Phys.org October 25, 2022
In the infrared regime, there is a necessary compromise between high spectral bandwidth and high spectral resolution when miniaturizing dispersive elements, narrow band-pass filters, and reconstructive spectrometers. An international team of researchers (Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands) demonstrated a proof-of-concept miniaturized Fourier-transform waveguide spectrometer that incorporates a subwavelength photodetector as a light sensor, consisting of colloidal mercury telluride quantum dot (Hg Te) and compatible with CMOS technology. The resulting spectrometer exhibited a large spectral bandwidth and moderate spectral resolution of 50 cm−1 at a total active spectrometer volume below 100 μm × 100 μm × 100 μm. According to the researchers this ultracompact spectrometer design allows the integration of optical/analytical measurement instruments into consumer electronics and space devices…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Schematic of a waveguide spectrometer (not to scale). Credit: Nature Photonics (2022)Â