A Limerick for Frank Low
As a testament to Dr. Low’s influence on the IR astronomy world and his legacy, an unknown author wrote a limerick which is well known by many long-timers within the astronomical research community
Frank Low invented the bolometer
Which is really a kind of thermometer
It can measure the heat
From a Polar Bear's feet
From a distance of half a kilometer
As a testament to Dr. Low’s influence on the IR astronomy world and his legacy, an unknown author wrote a limerick which is well known by many long-timers within the astronomical research community
Frank Low invented the bolometer
Which is really a kind of thermometer
It can measure the heat
From a Polar Bear's feet
From a distance of half a kilometer
Innovation started with Dr.
Frank Low.
Infrared Laboratories was founded in 1967
by Dr.
Frank Low, a 'Father of Infrared Astronomy' and inventor of the Ge
bolometer. He experimented with the bolometer
for astronomical observation during his time with the National
Radio
Astronomy
Observatory. Its
use was required to observe wavelengths too short to be accessed with
radio
receivers being used at the time.
Development of the
technology was also a result of his association with the Lunar and
Planetary
Laboratory at the University of Arizona. His original work included
developing the technology to support airborne IR observation systems
designed
to get above the absorption of long wavelength infrared waves by the
atmosphere.
The success of the systems and his ability to solve daunting technical problems prompted Dr. Low to start Infrared Laboratories and supply astronomers and research institutes worldwide with state-of the-art instruments. Dr. Low also led the development of the instrumentation for the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS). Launched in 1983, IRAS was the first infrared astronomical observatory in space, where operation at very low temperature above all the atmospheric absorption allowed unprecedented sensitivity. Its ll-sky survey in the middle and long wavelength infrared regimes is still a central resource for research today. IRAS is widely recognized as one of the most successful NASA science missions, and was eventually followed by the Spitzer, another successful NASA science program in which Dr. Low participated.
Innovation drives solutions and growth.
Dr. Low’s innovations led to a new way to build space telescopes. Today we continue to develop new infrared technologies to meet unique challenges in astronomy, scientific research, and the semiconductor industry as IRLabs, Infrared Laboratories, and Valley Oak Semiconductor.
Our Milestones & Firsts
Infrared Laboratories was founded in 1967
by Dr.
Frank Low, a 'Father of Infrared Astronomy' and inventor of the Ge
bolometer. He experimented with the bolometer
for astronomical observation during his time with the National
Radio
Astronomy
Observatory. Its
use was required to observe wavelengths too short to be accessed with
radio
receivers being used at the time.
Development of the
technology was also a result of his association with the Lunar and
Planetary
Laboratory at the University of Arizona. His original work included
developing the technology to support airborne IR observation systems
designed
to get above the absorption of long wavelength infrared waves by the
atmosphere.The success of the systems and his ability to solve daunting technical problems prompted Dr. Low to start Infrared Laboratories and supply astronomers and research institutes worldwide with state-of the-art instruments. Dr. Low also led the development of the instrumentation for the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS). Launched in 1983, IRAS was the first infrared astronomical observatory in space, where operation at very low temperature above all the atmospheric absorption allowed unprecedented sensitivity. Its ll-sky survey in the middle and long wavelength infrared regimes is still a central resource for research today. IRAS is widely recognized as one of the most successful NASA science missions, and was eventually followed by the Spitzer, another successful NASA science program in which Dr. Low participated.
Innovation drives solutions and growth.
Dr. Low’s innovations led to a new way to build space telescopes. Today we continue to develop new infrared technologies to meet unique challenges in astronomy, scientific research, and the semiconductor industry as IRLabs, Infrared Laboratories, and Valley Oak Semiconductor.
Our Milestones & Firsts
| 1960s | |
| 1961 | Dr. Frank Low invents the Ga-doped Ge Bolometer |
| 1967 | Dr. Frank Low starts Infrared Laboratories to produce bolometers and cryostats |
| 1968 |
First dual Ge:Ga bolometer delivered to Kitt Peak National Observatory |
| 1970s | |
| 1970s | Contributed to first airborne telescopes used to make far-infrared observations of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus |
| 1972 | First HD-3 Dewar, now known as the HDL-5 |
| 1975 | Kuiper Airborne Astronomy Project |
| 1980s | |
| 1981 | First cryogenic TIA |
| 1981 | First Helium 3 System with temperature to 280mK |
| 1983 | Led instrumentation development for IRAS, the first IR observatory in space |
| 1990s | |
| 1990s | Performed optical work for JPL for the Lunar Planetary Observe |
| 1993 | Delivered the Omega Cass camera for Max Planck Institute |
| 1996 | World’s first Infrared Emission Microscope (IREM) based on an HgCdTe Focal Plane Array based on technologies for observing deep space for the new application of failure analysis of semiconductors |
| 2000s | |
| 2001 | Delivered the 2-m Aperture Telescope camera for Indian Institute of Astrophysics |
| 2003 | IRLabs founded to focus on IREM systems for the semiconductor industry |
| 2003 | World's lowest noise InGaAs Focal Plane Array Detector |
| 2004 | Second generation IREM, the IREM-II, developed for the semiconductor industry |
| 2007 | Dr. Low
retires; Mr. David Dozor starts as CEO |
| 2008 | Long-time collaborator Valley Oak Semiconductor acquired for its strength and reputation in ROIC design expertise |
| 2009 | Third generation of IREM, the IREM-SIL, developed for semiconductor failure analysis |