nanoSPECTRAL chip: a miniature cost-effective spectrometer

This chip offers an innovative solution for spectral analyses, making it possible to measure the optical spectrum of a wide variety of objects quickly and precisely – both in transmission and in reflection. What’s new is that the technology is compact, affordable, and easy to integrate into existing systems. This opens the door to new potential applications – from agriculture and the food industry to medical applications. The nanoSPECTRAL chip will be presented at electronica in Munich from November 12 to 15, 2024.

Manufacturers of optical sensor modules are often faced with the challenge of having to make precise spectral measurements without driving up costs. The optical spectrometers currently in the market aren’t up to the job: although they’re very powerful, they’re also expensive and bulky. This limits their possible uses, especially in applications where assembly space is limited.

That’s where the nanoSPECTRAL chip comes in: it reduces the entire spectrometer – i.e. all components such as the optical filters and detectors, signal processing and interfaces – to the size of a 2.3 mm x 3.4 mm chip. With their nanoSPECTRAL technology, Fraunhofer researchers have managed to manufacture optical filters directly in the CMOS semiconductor process and thus integrate them into a chip. What’s special about this is that the production costs remain consistently low regardless of the number of spectral channels. That makes it possible for the first time to carry out high-quality spectral measurements not only in a particularly space-efficient manner but also at a fraction of the previous costs.

More than just a colour sensor

The chip-size spectrometer is characterised by its high temperature resistance and broad coverage of the wavelength spectrum from 400 to 1000 nm. With a filter transmission of up to 40% and the ability to process 270 spectral and 30 polarisation channels, it offers a decisive competitive advantage. This makes it a powerful solution for anyone needing precise spectral measurements in a wide variety of environments and applications. One use case is in liquid analysis: when analysing reagents for measuring pH values, the nanoSPECTRAL chip identifies chemical changes across the entire spectrum more accurately than conventional RGB sensors, which usually detect only clear colour differences

Versatile and customisable

Thanks to its simple integration, the miniaturised, highly integrated, and cost-effective nanoSPECTRAL chip can be used in a wide range of applications. For example, it is ideal for food analysis: farmers or end consumers could use it to check the freshness or ripeness of fruit. In a medical engineering context, the chip is also suitable for fast and reliable analysis of test strips at the point of care. The cosmetics industry could use the chip to measure skin moisture or shine after the use of care products.

Availability and customised solutions

Samples and evaluation kits are now available on request for companies wishing to test the nanoSPECTRAL chip-size spectrometer in their products, such as manufacturers of optical sensor modules or companies in the analysis industry. This allows developers to test the integration of the chip into their systems at an early stage. Custom adaptations are also possible, giving companies a customised solution that is tailored to their technical and economic needs – for the development of innovative products and analytical systems. From November 12 to 15, 2024, the nanoSPECTRAL chip will be presented at electronica in Hall B4, Stand 141 in Munich.