A new generation of MEMS middle-infrared spectrometers

Mid infrared spectroscopy has been developed to a powerful and essential method of material analysis, with a steadily increasing number of industrial and scientific application fields. The so called spectral fingerprint range enables identification of chemical compounds by their unique spectral pattern. To provide a suitable miniaturized and portable MIR spectrometer solution at an affordable price, an existing MEMS NIR spectrometer module which already bases on micro system technology has been expanded in its wavelength range. The developed spectrometer belongs to the category of scanning grating spectrometers. Main component is a fast oscillating micro-mirror which moves sinusoidal with high mechanical precision enabling a high stability of according wavelength axis. This is supported by a highly precise optical tracking of the actual motion. Mono-crystalline silicon guarantees a long-life operation with no wear even under harsh environmental conditions. Spectral signal acquisition is realized by using a TE-cooled MCT single element detector assisted by low noise trans-impedance amplifier. With the help of integrated logic components a data pre-processing takes place, such as averaging, offset subtraction, detector transfer characteristic correction and noise shaping. Due the compact and flexible setup, the spectrometer is suitable for the use in various applications, such as process control in chemical industry, gas mixture analysis or liquid verification. The portability of the device opens up new application possibilities in mobile environment. The advances of the promising technology and its specific applications will be described in this paper. Advanced performance issues of the device be reviewed in detail.