SiNx/SiO2-Based Fabry-Perot Interferometer on Sapphire for Near-UV Optical Gas Sensing of Formaldehyde in Air.

Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs), comprising foundry-compatible dielectric thin films on sapphire wafer substrates, were investigated for possible use in chemical sensing. Specifically, structures comprising two vertically stacked distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), with the lower DBR between a sapphire substrate and a silicon-oxide (SiO2) resonator layer and the other DBR on top of this resonator layer, were investigated for operation in the near-ultraviolet (near-UV) range. The DBRs are composed of a stack of nitride-rich silicon-nitride (SiNx) layers for the higher index and SiO2 layers for the lower index. An exemplary application would be formaldehyde detection at sub-ppm concentrations in air, using UV absorption spectroscopy in the 300-360 nm band, while providing spectral selectivity against the main interfering gases, notably NO2 and O3. Although SiNx thin films are conventionally used only for visible and near-infrared optical wavelengths (above 450 nm) because of high absorbance at lower wavelengths, this work shows that nitride-rich SiNx is suitable for near-UV wavelengths. The interplay between spectral absorbance, transmittance and reflectance in a FPI is presented in a comparative study between one FPI design using stoichiometric material (Si3N4) and two designs based on N-rich compositions, SiN1.39 and SiN1.49. Spectral measurements confirm that if the design accounts for phase penetration depth, sufficient performance can be achieved with the SiN1.49-based FPI design for gas absorption spectroscopy in near-UV, with peak transmission at 330 nm of 64%, a free spectral range (FSR) of 20 nm and a full-width half-magnitude spectral resolution (FWHM) of 2 nm.

The Combined Spectral Response of a MEMS Metamaterial Absorber for the Mid-IR and Its Sub-Wavelength Fabrication Residual Array of Holes.

Metasurface coatings on a free-standing SiN thin film membrane are fabricated on a Si substrate using masked lithography and CMOS-compatible surface micromachining. The result is a band-limited absorber for the mid-IR, which is part of a microstructure that is attached to the substrate by long and slender suspension beams to provide thermal isolation. As a residual of the fabrication, the regular pattern of sub-wavelength unit cells of 2.6 µm side length, which defines the metasurface, is interrupted by an equally regular array of sub-wavelength holes of 1-2 µm diameter and at 7.8-15.6 µm of pitch. This array of holes is essential for enabling access of the etchant and attack of the underlying layer during fabrication, which ultimately results in the sacrificial release of the membrane from the underlying substrate. As the plasmonic responses of the two patterns interfere, a maximum is imposed on the hole diameter and a minimum on the hole-to-hole pitch. However, the hole diameter should be sufficiently large to allow access of the etchant, while the maximum spacing between holes is set by the limited selectivity of the different materials to the etchant during sacrificial release. The effect of the parasitic hole pattern on the spectral absorption of a metasurface design is analyzed by simulations of the responses of combined holes-metasurface structures. Arrays of 300 × 180 µm2 Al-Al2O3-Al MIM structures are mask-fabricated on suspended SiN beams. The results show that the effect of the array of holes can be disregarded for a hole-to-hole pitch larger than 6 times the side length of the metamaterial until cell, while the diameter of the hole should remain smaller than about 1.5 µm, and their alignment is critical.

Maintaining Transparency of a Heated MEMS Membrane for Enabling Long-Term Optical Measurements on Soot-Containing Exhaust Gas.

Ensuring optical transparency over a wide spectral range of a window with a view into the tailpipe of the combustion engine, while it is exposed to the harsh environment of soot-containing exhaust gas, is an essential pre-requisite for introducing optical techniques for long-term monitoring of automotive emissions. Therefore, a regenerable window composed of an optically transparent polysilicon-carbide membrane with a diameter ranging from 100 µm up to 2000 µm has been fabricated in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. In the first operating mode, window transparency is periodically restored by pulsed heating of the membrane using an integrated resistor for heating to temperatures that result in oxidation of deposited soot (600-700 °C). In the second mode, the membrane is kept transparent by repelling soot particles using thermophoresis. The same integrated resistor is used to yield a temperature gradient by continuous moderate-temperature heating. Realized devices have been subjected to laboratory soot exposure experiments. Membrane temperatures exceeding 500 °C have been achieved without damage to the membrane. Moreover, heating of membranes to ΔT = 40 °C above gas temperature provides sufficient thermophoretic repulsion to prevent particle deposition and maintain transparency at high soot exposure, while non-heated identical membranes on the same die and at the same exposure are heavily contaminated.

