FRIDA is an Integral Field Unit (IFU) based on an image dissector system using mirrors, and several optical cameras to cover different spatial scales sampling the GTC diffraction limit in the range 0.9 μm - 2.5 μm. Unlike all instruments installed or planned for GTC, FRIDA is the only one that will work with extreme spatial resolution, a factor 10
The instrumentation to detect and analyze the light in the infrared range of the spectrum is one of the fields of knowledge of the Instrumentation Division. The design and construction of infrared cameras and spectrographs requires high vacuum and cryogenic technologies, involving the specialties of mechanical engineering, optics and electronics, mainly. The integration and operation of mechanisms and devices in a cryogenic environment is especially complex and requires highly specialized knowledge and equipment. The Instrumentation Division has a long history of international participation in this type of instrumentation.