Photonic sensors, such as optical spectrometers, that convert physical quantities into readable signals, are becoming more widespread for metrology and security applications. But there was also an increased need of using spectroscopy in the process industry, food processing for yield improvement and for environmental control. Increasing health awareness of citizens in Europe has led to an expanding demand for sensorial information. Processing of the spectral information, and the interpretation and dissemination hereof are already achieved using ICT and the broadcast infrastructure. First steps to extract spectral information by using ubiquitous smartphones have been made, however these cases are very limited and do not provide all required information with suitable accuracy. What was missing are novel and cost-effective methods to sense the desired analytes with high sensitivity, high reliability and a sufficiently compact and portable device, so that spectroscopic measurements can be carried out essentially everywhere.
To address these needs, technological breakthroughs were required to provide cost-effective high-sensitivity and high-selectivity measurement techniques based on photonic instrumentation, to bring diagnostic capabilities from the laboratory to the end-user. But at the start of the project we were facing a problem, there was a severe shortage in the European spectroscopy industry of graduates and PhDs with expertise along the complete technology supply chain for the development of optical spectrometer systems. Training and education in all its aspects, namely in optical modelling and design, fabrication and prototyping, measurement and characterization, sensor readout and data analysis towards proof-of-principle demonstration and industrial valorisation of optical spectrometer systems is crucial and was offered during xCLASS. xCLASS set up a training through research programme and as such addressed this shortage.
To realize the disruptive miniaturized optical spectrometer system, the Brussels Photonics Team (B-PHOT) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), a renowned research group in the field of photonics and spectroscopy, the Electronics and Informatics Department (ETRO) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, experts in sensor read-out and data processing and Anteryon (ANT), an innovative industrial producer of medium- and high-volume optical components collaborated together in xCLASS. In this training and research programme the xCLASS consortium investigated, designed, modelled, developed and integrated key photonic components for a low-cost miniaturized optical spectrometer system and trained young researchers in the full technological supply chain for these spectrometer systems.
