Micro-spectrometer opens door to a wealth of new smartphone functions
Use your smartphone to check how clean the air is, whether food is fresh or a lump is malignant. This has all come a step closer thanks to a new spectrometer that is so small it can be incorporated easily and cheaply in a mobile phone. The little sensor developed at TU Eindhoven is just as precise as the normal tabletop models used in scientific labs. The researchers present their invention on 20 December in the journal Nature Communications.
Spectrometry, the analysis of visible and invisible light, has an enormous range of applications. Every material and every tissue has its own ‘footprint’ in terms of light absorption and reflection, and can thus be recognized by spectrometry. But precise spectrometers are large since they split up the light into different colors (frequencies), which are then measured separately. Just after the light is split, the beams, which have different frequencies, still overlap each other; highly precise measurements can therefore only be made some tens of centimeters after the splitting.
The Eindhoven researchers developed an ingenious sensor that is able to make such precise measurements in an entirely different way using a special ‘photonic crystal cavity’, a ‘trap’ of just a few micrometers into which the light falls and cannot escape. This trap is contained in a membrane, into which the captured light generates a tiny electrical current, and that is measured. PhD student Žarko Zobenica made the cavity so that it is very precise, retaining just a very tiny frequency interval and therefore measuring only light at that frequency.
To be able to measure a larger frequency range, the researchers placed two of their membranes very closely one above the other. The two membranes influence each other: if the distance between them changes slightly, then the light frequency that the sensor is able to detect shifts too. For this purpose the researchers, supervised by professor Andrea Fiore and associate professor Rob van der Heijden, incorporated a MEMS (a micro-electromechanical system). This electromechanical mechanism allows the distance between the membranes to be varied, and thereby the measured frequency. Ultimately, then, the sensor covers a wavelength range of around thirty nanometers, within which the spectrometer can discern some hundred thousand frequencies, which is exceptionally precise. This is made possible by the fact that the researchers are able to precisely determine the distance between the membranes to just a few tens femtometers (10-15 meters).
To demonstrate the usefulness, the research team demonstrated several applications, including a gas sensor. They also made an extremely precise motion sensor by making clever use of the fact that the detected frequency changes whenever the two membranes move in relation to each other.
Professor Fiore expects it will take another five years or more before the new spectrometer actually gets into a smartphone because the frequency range covered is currently still too small. At the moment, the sensor covers just a few percent of the most common spectrum, the near-infrared. So his group will be working on extending the detectable spectrum. They will also be integrating an extra element with the micro-spectrometer: a light source, which will make the sensor independent of external sources.
Given the enormous breadth of applications, micro-spectrometers are expected to eventually become just as important an element of the smartphone as the camera. For example, to measure CO2, detect smoke, determine what medicine you have, measure the freshness of food, the level of your blood sugar, and so on.
Learn more: Micro-spectrometer opens door to a wealth of new smartphone functions
The Latest on: Micro-spectrometer
[google_news title=”” keyword=”micro-spectrometer” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]- Here’s why you probably have microplastic particles in your reproductive systemon May 20, 2024 at 3:30 pm
The claim hasn’t been substantiated by medical research, but a recent medical study has found microplastics — that is, extremely small pieces of plastic — inside of human testicles, possibly ...
- Every human testicle examined in new study contained microplasticson May 20, 2024 at 12:43 pm
After obtaining 23 postmortem human testes and 47 pet dog testes from veterinary neuterings, researchers used a process called pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), heating ...
- Clarus SQ 8C GC/Mass Spectrometer from PerkinElmeron May 19, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Sensitivity. Stability. Versatility. Introducing the new Clarus ® SQ 8 Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). This world-class system delivers uncompromised performance with consistent ...
- Revolution in Methane Detection: Scientists Achieve Groundbreaking 500-Fold Sensitivity Increaseon May 5, 2024 at 1:24 pm
A research group headed by Professor Chen Chilai from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has significantly enhanced the detection sensitivity of dissolved ...
- Underwater mass spectrometry achieves 500-fold sensitivity enhancement for dissolved methane detectionon April 28, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The team's dedication to deep-sea mass spectrometry, Micro-electromechanical systems technology, and intelligent microsystem technology played a crucial role in this breakthrough. The research ...
- Flexible microspectrometer for mobile applicationson April 3, 2024 at 1:14 pm
It consists of many spectrometers arranged next to each other, forming what is called as a spectrometer array. Each channel contains a prism-grating-prism arrangement between achromatic micro lenses.
- Analytica 2024: Fraunhofer IOF presenting tiny spectrometeron April 2, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) have developed a compact spectrometer module. It maps spectra from 39 optical fibers onto a single camera ...
- Mass Spectrometryon August 19, 2023 at 9:25 am
In this article, we take a look at the fundamentals of mass spectrometry, how it works, variations that can be used at each stage of the process and how they can be combined to suit different sample ...
- Micro-XRF Spectrometer for High-Resolution Elemental Analysis of Objectson March 26, 2023 at 5:53 am
The high versatility of the M4 TORNADO means it brings value to a wide range of different types of analysis. The micro-XRF spectrometer can measure samples of up to 7 kg of mass at high-throughput, ...
- Micro-XRF Spectrometer for Layer Composition Analysison June 16, 2018 at 4:26 am
Let us help you with your inquiries, brochures and pricing requirements Request A Quote Download PDF Copy Download Brochure The M1 MISTRAL is a versatile, benchtop ...
via Google News and Bing News