Ultrabroadband, high color purity multispectral color filter arrays

Abstract: Multispectral imagers that capture spatial and spectral information are of growing importance in various fields, particularly in remote sensing and metrology. To enable integrated snapshot multispectral imagers and eliminate the drawbacks of traditional systems, such as bulkiness and slow scanning mechanisms, miniature, broadband multispectral filter arrays with narrow line widths, high transmission, and CMOS compatibility are essential. However, current miniature filter arrays, primarily based on diffraction nanostructures, suffer from limitations such as small working bandwidth, low transmission, poor color purity, and sensitivity to polarization and incident angles. To address these challenges, we present a high-order Fabry-Perot Multispectral Filter Array (MSFA) with selective peak suppression, leveraging subwavelength structures for filter tuning without changing the physical thickness and employing an ultrathin metal layer to exploit high-order resonances, significantly extending the working range and spectral resolution. High color purity across a broad range (400nm-1000nm) is made possible through optical absorption from polysilicon and selective suppression from a platinum layer. The fabricated color filter arrays cover wavelengths from 622nm to 960nm, with Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) ranging from 13nm to 31nm and average transmissions exceeding 60%. Furthermore, these filters can be downscaled to sizes compatible with modern CMOS imagers, reaching dimensions as small as 1um. The introduction of a resonance combining design further extends the working range (455nm-960nm), aligning with the capabilities of silicon photodetectors. Its adaptability across wavelength ranges and potential for tunable applications hold promise for transformative imaging and display technologies across a wide spectrum.