Masahiro WATARI^*

Yokogawa Electric Corporation, 2-9-32 Nakacho, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8750, Japan

(Received September 19, 2009; Accepted December 26, 2009)

The applications of near-IR spectroscopy to process analysis using a Fourier transform spectrometer are described. In recent years, process analysis based on near-IR spectroscopy has received keen interest from a growing number of industries. Some configurations of Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) interferometers used for process analysis are introduced as special optical systems for the realization of stable and reproducible performance. Moreover, the applications of NIR spectroscopy to process analysis using FT-NIR spectrometers are overviewed and two examples of applications are described in more detail. Furthermore, process analytical technology (PAT) for the pharmaceutical industry is introduced as a future trend of the application of FT-NIR spectroscopy, and a dual-wavelength system that can combine NIR and IR spectra is discussed as a newly proposed PAT tool for understanding processes.

Key words: near-IR spectroscopy, NIR, Fourier transform spectrometer, FT-NIR, process application

^*E-mail address: Masahiro.Watari@jp.yokogawa.com