of blackbodies optimized for professional two point NUC applications.

BLIQ blackbodies	MTB blackbodies

BLIQ blackbodies are special version of TCB blackbodies designed to extend temperature range to sub-zero temperatures as low as -40°C.

MTB blackbodies are ultra precision, area blackbodies designed to simulate medium temperature targets. Radiator temperature is controlled using a thin, area heating element. Absolute temperate of the blackbody radiator can be regulated from 50°C to 600°C. Emitter area can vary from 50x50 mm to 500x500 mm depending on model.

MAB blackbody	HTB blackbody

MAB blackbodies are the first commercially available large area blackbodies of high emissivity in THz and short microwave range offered at international market. The blackbodies have been developed after several years of experiments carried out by Inframet research team. Design of these blackbodies is based on a special castable absorber coating optimized for THz/short microwave range, large thermally uniform emitter plate and ultra precision control electronics. HTB blackbodies are high temperature cavity blackbodies that enable regulation of cavity temperature from 100°C up to 1200°C. The cavity diameter can vary from 20 mm up to to 50 mm depending on model.
UHT blackbody	VSB blackbody

UHT blackbodies are high temperature, cavity blackbodies of temperature range up to 1500°C. Due to a special design of the cavity, UHT blackbody offers high emissivity in exceptionally wide spectral band from about 1 μm to 3000 μm. This ultra wide spectral band makes possible to use UHT blackbody as a standard radiation source in both infrared band and THz band. The blackbody is also characterized by a relatively large aperture of 25 mm of the emitting cavity (apertures of typical high temperature blackbodies are rarely bigger than 15 mm).

Testing infrared systems to be sent into space missions is typically done using blackbodies in located in cooled vacuum chambers that simulate space conditions. VSB blackbodies are a new type of blackbodies offered by Inframet to meet demands of space laboratories. This blackbody is design to enable simulation of target at temperatures from -10°C to +200°C located at cooled vacuum chambers. Blackbodies optimized for different temperature ranges working in both cooled or non-cooled vacuum chambers can be offered, too.

Learn more:

• Data sheets: TCB, BMED, BNUC, BLIQ, MTB, MAB, HTB, UHT, VSB
• Educational section
• Inframet Info section
• Inframet Newsletter
• Contact INFRAMET