Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD)

Alongside the optical resolution of an infrared camera, its thermal resolution or thermal sensitivity also plays an important role in temperature measurement.

In English, the level of thermal sensitivity is referred to as Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD).

This value indicates the minimum temperature difference that is still resolvable by the IR camera. The NETD value, which is usually indicated in mK, is a result of the noise of the infrared detector, as the English term suggests. The lower the noise (and thus the NETD value) of the detector, the smaller the temperature differences that can be detected by the infrared camera.

In industry a thermal resolution of 100 mK is sufficient for most applications.

There is no industrial guideline regarding minimum values. The measurement of the NETD value is specified in the VDI 5585 standard. The NETD value is one of the specification values that Optris individually displays for every device in the →final inspection & performance report for its precision line.