Abstract: Aspects relate to on-line compensation of instrumental drifts in miniaturized spectrometers due to variations in environmental conditions and due to other sources of instrumental drift. The spectrometer may include a light modulator, a detector, and a processor. The spectrometer may further include a sensor configured to obtain a value of a condition contributing to instrumental drifts in the spectrometer. The processor may be configured to extract a set of correction parameters from a correction matrix associating a plurality of sets of correction parameters with sensor values based on the value and to apply the set of correction parameters to an output of the detector to produce a corrected spectrum of a sample under test. The correction matrix may be generated for the spectrometer or may be based on a global correction matrix fitted to the spectrometer.

Abstract: Aspects relate to a compact and low-cost gas analyzer that can be used for different types of gas analysis, such as air quality analysis. The gas analyzer can include a light source, a gas cell configured to receive a sample (e.g., a gas under test), a spectral sensor including a spectrometer and a detector, and an artificial intelligence (AI) engine. Light can enter the gas cell and interact with the sample to produce output light that may be measured by the spectral sensor. The resulting spectrum produced by the spectral sensor may be analyzed by the AI engine to produce a result. The gas analyzer further includes a self-calibration component configured to enable calibration of the sample spectrum to compensate for spectral drift of the spectral sensor.

Abstract: Aspects relate to a miniaturized gas cell that may be implemented into an integrated device for gas analysis. The miniaturized gas cell may be a multi-pass gas cell or a hollow waveguide gas cell. In some aspects, the miniaturized gas cell may include a bottom surface and sidewalls formed in a substrate (e.g., a silicon substrate or silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate). The gas cell further includes at least one gas inlet and at least one gas outlet coupled for injection of a gas into and out of the gas cell, respectively. In addition, the gas cell further includes an optical input and an optical output, each optically coupled to direct light into and out of the gas cell, respectively. In addition, a capping layer may be bonded to the substrate to form a top surface of the gas cell.

Abstract: Aspects relate to an optical device providing a large spot size spectrometer. The optical device includes an optical head, an optical window, and a spectrometer. The optical head includes a plastic molded part having an aperture and a plurality of reflectors around the aperture formed therein. Each reflector may include a respective lamp assembled therein. The optical window is configured to receive a sample, to pass input light from the lamps to the sample and to pass scattered light from the sample towards the aperture. The aperture is configured to filter a first portion of scattered light containing unusable sample information and to pass a second portion of the scattered light to the spectrometer.

Abstract: Aspects relate to a spectral analyzer that can be used for biological sample detection. The spectral analyzer includes an optical window configured to receive a sample and a spectral sensor including a chassis having various component assembled thereon. Examples of components may include a light source, a light modulator, illumination and collection optical elements, a detector, and a processor. The spectral analyzer is configured to obtain spectral data representative of a spectrum of the sample using, for example, an artificial intelligence (AI) engine. The spectral analyzer further includes a thermal separator positioned between the light modulator and the light source.

Abstract: Aspects relate to an optical fluid analyzer including a fluid cell configured to receive a sample fluid. The optical fluid analyzer further includes optical elements configured to seal the fluid cell on opposing sides thereof and to allow input light from a light source to be sent through the fluid cell and output light from the fluid cell to be input to a spectrometer. The optical fluid analyzer further includes a machine learning (ML) engine, such as an artificial intelligence (AI) engine, that is configured to generate a result defining at least one parameter of the fluid based on a spectrum produced by the spectrometer.

Abstract: Aspects relate to an integrated and compact attenuated total internal reflection (ATR) spectral sensing device. The spectral sensing device includes a substrate, a spectrometer, and a detector. The substrate includes an ATR element, a microfluidic channel, and a channel interface at a boundary between the ATR element and the microfluidic channel formed therein. The ATR element is configured to receive input light and to direct the input light to the channel interface for total internal reflection of the input light at the channel interface. An evanescent wave produced by a sample contained within the microfluidic channel based on the total internal reflection of the input light attenuates the light output from the ATR element and the resulting output light may be analyzed using the spectrometer and the detector.

Abstract: Aspects relate to a compact material analyzer including a light source, a detector, and a module including a first optical window on a first side of the module, a second optical window on a second side of the module opposite the first side, and a light modulator. The light source produces input light at a high power that is passed through the first optical window to the light modulator. The light modulator is configured to attenuate the input light, produce modulated light based on the input light, and direct the modulated light through the second optical window to the sample. The modulated light produced by the light modulator is at a lower power safe for the sample. The detector is configured to receive output light from the sample produced from interaction with the modulated light through the second optical window and to detect a spectrum of the output light.

Abstract: A shadow mask having two or more levels of openings enables selective step coverage of micro-fabricated structures within a micro-optical bench device. The shadow mask includes a first opening within a top surface of the shadow mask and a second opening within the bottom surface of the shadow mask. The second opening is aligned with the first opening and has a second width less than a first width of the first opening. An overlap between the first opening and the second opening forms a hole within the shadow mask through which selective coating of micro-fabricated structures within the micro-optical bench device may occur.

