Spectrometer and apparatus for measuring biological component using the same

• US 10,578,490 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imec Vzm, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Claes, Tom, Ahn, Sung Mo, Lee, Woo Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Decenzo, Shawn
• Application Number:
  US15/870,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20180217002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0256 Compact construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/26 using multiple reflection, e.g. Fabry-Perot interferometer, variable interference filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/44 Raman spectrometry; Scattering spectrometry ; Fluorescence spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/45 Interferometric spectrometry

Abstract

A spectrometer is provided. The spectrometer may include an image sensor including a pixel array; and a photonics layer disposed on the pixel array and including a plurality of resonators and a plurality of couplers evanescently coupled to the plurality of resonators.

Claims

1. A spectrometer comprising:

an image sensor comprising a pixel array; and

a photonics layer disposed on the pixel array and comprising a plurality of resonators, mirrors that are respectively disposed at two ends of each of the plurality of resonators, and a plurality of couplers disposed apart from and evanescently coupled to the plurality of resonators,

wherein the photonics layer comprises a plurality of detection areas, and the plurality of resonators disposed in one of the plurality of detection areas comprise at least two types of resonators having at least two different wavelength characteristics, being disposed in each row of the pixel array in a direction in which a plurality of rows of the pixel array are arranged, and being connected to each other through the mirror.

2. The spectrometer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of couplers comprises:

an in-coupler configured to receive light incident onto the photonics layer; and

an out-coupler which is connected to the in-coupler and configured to output the light transmitted from the in-coupler to a corresponding pixel of the pixel array.

3. The spectrometer of claim 2, wherein the in-coupler and the out-coupler correspond to grating couplers, metal mirrors, or a grating coupler and a metal mirror.

4. The spectrometer of claim 1, wherein at least two couplers of the plurality of couplers are disposed apart from the plurality of resonators and arranged in succession in each row of the pixel array, and out-couplers of the at least two couplers in each row of the pixel array are located at same column positions.

5. The spectrometer of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of couplers is disposed separately from the plurality of resonators to generate an evanescent coupling between the plurality of couplers and the plurality of resonators.

6. The spectrometer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of resonators are Fabry-Perot resonators.

7. The spectrometer of claim 1, wherein the at least two types of resonators are alternately arranged in each row of the pixel array.

8. The spectrometer of claim 1, wherein the mirrors that are respectively disposed at two ends of each of the plurality of resonators correspond to a first mirror and a second mirror that are respectively disposed at a starting point and an ending point of each of the plurality of resonators, and

wherein positions of the first mirror and the second mirror are different in each of the plurality of rows while positions of the plurality of couplers are same in each of the plurality of rows, so that the plurality of resonators having different wavelength characteristic are arranged to have a scrambled layout in the plurality of rows.

9. An apparatus for measuring a substance in body, the apparatus comprising:

a light source configured to emit light to an object; and

a spectrometer configured to sense the light returning from the object,

wherein the spectrometer comprises;

a pixel array; and

a photonics layer disposed on the pixel array and comprising a plurality of resonators, mirrors that are respectively disposed at two ends of each of the plurality of resonators, and a plurality of couplers disposed apart from and evanescently coupled to the plurality of resonators,

wherein the photonics layer comprises a plurality of detection areas, and the plurality of resonators disposed in one of the plurality of detection areas comprise at least two types of resonators having at least two different wavelength characteristics, being disposed in each row of the pixel array in a direction in which a plurality of rows of the pixel array are arranged, and being connected to each other through the mirror.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a signal processor configured to analyze a substance of the object using a signal sensed by the spectrometer.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the light source emits a near-infrared laser or a visible light laser.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of couplers comprises:

an in-coupler configured to receive the light that is reflected from the object; and

an out-coupler which is connected to the in-coupler and outputs the light transmitted from the in-coupler to a pixel of the pixel array.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least two couplers of the plurality of couplers are arranged in each row of the pixel array so as to be aligned to a pixel pitch.

14. A spectrometer comprising:

a pixel array; and

a photonics layer that is disposed on the pixel array and comprises;

an in-coupler that receives light;

an out-coupler that outputs the light transmitted from the in-coupler;

an evanescent coupler that is connected to the in-coupler and the out-coupler to guide the light received from the in-coupler to the out-coupler;

a resonator that extends in a direction from the in-coupler to the out-coupler, and is disposed apart from the in-coupler, the out-coupler and the evanescent coupler to generate an evanescent coupling between the resonator and the evanescent coupler;

a mirror that is disposed at two ends of the resonator, and

wherein the photonics layer comprises a plurality of detection areas, and a plurality of resonators disposed in one of the plurality of detection areas comprise at least two types of resonators having at least two different wavelength characteristics, being disposed in each row of the pixel array in a direction in which a plurality of rows of the pixel array are arranged, and being connected to each other through the mirror.

15. The spectrometer of claim 14, wherein the evanescent coupler extends from the in-coupler to the out-coupler and curves so that distance between the resonator and the evanescent coupler varies.

16. The spectrometer of claim 14, wherein the photonics layer comprises a first coupler set and a second coupler set within a illumination pitch of the spectrometer,

the first coupler set comprises a first in-coupler, a first out-coupler, and a first evanescent coupler that respectively correspond to the in-coupler, the out-coupler, and the evanescent coupler,

the second coupler set comprises a second in-coupler, a second out-coupler, and a second evanescent coupler, and

the first coupler set and the second coupler set are disposed in series.

17. The spectrometer of claim 16, wherein the resonator corresponds to a first resonator, and

the photonics layer comprises:

the first resonator that is aligned with the first coupler set; and

a second resonator that is aligned with the second coupler set and disposed in series with the first resonator, and

the second resonator has a wavelength characteristic different from a wavelength characteristic of the first resonator.