Tricorder Tech: Miniaturized Infrared Detectors - Astrobiology - Astrobiology News

Press Release

Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA)

October 30, 2022

This is however the IR spectrometer works: The photodetector, fabricated connected apical of a aboveground optical waveguide, consists of a bottommost golden electrode astatine the bottommost functioning arsenic a scattering center, a photoactive furniture (consisting of colloidal mercury telluride – HgTe – quantum dots), and a apical golden electrode. By moving the mirror, the measured photocurrent maps the airy strength of the lasting wave. i.e. the IR light. A Fourier translation of the measured awesome gives the optical spectra. Image: Lars Lüder

Miniaturization of infrared spectrometers volition pb to their wider usage successful user electronics, specified arsenic smartphones enabling nutrient control, the detection of hazardous chemicals, aerial contamination monitoring and wearable electronics. They tin beryllium utilized for the speedy and casual detection of definite chemicals without utilizing laboratory equipment. Moreover, they tin beryllium utile for the detection of counterfeit aesculapian drugs arsenic good arsenic of greenhouse gases specified arsenic methane and CO2.

A Team of scientists astatine Empa, ETH Zurich, EPFL, the University of Salamanca, Spain, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the University of Basel present built a proof-of-concept miniaturized Fourier-transform waveguide spectrometer that incorporates a subwavelength photodetector arsenic a airy sensor, consisting of colloidal mercury telluride quantum dot (Hg Te) and compatible with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, arsenic they study successful the caller contented of Nature Photonics.

Tremendous effects connected spectrometers of antithetic kinds – and successful assorted fields

The resulting spectrometer exhibits a ample spectral bandwidth and mean spectral solution of 50 cm−1 astatine a full progressive spectrometer measurement beneath 100 μm × 100 μm × 100 μm. This ultra-compact spectrometer plan allows the integration of optical-analytical measurement instruments into user electronics and abstraction devices. “The monolithic integration of subwavelength IR photodetectors has a tremendous effect connected the scaling of Fourier-transform waveguide spectrometers”, says Empa researcher Ivan Shorubalko. “But this whitethorn besides beryllium of large involvement for miniaturized Raman spectrometers, biosensors and lab-on-a-chip devices arsenic good arsenic the improvement of high-resolution snapshot hyperspectral cameras.”

Integrated photodetectors for compact Fourier-transform waveguide spectrometers, Nature Photonics

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