Whether it is contactless inspection, material detection, surveillance, or even autonomous driving, the application areas of infrared (IR) sensing in the modern world are as vast and varied as the electromagnetic spectrum. However, the three widely used IR sensing modalities—pyrometer, silicon thermopile and microbolometer technologies—are inherently different and can only sense short, medium, and far wave IR (SWIR, MWIR, FIR) wavelengths. That’s the undesirable equivalent of requiring three eyes, for sensing red, blue, and green, to fully see objects.

Having developed an innovative micro-thermopile IR sensor tech, South Korea-based Tempus addresses this limitation. While the application areas that require sensing the entire IR spectrum are but a few, Tempus’ innovation is a game changer from a sensor manufacturing standpoint.

Tempus addresses prevalent pain points regarding the efficacy of IR sensors and their higher price points. The latter holds particularly true for microbolometer sensors used in thermal imaging. Tempus also fulfils the unmet need of OEMs who have longed for a versatile manufacturer that is a one-stop shop for all IR sensor requirements.

The company’s core value lies in its proprietary micro-thermopiles that form its sensors’ pixel array. Micro-thermopiles are thin-film thermopiles made using BiTe/SbTe compounds and can sense IR wavelengths ranging from 1μm to 25μm spanning across all IR wavelengths. In other words, Tempus brings to the table a single core IR sensor technology that powers sensors for purposes across motion sensing, gas detection, thermal imaging, and more.

The micro-thermopile-powered pixel array isn’t the only sensor component that Tempus has innovated. The company uses a combination of proprietary and market-leading tech for sensor components like read-out IC, IR lens (Fresnel lens), sensor cavity, IR emitters and filters.

It also employs cutting-edge WLVP packaging and low-temperature processing. Tempus even houses its own calibration system and application lab for hardware and software testing. In addition to being the destination for all things IR sensors, the core technology in Tempus’ range of sensors enables them to offer reduced pricing. For instance, its shutterless micro-thermopile powered sensor is three times cheaper than bolometer sensors that serve the same purpose. It has a sensor manufacturing capacity of 6kk/month.

Tempus’ micro-thermopile sensors have SNR five times better than any of their competitors’ sensors and are better in terms of chip size, active area, and responsivity. Other advantages of the company’s sensors include effective thermal isolation, short leg and multi-anchor structure (depending on the sensor model), high yield, smaller pixel size, low self-heating, and low thermal conduction, owing to the inherent properties of the BiTe/SbTe compound. The Korean Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) has certified that the sensitivity of Tempus’ Unit Sensor TU04 is 4.7 times better than its competitor’s single channel sensor, and Tempus’ 64 channel sensors are 5.8 times better than current sensors in the same segment.

Tempus’ micro-thermopile sensors have five time better SNR than any of their competitors’ sensors while being superior on aspects such as chip size, active area, and responsivity

Having introduced MWIR and FIR sensor models that are readily usable for various thermal imaging and gas sensing use cases, Tempus aims to make sensors for the short wavelength infrared range. The company is also working on a 4,800 channel thermal imaging sensor. In parallel, their innovations are testing the limits of sensor tech, with low-power sensors for fabric analysis, food spoilage sensing, non-invasive glucose monitoring, EV-battery explosion detectors, and CH4 and H2 detection, to name a few. The possibilities are limitless as they can repurpose the underlying micro-thermopile tech in many ways.

Under an elite executive panel comprising CEO Alex (BK) Shin, CTO B.S. Lee, and COO H.Y. Kim, who hold rich experience in the semiconductor and electronics domain, Tempus has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 2012 and is eyeing a 10 percent market share in the global IR sensor market by 2025.