New Thumb-Sized MOEMS Mini-Spectrometer

Hamamatsu Photonics introduce the new C10988MA; a unique, ultra-compact spectrometer built using MOEMS technology. The C10988MA is a thumb-sized device, measuring only 27.6 x 13 x 16.8mm, developed for use in portable and hand-held devices, where a standard minispectrometer would be too large and consume too much power. Not only small but the C10988MA is also light,
weighing only 9 grams.

To achieve such a small size required the combination of Hamamatsu’s MEMS and image sensor technologies. The new device uses an aberration-corrected concave grating with a very short focal length, and a blazed grating profile for high diffraction efficiency. The grating is replicated onto the top of a convex glass lens using nanoprint technology. Directly opposite the grating is placed a dedicated CMOS silicon image sensor with an on-chip slit. This 75μm x 750μm slit is formed into the CMOS chip using MEMS technology. The distance between the sensor and slit is only 1mm, whilst the grating to image sensor distance a mere 8.5mm.

Through the use of these novel techniques, the C10988MA can offer a spectral resolution of 12nm in the wavelength range of 340nm to 750nm, making it ideal for a range of visible light applications requiring a miniaturised spectrometer head. To aid initial evaluation, a dedicated driver board, the C11351, with USB 2.0 connectivity and 16 bit A/D resolution is readily available. This is Hamamatsu working at the forefront of today’s MOEMS technologies, to bring unique and exciting products to an ever demanding market.