ON-CHIP TRANSFORM IR SPECTROSCOPY BY SUPERCONDUCTING DETECTOR ARRAYS WITH A GRADED INTERFERENCE FILTER

CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF INFRARED (IR) SPECTROSCOPY UTILIZE EITHER A SMALL THROUGHPUT (IR FLUX) OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR DISPERSION FOLLOWED BY A DETECTOR (OR ARRAY), OR A LARGE THROUGHPUT, SCANNING INTERFEROMETER FOLLOWED BY A DETECTOR. A NEW, SMART DETECTOR DESIGN IS PROPOSED HERE FOR ACCOMPLISHING TRANSFORM SPECTROSCOPY OF INFRARED LIGHT DIRECTLY ON THE DETECTOR CHIP ITSELF. THE NEW METHOD IS A LARGE THROUGHPUT TRANSFORM TECHNIQUE WHICH INCORPORATES THE MULTIPLEX ADVANTAGE BUT WITHOUT REQUIRING A MECHANICALLY SCANNED INTERFEROMETER. THIS NEW SPECTROMETER IS POTENTIALLY VERY SMALL, COMPACT AND RUGGED, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS FABRICATED ON A SILICON WAFER SUBSTRATE, AS IS ENVISIONED (I.E., A SPECTROMETER ON A CHIP). THIS OPTO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE STRUCTURE CAN ALSO BE ADAPTED TO OTHER IR INSTRUMENT TECHNOLOGIES. DURING PHASE I WE WILL MAKE A FIRST LOOP ON THE FULL DESIGN AND CONCEPT TESTING FORTHE GRADED INTERFERENCE-FILTER SPECTROMETER DEVICE. THE CONCEPT FOR THIS NEW DEVICE FOR IR TRANSFORM SPECTROSCOPY ARISES OUT OF SEVERAL AREAS OF STRENGTH WITHIN THE RESEARCH STAFF AT ADVANCED FUEL RESEARCH, INC., AND HENCE THE POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS IS LARGE.