All-in-one spectrometer the size of a microchip

An international research team led by researchers at Aalto University has developed high-sensitivity spectrometers with high wavelength accuracy, high spectral resolution and broad operation bandwidth, using only a single microchip-sized detector. The research for this ultra-miniaturised spectrometer was published in the journal Science.

Spectrometers are widely used throughout industry and research to detect and analyse light. Spectrometers measure the spectrum of light — its strength at different wavelengths, like the colours in a rainbow — and are useful for identifying and analysing specimens and materials. Integrated on-chip spectrometers can be of benefit to a variety of technologies, including quality inspection platforms, security sensors, biomedical analysers, healthcare systems, environmental monitoring tools and space telescopes.

Aalto postdoctoral researcher Hoon Hahn Yoon said that the single-detector spectrometer is an all-in-one device that measures light intensity at each wavelength beyond the visible spectrum. According to Yoon, the device is entirely controllable, with potential for scalability and integration.

“We designed this optoelectronic lab-on-a-chip with artificial intelligence replacing conventional hardware, such as optical and mechanical components. Therefore, our computational spectrometer does not require separate bulky components or array designs to disperse and filter light. It can achieve high resolution comparable to benchtop systems but in a much smaller package. Integrating it directly into portable devices such as smartphones and drones could advance our daily lives. Imagine that the next generation of our smartphone cameras could be fitted with hyperspectral cameras that outperform colour cameras,” Yoon said.

Shrinking computational spectrometers is vital for their use in chips and implantable applications. Aalto Professor Zhipei Sun, the head of the research team, said that conventional spectrometers are bulky because they need optical and mechanical components, thereby limiting their on-chip applications. “There is an emerging demand in this field to improve the performance and usability of spectrometers. From this point of view, miniaturised spectrometers are very important for future applications to offer high performance and new functions in all fields of science and industry,” Sun said.

Aalto Professor Pertti Hakonen added that with further improvements in resolution and efficiency, the spectrometer could provide a new tool for quantum information processing.

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Originally published here.