Single-chip CMOS optical microspectrometer

Numerous applications, e.g., systems for chemical analysis by optical absorption and emission line characterization, will benefit from the availability of low-cost single-chip spectrometers. A single-chip CMOS optical microspectrometer containing an array of 16 Ž . addressable Fabry–Perot etalons each one with different resonance cavity length , photodetectors and circuits for read-out, multiplexing Ž and driving a serial bus interface has been fabricated. The result is a chip that can operate using only four external connections including . V and V covering the visible spectral range of the spectrum with FWHMs18 nm. Frequency output and serial bus interface allow dd ss easy multi-sensor, multi-chip interfacing using a microcontroller or a personal computer. Power consumption is 1250 mW for a clock frequency of 1 MHz. q 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.