Breakthrough for sensitivity of MOEMS micro spectrometer for NIR

First samples of NIR micro spectrometers have been evaluated for some time. Now the scientists of Fraunhofer IPMS and CTR succeeded with a breakthrough for the sensitivity of this system. Especially in the NIR spectral range from 900 nm – 2000 nm the MOEMS approach is advantageous concerning production costs but up to now it was suitable for bright applications only. The development of new grating structures enabling blazed gratings in silicon micro technology combined with optimised optical arrangements, detectors and read-out electronics led to a competitive sensitivity at significantly lower production efforts. The device is now suitable for fast absorption and reflection measurements in tough environments. First applications will be plastic waste selection, paper recycling or evaluation of organic solutions. In the close future medical applications like non invasive blood glucose measurements will be addressed.