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Handheld High-Resolution Short-Wave Infrared Spectrometer

Project Quick Facts

Principal Investigator

  • Prof. ZHAO Ni

    Department of Electronic Engineering

  • Funding

    Innovation and Technology Commission

  • Collaboration

    – Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering of CUHK,
    – Hon Kok Technology Co.,
    – Weimu Intelligent System Ltd.

Spectrometers are widely used in many different aspects, such as food and environmental inspection etc. However, it is necessary to have a portable and high-resolution spectrometer for real-time on-site inspection at remote farm or factory. CUHK team invented two new technologies, which broke the traditional boundary. We develop a handheld high-resolution short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrometer that enables real-time and on-site spectroscopic analysis in the 900–2800 nm wavelength range. Basing on our two technologies, the spectrometer can be fabricated via low-cost processes: (1) vacuum-imprinted varied-line-space concave grating, which simultaneously miniaturizes the optical design and improves resolution, and (2) HgTe quantum dot based detectors, which exhibit high room-temperature sensitivity beyond 2000 nm. This innovative spectrometer system developed by CUHK outperforms the current commercial products no matter in cost, size and performance.

Uniqueness and Competitive Advantages:

  1. Miniaturized system (about 20×16×5 cm3)
  2. Wide photodetection wavelength range (900−2800 nm)
  3. High spectral resolution (5 nm)
  4. High detectivity at room temperature (1010 Jones)
  5. Fast response speed (less than 10 ms)

Target Users:

  • 01The buildings (e.g. the apartments, hotels and factories) that require real-time monitor the hazardous gas
  • 02The vehicle interior air quality and exhaust emission monitoring
  • 03Farms that need to classify foods, such as milk fat content and apple sweetness identification, etc.
  • 04Garbage sorting and recycling station, which require efficient plastic recycling sorting
The working mechanism and the photography of our SWIR spectrometer system installed in our lab.
Up: The schematics of the vacuum nanoimprinting system and the photos of the concave grating fabricated with this system. Below: The comparison between the commercial SWIR spectrometer and our product in the optical system installed.
The room temperature-operated high sensitive HgTe QD based SWIR photodetector and its successful application in testing CO gas content.
The application scenarios of our hand-held SWIR spectrometer.

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