Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation

Metrology Research Institute

Metrology Research Institute focuses on optical radiation measurements and related activities.
Metrology research group, Xenon lamp. Photo by the research group

Light is everywhere around us in the form of sunlight, artificial lighting and signaling. Most electrical equipment use either visible or infrared radiation for signaling, displays, sensing, data read-out, or digital communication. Colour is one of the most significant properties in consumer products.

Metrology research of optical radiation measurements is divided into three branches:

  • Radiometry deals with characteristics of light sources and detectors
  • Photometry studies light as humans see it, and
  • Spectrophotometry investigates optical components as well as the optical properties of materials.

Some of the facilities, developed in the laboratory, are at world-leading level, when comparing accuracy, compactness, and operating costs. The group's research concentrates on electronics, modern optics and optical radiation measurements.

Metrology Research Institute is a joint laboratory between Aalto University and MIKES. It is involved in many national and international projects. Most of the research in the laboratory is currently carried out within the frameworks of EURAMET (European Association for Metrology) EPM (European Partnership for Metrology, 2021-2027), EMPIR (European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research, 2014-2020), and EMRP (European Metrology Research Programme 2009-2013).

The Institute is the national standards laboratory for optical quantities in Finland, maintaining national standards of optical quantities and carrying out calibrations at the highest level. It has self-declared ISO 17025 compliance, participating in intercomparisons of CCPR (Consultative Commitee for Photometry and Radiometry) of BIPM (Bureau International de Poids et Mesures).

The research group is led by Professor Erkki Ikonen. See our detailed project descriptions for information about specific contact persons for each activity.

Research areas

Find out more about the key research areas of the Metrology Research Institute. The pages contain information about our latest projects. For information about our older projects see our Annual Reports Database.

Integrating sphere banner

Photometry

Photometry is the measurement of visible light as perceived by humans. Our current focus is on increasing the accuracy of the energy efficiency measurements of novel light sources, such as LEDs and OLEDs.

Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation
Solar cell banner

Radiometry

Radiometry deals with techniques for measuring electromagnetic radiation, in the form of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation.

Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation
Grey cubes

Spectrophotometry

Spectrophotometry focuses on measuring the amount of light that a sample or an object absorbs or reflects as a function of wavelength using an instrument known as a spectrophotometer.

Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation
LED carousel

Electrical instrumentation

Off-the-shelf measurement equipment are not always available, and dedicated measurement devices are often built at Metrology Research Institute.

Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation

Group members

Leevi Ilmari August

Doctoral Researcher

Latest publications

Measurement of bidirectional transmittance distribution function in the visible and near-infrared spectral range

Robin Aschan, Farshid Manoocheri, Dmitri Lanevski, Erkki Ikonen 2024 Metrologia

Evaluation of on-site calibration procedures for SKYNET Prede POM sun-sky photometers

Monica Campanelli, Victor Estellés, Gaurav Kumar, Teruyuki Nakajima, Masahiro Momoi, Julian Gröbner, Stelios Kazadzis, Natalia Kouremeti, Angelos Karanikolas, Africa Barreto, Saulius Nevas, Kerstin Schwind, Philipp Schneider, Iiro Harju, Petri Kärhä, Henri Diémoz, Rei Kudo, Akihiro Uchiyama, Akihiro Yamazaki, Anna Maria Iannarelli, Gabriele Mevi, Annalisa Di Bernardino, Stefano Casadio 2024 Atmospheric Measurement Techniques

Real-time measurement of metals in submicron aerosols with particle-into-liquid sampler combined with micro-discharge optical emission spectroscopy

Sudatta Das, Kimmo Teinilä, Hilkka Timonen, Erkki Ikonen, Toni Laurila 2024 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Differential Spectral Responsivity of Solar Cells Measured with an LED Based Experimental Setup

Afsaneh Eghbali Yeldagermani, Erkki Ikonen, Petri Karha 2024 2023 Middle East and North Africa Solar Conference, MENA-SC 2023 - Proceedings

Survey of bidirectional transmittance distribution function measurement facilities by multilateral scale comparisons

Jinglin Fu, Alejandro Ferrero, Tatjana Quast, Michael Esslinger, Pablo Santafé-Gabarda, Néstor Tejedor, Joaquín Campos, Lou Gevaux, Gaël Obein, Robin Aschan, Farshid Manoocheri, Erkki Ikonen, Geiland Porrovecchio, Marek Šmíd, Ellie Molloy, Annette Koo, Søren A. Jensen, Rafael Oser, Jan Audenaert, Youri Meuret, Stefan Källberg, Iryna Gozhyk, Tobias Kraus, Alfred Schirmacher 2024 Metrologia

Infrared-A to improve mood: an exploratory study of water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) exposure

Iina Maria Häggqvist, Petri Kärhä, Hannu Kautiainen, Erna Snellman, Rafael Pasternack, Timo Partonen 2024 Photochemical and photobiological sciences

Recent advances and perspectives in photometry in the era of LED lighting

Erkki Ikonen 2024 Measurement Science and Technology
More information on our research in the Aalto research portal.
Research portal

More information about us

  • Published:
  • Updated: