There is great interest worldwide in the development of compact in-line spectrometers. Their sphere
Traditional spectrometers that obtain spectral information about light are bulky and expensive. The built-in spectrometer will significantly expand the scope and availability of the technology.
Recently, a group of researchers from the USA, Israel andJapan has developed an ultra-compact mid-infrared spectrometer. Let us recall that the wavelength in this range ranges from 3 μm to 50 μm.
Credit: Yale School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The device uses black phosphorus (blackphosphorus, BP). This material, about ten nanometers thick, makes it possible to tune the interaction of light and matter to capture different spectral components. Moreover, an equally important role in this spectrometer is played by an improved algorithm, partially transferring the complexity of spectroscopy from hardware to software.
Unlike analogs, the system does not rely onadvanced optical components such as interferometers or tunable infrared lasers. This opens the door to miniaturization of spectrometers and provides affordable in-crystal mid-infrared spectroscopy and spectral imaging.
The size of the spectrometer is 9×16 μm² — much smaller than the cross-section of a human hair. The parameters are comparable to the wavelength of light it measures.
Scientists described in detail the process of maintaining the spectrometer in an article for the journal Nature Photonics.
Read more
It's cool: how smart clothes work Under Armor Iso-Chill and what does titanium dioxide have to do with it
Physicists have recreated the first substance that appeared after the Big Bang
Tiny hydrogen engine replaces fossil fuel counterparts
Micrometer