Integrated photonic Raman sensor on a chip

A photonic integrated spectrometer based on high-index contrast thin film platform is proposed for Raman signal processing. Raman signal generation on the chip via waveguide collection integrated with a spectrometer is proposed to increase the efficiency and signal to noise ratio and significantly reduce cost and the size of Raman sensor systems. All components of the proposed Raman detection system except pump laser and detector, will be fabricated on a single chip. The spectrometer will be designed to meet the required cross talk, > 30dB, insertion loss of 10dB and 200nm bandwidth needed for Raman spectroscopy at the operation wavelength of 1 micron. The proposed miniaturized PIC spectrometer can lead to small size, weight, power (SWaP) and mass producible optical spectroscopy systems. This will significantly reduce the size of Raman spectroscopy systems compared to conventional optical spectroscopy system where bulky optical elements with moving mechanical parts are used. The proposed spectrometer can be used in military and security applications as well as in industries such as the oil and gas, food and agriculture.