Abstract: Aspects relate to mechanisms for increasing the field of view of a spectrometer. An optical device may be configured to simultaneously couple light from different locations (spots) on a sample to the spectrometer to effectively increase the spectrometer field of view. The optical device can include a beam combiner and at least one reflector to reflect light beams from respective spots on the sample towards the beam combiner. The beam combiner can combine the received light beams from the different spots to produce a combined light beam that may be input to the spectrometer.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to a multi-pass gas cell that includes a set of two or more reflectors, an input collimating optical component, and an output focusing optical component. The input and output optical components are integrated with at least one of the two or more reflectors. For example, the input and output optical components may be integrated on opposite ends of a single one of the reflectors or may be integrated on the same end of a single reflector. The input and output optical components may further be integrated with different reflectors. In some examples, the set of reflectors and optical components may be fabricated within the same substrate.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to a self-referenced spectrometer for providing simultaneous measurement of a background or reference spectral density and a sample or other spectral density. The self-referenced spectrometer includes an interferometer optically coupled to receive an input beam and to direct the input beam along a first optical path to produce a first interfering beam and a second optical path to produce a second interfering beam, where each interfering beam is produced prior to an output of the interferometer. The spectrometer further includes a detector optically coupled to simultaneously detect a first interference signal produced from the first interfering beam and a second interference signal produced from the second interfering beam, and a processor configured to process the first interference signal and the second interference signal and to utilize the second interference signal as a reference signal in processing the first interference signal.

Abstract: Aspects relate to an integrated optical probe card and a system for performing wafer testing of optical micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) structures with an in-plane optical axis. On-wafer optical screening of optical MEMS structures may be performed utilizing one or more micro-optical bench components to redirect light between an out-of-plane direction that is perpendicular to the in-plane optical axis to an in-plane direction that is parallel to the in-plane optical axis to enable testing of the optical MEMS structures with vertical injection of the light.

Abstract: A shadow mask having two or more levels of openings enables selective step coverage of micro-fabricated structures within a micro-optical bench device. The shadow mask includes a first opening within a top surface of the shadow mask and a second opening within the bottom surface of the shadow mask. The second opening is aligned with the first opening and has a second width less than a first width of the first opening. An overlap between the first opening and the second opening forms a hole within the shadow mask through which selective coating of micro-fabricated structures within the micro-optical bench device may occur.

Abstract: A micro-optical bench device is fabricated by a process that provides control over one or more properties of the micro-optical bench device and/or one or more properties of optical surfaces in the micro-optical bench device. The process includes etching a substrate to form a permanent structure including optical elements and a temporary structure. The shape of the temporary structure and gaps between the temporary structure and permanent structure facilitate control of a property of the micro-optical bench and/or optical surfaces therein. The process further includes removing the temporary structure from an optical path of the micro-optical bench device.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to an integrated spectral unit including a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) interferometer fabricated within a first substrate and a light redirecting structure integrated on a second substrate, where the second substrate is coupled to the first substrate. The light redirecting structure includes at least one mirror for receiving an input light beam propagating in an out-of-plane direction with respect to the first substrate and redirecting the input light beam to an in-plane direction with respect to the first substrate towards the MEMS interferometer.

Abstract: A spectrometer with increased optical throughput and/or spectral resolution includes a plurality of interferometers coupled in parallel. An optical splitter divides a source light beam into a plurality of input beams and directs each of the input beams to a respective one of the plurality of interferometers. One or more detectors are optically coupled to receive a respective output from each of the plurality of interferometers and is configured to detect an interferogram produced as a result of the outputs.

Abstract: An optical radiation source produced from a disordered semiconductor material, such as black silicon, is provided. The optical radiation source includes a semiconductor substrate, a disordered semiconductor structure etched in the semiconductor substrate and a heating element disposed proximal to the disordered semiconductor structure and configured to heat the disordered semiconductor structure to a temperature at which the disordered semiconductor structure emits thermal infrared radiation.

Abstract: A Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) apparatus provides for self-calibration of mirror positioning of a moveable mirror of an interferometer. At least one mirror in the MEMS apparatus includes a non-planar surface. The moveable mirror is coupled to a MEMS actuator having a variable capacitance. The MEMS apparatus includes a capacitive sensing circuit for determining the capacitance of the MEMS actuator at multiple reference positions of the moveable mirror corresponding to a center burst and one or more secondary bursts of an interferogram produced by the interferometer based on the non-planar surface. A calibration module uses the actuator capacitances at the reference positions to compensate for any drift in the capacitive sensing circuit.

Abstract: A Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) interferometer provides for self-calibration of mirror positioning of a moveable mirror. The moveable mirror is coupled to a MEMS actuator having a variable capacitance. The MEMS interferometer includes a capacitive sensing circuit for determining the capacitance of the MEMS actuator at two or more known positions of the moveable mirror and a calibration module for using the actuator capacitances at the known positions to compensate for any drift in the capacitive sensing circuit.