Measurement setup with wafer prober, optical fiber probes and wafer with test structures.
Credit: Fraunhofer ENAS
Miniature spectrometer for the smartphone
Recognizing fake drugs? Testing water samples ourselves? Checking the quality of air? In the future, it could be possible to do all this using a smartphone in a quick, cost-effective and straightforward way. The process is being made possible by a spectrometer, weighing just one gram, from the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS. The aim is to mass-produce this component for around a euro using conventional technologies.
Websites sometimes offer drugs at a much lower price than pharmacies. While we can be sure that the medicines we buy from local stores are the quality we expect, online bargains often lead us to question whether we are being palmed off with an ineffective or a differently composed counterfeit. In the future, we will be able to find out quickly and easily: Using a chip spectrometer currently being developed by researchers at Fraunhofer ENAS. “Our infrared spectrometer weighs only about a gram and we plan for it to cost less than a euro to produce,” says Dr. Alexander Weiß, Head of Department Multi Device Integration at Fraunhofer ENAS. “This will allow it to be integrated into smartphones, for instance.” As a comparison: At present, infrared spectrometers weigh several kilograms and cost thousands of euros to produce. Although transportable devices weighing slightly less do exist, they are unsuitable for the mass market – in terms of cost and size and also in terms of operation and analyzing the results. Other requirements crucial to existing on the mass market: The technology must not be overly complex – in other words, it must be easy to operate – and the production method must be suitable for the mass market.
Various applications
The potential applications are by no means limited to counterfeit drugs. “Our spectrometer lends itself to all kinds of uses – such as assessing the maturity or microbial decomposition of foods for human and animal consumption, measuring the air quality of interiors and vehicles for effective climate control or detecting pollutants in air, water or foodstuffs.” Just like conventional infrared spectrometers, this spectrometer does this by emitting light beams in the infrared range. The light of different wavelengths is then fragmented using a tunable filter and conducted to a detector by means of integrated waveguides. Grating couplers with nanostructures bundle the light reflected by a pill to be tested, for example, into integrated waveguides. If the air quality is to be tested, the light enters a special absorption cell integrated in one plane instead. If we plot how much light reaches the detector at which wavelength, we get a characteristic spectrum that is different for each sample, similar to a fingerprint. A fake pill, with different ingredients, therefore has a different spectrum to that of the original drug.
But how did the researcher team manage to reduce the size of the spectrometer so drastically yet still achieve a similar general functionality? “Conventional spectrometers usually consist of discrete more or less well integrated components. We, on the other hand, integrated the beam guidance, the splitting of the individual wavelengths and the detection function in one plane – we are therefore also calling this an inplane spectrometer,” explains Weiß.
Easy to operate, inexpensive to produce
If the spectrometer is to be capable of being integrated into smartphones, for example, we have to think about more than size. Operation must be easy and intuitive and the system must then provide the user with clear evaluations. The researchers have already developed a concept: Smart learning algorithms. “If many people use the technology, the system will learn quickly,” says Weiß. The user will simply need to pull out their phone, start the spectrometer via a special app and hold it over one of the pills. They will also see an instruction that guides them through the measurement process. The spectrometer generates the spectrum automatically and the software compares it to reference spectra entered into a database by specialists beforehand. The more people who come to use the system, the greater the possibility for making comparisons. The user sees only the result, “original drug”, for example. Another sticking point is the cost of producing the spectrometer. The researchers had this in mind from the outset too. “We designed the spectrometer in a way that would allow it to be mass-produced inexpensively using conventional microsystems engineering technologies. Manufacturers can use the processes that are standard on the large fabrication lines, fabs for short,” explains Weiß.
The researchers have already produced the first spectrometer chips and provided proof of concept. A number of different characterizations are now on the agenda: Do the individual components move as we want them to? Is the light that is coupled into the waveguide transmitted as it should be? The equipment required for these characterizations has been financed by the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany. If these investigations go as hoped, the spectrometer could be on its way to the mass market in around two years’ time.
Original Article: Miniature spectrometer for the smartphone
More from: Fraunhofer Society
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Smartphone spectrometer
- iCE 3500 Atomic Absorption Spectrometer from Thermo Scientific
Thermo Scientific's iCE 3500 Atomic Absorption Spectrometer is a high performance, dual flame/furnace atomizer, double-beam Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The iCE 3500 AA Spectrometer provides ...
- VERTEX 80/80v FTIR Spectrometer from Bruker
BMS-c: The high-precision beamsplitter exchange option BMS-c for the VERTEX 80v vacuum spectrometer is provided by Bruker. The remotely monitored automatic exchange of up to four different types ...
- How the XRISM spacecraft can study the X-ray universe with only 36 pixels
To produce a spectrum of X-ray sources between 400 and 12,000 electron volts, the entire Resolve detection has to be kept extremely cold at a temperature of minus 459.58 degrees Fahrenheit (minus ...
- Best phones 2024: top picks from Apple, Google, Samsung and more
The best smartphone for you will depend on what you need it for and your budget. Given the amount of choice, figuring out which one to buy is not an easy task. Before you go any further ...
- Your Phone Could Soon Snitch On You For Consuming Drugs
A team of experts at Grenoble Alpes University Hospital in France has developed a swab test that can detect drugs on your smartphone. Here's how it works.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Smartphone spectrometer
[google_news title=”” keyword=”smartphone spectrometer” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Miniature spectrometer
- NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Saturday, May 4
That’s what The Mini is for! A bite-sized version of the New York Times’ well-known crossword puzzle, The Mini is a quick and easy way to test your crossword skills daily in a lot less time ...
- iPad mini
The iPad mini is Apple's smallest tablet device and the latest model features a slim-bezeled design, the A15 Bionic chip, a USB-C port, and Apple Pencil 2 support. We are not expecting major ...
- The best mini PCs in 2024
The best mini PCs might be tiny compared to standard-sized rigs but they pack enough power to perform a wide range of tasks — including web browsing, content creation and gaming. These minuscule ...
- MINI Unveils the Aceman: It’s First All-Electric Crossover
MINI has officially introduced the Aceman, marking its entry into the crossover segment within the premium small car market. The Aceman, combining compact dimensions with spacious interiors ...
- GEEKOM Mini IT11 is a powerful PC that’s shorter than an iPhone – get it for $399 on sale
First, we told you about the flagship GEEKOM IT13 mini PC that was on sale for $724. Then, the Ryzen-powered GEEKOM A7 mini PC dropped to $649 thanks to our exclusive coupon code. Now, there’s a ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Miniature spectrometer
[google_news title=”” keyword=”miniature spectrometer” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]