Eindhoven researchers develop micro-spectrometer to fit ‘inside a smartphone’

The spectrometer is designed to make precise measurements via a photonic crystal cavity - otherwise known as a 'trap' - that is just a few micrometres in size (see image above). 

According to the researchers, the trap is contained in a membrane, into which the captured light generates a small, measurable electrical current.

The researchers said the device is as precise as a typical tabletop spectrometer.

However, EUT’s professor Andrea Fiore said it would take at least five years before the new spectrometer could be incorporated into a smartphone “because the frequency range covered is still too small”.

Currently, the sensor covers just a few percent of the most common spectrum, the near-infrared. Therefore, Fiore’s team will now work on extending the detectable spectrum.

The researchers will also be integrating an extra element with the micro-spectrometer: a light source, which they say will make the sensor independent of external sources.

A full account of the research has been published in the journal Nature Communications.