Focal Plane Array (FPA) detectors allow for the simultaneous acquisition of an n by n number of spatially resolved spectra, and each pixel provides an infrared spectrum. Thousands of spectra are simultaneously acquire within minutes. Each n by n image is called a tile.
Infrared images of large regions of interest can be performed by collecting many tiles of data and automatically stitching them together to create a composite mosaic.
FPA detectors are liquid Nitrogen-cooled. For the Agilent endstation, we use an automatic Liquid Nitrogen delivery system to refill the detector at timed intervals. For the Bruker, refills must be done by users and/or staff, requiring on-site activity. Beamline staff will instruct you on proper cooling schedules and best practices at the beginning of your beamtime when using these detectors.