Single Pixel MEMS Spectrometer using Electrothermal Tunable Grating

Abstract: Miniaturized spectrometers are widely used for non-destructive and on-field spectral analysis. Here we report a tunable grating-based MEMS spectrometer for visible to near-infrared (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy. The MEMS spectrometer consists of a spherical mirror and an electrothermally actuated tunable grating. The spectrometer detects the dispersed spectral signal with a single-pixel detector by tilting the diffraction grating. The large tilting angle from electrothermal actuation and highly dispersive diffraction grating improves the spectral range and resolution, respectively. The MEMS spectrometer was fully packaged within 1.7 cm3 and provides a measurable spectral range up to 800 nm with an average 1.96 nm spectral resolution. This miniaturized single-pixel spectrometer can provide diverse applications for advanced mobile spectral analysis in agricultural, industrial, or medical fields.