PDMS Microlenses for Focusing Light in Narrow Band Imaging Diagnostics.

Minimally invasive medical devices can greatly benefit from Narrow Band Imaging (NBI) diagnostic capabilities, as different wavelengths allow penetration of distinct layers of the gastrointestinal tract mucosa, improving diagnostic accuracy and targeting different pathologies. An important performance parameter is the light intensity at a given power consumption of the medical device. A method to increase the illumination intensity in the NBI diagnostic technique was developed and applied to minimally invasive medical devices (e.g., endoscopic capsules), without increasing the size and power consumption of such instruments. Endoscopic capsules are generally equipped with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) operating in the RGB (red, green, and blue) visible light spectrum. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) µ-lens was designed for a maximum light intensity at the target area of interest when placed on top of the LEDs. The PDMS µ-lens was fabricated using a low-cost hanging droplet method. Experiments reveal an increased illumination intensity by a factor of 1.21 for both the blue and green LEDs and 1.18 for the red LED. These promising results can increase the resolution of NBI in endoscopic capsules, which can contribute to early gastric lesions diagnosis.

Functionalizing a Tapered Microcavity as a Gas Cell for On-Chip Mid-Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy.

Increasing demand for field instruments designed to measure gas composition has strongly promoted the development of robust, miniaturized and low-cost handheld absorption spectrometers in the mid-infrared. Efforts thus far have focused on miniaturizing individual components. However, the optical absorption path that the light beam travels through the sample defines the length of the gas cell and has so far limited miniaturization. Here, we present a functionally integrated linear variable optical filter and gas cell, where the sample to be measured is fed through the resonator cavity of the filter. By using multiple reflections from the mirrors on each side of the cavity, the optical absorption path is elongated from the physical m m -level to the effective m m -level. The device is batch-fabricated at the wafer level in a CMOS-compatible approach. The optical performance is analyzed using the Fizeau interferometer model and demonstrated with actual gas measurements.

Compact gas cell integrated with a linear variable optical filter.

A miniaturized methane (CH(4)) sensor based on nondispersive infrared absorption is realized in MEMS technology. A high level of functional integration is achieved by using the resonance cavity of a linear variable optical filter (LVOF) also as a gas absorption cell. For effective detection of methane at λ = 3.39 µm, an absorption path length of at least 5 mm is required. Miniaturization therefore necessitates the use of highly reflective mirrors and operation at the 15th-order mode with a resonator cavity length of 25.4 µm. The conventional description of the LVOF in terms of the Fabry-Perot resonator is inadequate for analyzing the optical performance at such demanding boundary conditions. We demonstrate that an approach employing the Fizeau resonator is more appropriate. Furthermore, the design and fabrication in a CMOS-compatible microfabrication technology are described and operation as a methane sensor is demonstrated.

Linear variable optical filter-based ultraviolet microspectrometer.

An IC-compatible linear variable optical filter (LVOF) for application in the UV spectral range between 310 and 400 nm has been fabricated using resist reflow and an optimized dry-etching. The LVOF is mounted on the top of a commercially available CMOS camera to result in a UV microspectrometer. A special calibration technique has been employed that is based on an initial spectral measurement on a xenon lamp. The image recorded on the camera during calibration is used in a signal processing algorithm to reconstruct the spectrum of the mercury lamp and the calibration data is subsequently used in UV spectral measurements. Experiments on a fabricated LVOF-based microspectrometer with this calibration approach implemented reveal a spectral resolution of 0.5 nm.

Design and implementation of a sub-nm resolution microspectrometer based on a Linear-Variable Optical Filter.

In this paper the concept of a microspectrometer based on a Linear Variable Optical Filter (LVOF) for operation in the visible spectrum is presented and used in two different designs: the first is for the narrow spectral band between 610 nm and 680 nm, whereas the other is for the wider spectral band between 570 nm and 740 nm. Design considerations, fabrication and measurement results of the LVOF are presented. An iterative signal processing algorithm based on an initial calibration has been implemented to enhance the spectral resolution. Experimental validation is based on the spectrum of a Neon lamp. The results of measurements have been used to analyze the operating limits of the concept and to explain the sources of error in the algorithm. It is shown that the main benefits of a LVOF-based microspectrometer are in case of implementation in a narrowband application. The realized LVOF microspectrometers show a spectral resolution of 2.2 nm in the wideband design and 0.7 nm in the narrowband design.

