Advanced FT-IR High-Speed Spectrometer Showing the Feasibility of High Performance Optical MEMS Based Mid-IR Sensing

We show latest results on the feasibility of miniaturized high performance FT-IR spectroscopic sensing. The concept of using micro-mirrors in FT-IR spectrometers has been put into practice combining novel MEMS micro-mirror devices with outstanding oscillation amplitudes, a miniaturised high-power IR source and a dedicated TE cooled MCT detector. The result is the first practically applicable prototype of a MEMS-based high-speed FT-IR spectrometer operable under real-world conditions. Covering the range 4000–700 cm-1 (1.8–14 μm) at a spectral resolution < 10 cm-1 and a maximal time resolution of 1 ms, it could provide a platform for a new generation of mid- IR sensors