SBIR Phase I: Research to Develop a MEMS Based Multiobject Spectrometer

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to do the background research work needed to enable the fabrication of a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) based multi-object specrometer (MOS). Such an instrument would allow the spectral signatures of many hundreds of targets in the field of view of the fore optics of the MOS to be acquired simultaneously. The key component of the systems is a MEMS array of micro mirrors that allow light to be directed at either an imaging camera or into a true imaging spectrometer. Measurement and understand of the scattering from such micromirror arrays need to be understood so that an end-to-end design can be developed for such a system. This design has mechanical, optical and electronic parts that need to be seamlessly integrated. Multi-object spectrometers of various types are already in use, however, they tend to be either extremely large or expensive, or very limited in capability. Astronomers at some of the largest facility use either fibers or masks to provide the field selection ahead of the spectrometers. Unfortunately, these instruments to be very large and not suitable for use on smaller optical systems. Specific markets would be observatories of the many universities and colleges, in remote sensing for example in monitoring plumes emanating from smoke stacks or the trails of rockets and missiles, coupled to optical microscopes to allow sequences of spectra to be obtained of cells as they move and interact in the field of view.