The implementation of hand-held ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) requires the development and evaluation of miniature drift cells providing high sensitivity while maintaining reasonable resolution. This manuscript describes the construction of a miniature IMS designed for such an application and its characterization by evaluation of the detection limits and resolution of the system with seven explosive compounds including trinitrotoluene (TNT), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-N-methylnitramine (Tetryl), nitroglycerin (NG), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4 DNT), and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6 DNT).

Mean-variance analysis is described as a method for characterization of the read-noise and gain of focal plane array (FPA) detectors, including charge-coupled devices (CCDs), charge-injection devices (CIDs), and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) multiplexers (infrared arrays). Practical FPA detector characterization is outlined. The nondestructive readout capability available in some CIDs and FPA devices is discussed as a means for signal-to-noise ratio improvement. Derivations of the equations are fully presented to unify understanding of this method by the spectroscopic community.