Narrow-band pass filter array for integrated opto-electronic spectroscopy detectors to assess esophageal tissue.

A strategy for spectroscopy tissue diagnosis using a small number of wavelengths is reported. The feasibility to accurately quantify tissue information using only 16 wavelengths is demonstrated with several wavelength reduction simulations of the existing esophageal data set. These results are an important step for the development of a miniaturized, robust and low-cost spectroscopy system. This system is based on a sub-millimeter high-selective filter array that offers prospects for a simplified miniature spectrographic detector for a future diagnostic tool to improve the diagnosis of dysplasia. Several thin-film optical filters are optimized and fabricated and its spectral performance is shown to be sufficient for the selection of specific wavelength bands.

MCM-based microlaboratory for simultaneous measurement of several biochemical parameters by spectrophotometry.

This paper reports on the concept, fabrication and characterization of a multi-chip module microlaboratory. The application is in the spectrophotometric analysis of human physiological fluids in a clinical setting. The system is composed of three stacked parts: (1) a central microfluidic system die containing the microchannels, which is fabricated by applying MEMS techniques to an SU-8 layer, (2) an optical filtering system on the top side, fabricated using a dielectric thin-films multilayer and (3) a detection and readout system on the bottom side, which is fabricated in a CMOS microelectronic process. The system modularity and emphasis on microfabrication provides potential for low unit cost. The application is the simultaneous and quantitative measurement of the concentration of four biochemical parameters in human physiological fluids by spectrally selective optical absorption. The intensity of the light transmitted through the physiological fluid results in an electrical output signal in the form of bit streams, which allows simple computer interfacing. A simple white light source is used for illumination, due to the optical filtering system, which makes the microlaboratory portable. The quantitative measurement of chloride, creatinine, total protein and uric acid in urine is successfully demonstrated.

High-resolution microspectrometer with an aberration-correcting planar grating.

A concept for a highly miniaturized spectrometer featuring a two-component design is presented. The first component is a planar chip that integrates an input slit and aberration-correcting diffraction grating with an image sensor and is fabricated using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies. Due to the fabrication in a simple MEMS batch process the essential elements of the spectrometer are automatically aligned, and a low fabrication cost per device can be achieved. The second component is a spherical mirror, which is the only external part. The optimized grating structure compensates for aberrations within the spectrometer operating range, resulting in a diffraction-limited performance of the spectrometer optics. The prototype of the device has been fabricated and characterized. It takes a volume of 0.5 cm(3) and provides a FWHM spectral resolution of 0.7 nm over a 350 nm bandwidth from 420 nm to 770 nm combined with an etendue of 7.4x10(-5) mm(2) sr.

Optimal implementation of a microspectrometer based on a single flat diffraction grating.

An analytical model has been developed and applied to explore the limits in the design of a highly miniaturized planar optical microspectrometer based on an imaging diffraction grating. This design tool has been validated as providing the smallest possible dimensions while maintaining acceptable spectral resolution. The resulting planar spectrometer is composed of two parallel glass plates, which contain all components of the device, including a reflective slit and an imaging diffraction grating. Fabrication is based on microelectromechanical system technology and starts with a single glass wafer; IC-compatible deposition and lithography are applied to realize the parts in aluminum, which makes the microspectrometer highly tolerant for component mismatch. The fabricated spectrometer was mounted directly on top of an image sensor and takes up a volume of only 50 mm(3). The measured spectral resolution of 6 nm (FWHM) in the 100 nm operating wavelength range (600-700 nm) is in agreement with a model calculation.

Planar double-grating microspectrometer.

We report on a miniature spectrometer with a volume of 0.135 cm(3) and dimensions of 3x3x11 mm, mounted directly on the surface of a CCD sensor. The spectrometer is formed by two flat diffraction gratings that are designed to perform both the dispersion and imaging functions, eliminating the need for any spherical optics. Two separate parts of the device were fabricated with the single-mask 1 mum lithography on a single glass wafer. The wafer was diced and the device was assembled and directly mounted onto a CCD sensor. The resolution of 3 nm, spectral range of 450 to 750 nm and the optical throughput of ~9% were measured to be in a complete agreement with the model used for the development of the device.