Ultra-miniature MEMS Based Real-Time UV/VisibleSpectrometer

摘要

Fourier transform spectroscopy has been successfully employed in both qualitative andquantitative analysis for chemical and biological materials detection and identification for manyyears. There is an on-going need to exploit and adapt these techniques for use in unattendedplatforms such as unmanned air and ground vehicles (UAVs and UGVs) as well as for satellitesand exploratory space missions. This in turn has driven the need for ultra-miniature, low power,lightweight, sensor systems and packaging. We present recent results on the development of aminiaturized real-time visible/ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer based on semiconductor chip sizedmicro-electro-mechanical systems (MOEMS) and micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems(MEMS) technology. Precise placement, alignment and control of miniature optical componentson MEMS structures presents an opportunity to extend Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)spectroscopic techniques that dominate current infrared (IR) spectroscopic instrumentation designsinto the UV/visible spectrum. The sensor system has a wavelength range of 200 nm to 800 nmwith a spectral resolution of 1nm and a sampling time of 100 msec. The total mass of the sensorsystem is less than 100gms with a total power draw including source and detector less than 1W.Recent work on the design and fabrication of the spectrometer is presented.