Abstract
We are studying and developing high-performance spectroscopy solutions in silicon technology in the framework of instrumental developments around the B-BOP bolometer arrays and in the continuation of the former developments of the Herschel space telescope instruments and in particular its photodetector array camera and spectrometer. The integration of multiwavelength spectroscopic capabilities close to the array of a cooled bolometer would make it possible to detect the interstellar medium continuum by scanning and to trace its evolution, particularly by the detection of characteristic lines such as the cooling line [CII] at 158 µm. In this paper, we present the first concept under development and the preliminary results obtained from our cryogenic optical test bench. This solution is a tunable Fabry–Perot cavity with silicon mirrors driven by a cryogenic piezoelectric mechanism with a nanometric step. Each mirror is a dielectric Bragg structure, a stack of quarter-wave layers of silicon and air providing high reflectivity without metal loss. This solution allows extremely accurate scanning around a targeted wavelength. The first prototype cannot be integrated on a focal plane as it stands, and future optimizations integrating miniaturized scanning systems will make the system much more compact.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
N. Schneider, L. Bonne, S. Bontemps et al., Ionized carbon as a tracer of the assembly of interstellar clouds. Nat. Astron. 7, 546–556 (2023)
A. Poglitsch et al., The photodetector array camera and spectrometer (PACS) on the Herschel space observatory. A&A 518, L2 (2010)
V. Revéret, et al. "B-BOP: the SPICA imaging polarimeter." in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. Vol. 11443. (SPIE, 2020) pp. 1082–1091
P.D. Atherton, N.K. Reay, J. Ring, T.R. Hicks, Tunable Fabry–Perot filters. Opt. Eng. 20, 206805 (1981)
K.F. Renk, L. Genzel, Interference filters and Fabry–Perot interferometers for the far infrared. Appl. Opt. 1(5), 643–648 (1962)
R. Ulrich, K.F. Renk, L. Genzel, Tunable submillimeter interferometers of the Fabry–Perot type. IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech. 11(5), 363–371 (1963)
R. Ulrich, Far-infrared properties of metallic mesh and its complementary structure. Infrared Phys. 7(1), 37–55 (1967)
G.R. Davis, I. Furniss, W.A. Towlson, P.A.R. Ade, R.J. Emery, W.M. Glencross, D.A. Naylor, T.J. Patrick, R.C. Sidey, B.M. Swinyard, Design and performance of cryogenic, scanning Fabry–Perot interferometers for the long-wavelength spectrometer on the infrared space observatory. Appl. Opt. 34, 92–107 (1995)
Douthit, Greg, et al. "Development of the Fabry–Perot interferometers for the HIRMES spectrometer on SOFIA." in Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy IX. Vol. 10708 (SPIE, 2018), pp. 195–207
Pajot, P. Francois, et al. "Design and performances of a cryogenic Fabry–Perot for submillimeter astronomy." in Cryogenic Optical Systems and Instruments X. Vol. 5172 (SPIE, 2003), pp. 13–20
N. Neumann et al., Tunable infrared detector with integrated micromachined Fabry–Perot filter. J. Micro/Nanolithogr. MEMS MOEMS 7(2), 021004 (2008)
F. Cothard, Nicholas, et al. "Optimizing the efficiency of Fabry–Perot interferometers with silicon-substrate mirrors. in "Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation III. 10706:1520–1528 (2018)
S. Bounissou, « On-chip » astronomical instrumentation: bringing polarimetric and spectroscopic capabilities to the detector level (Université Paris-Saclay, Diss, 2019)
P.M. Fauchet, Porous Silicon Optical Label-Free Biosensors, in Device Applications of Silicon Nanocrystals and Nanostructures. ed. by N. Koshida. Nanostructure Science and Technology. (Springer, Boston, MA, 2009)
F. Abelès, “Optics of thin films”, [Advanced Optical Techniques], 143–188 (1967)
Acknowledgements
This work has been partially supported by the LabEx Focus ANR-11-LABX-0013.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
T.T. wrote the main manuscript text. T.T. A.P. and L.R. performed the measurements presented in the paper. T.T. A.P. L.R. and V.R. processed and analyzed the data. C.D. designed and prepared the measurement setup. A.A. V.G. and G.L. manufactured the silicon technologies presented in the paper. T.T. L.R. V.R. L.D. and A.A. took part in the design and the development of the concept of spectrometer. L.R. V.R. and A.P. reviewed the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Tollet, T., Rodriguez, L., Revéret, V. et al. Tuneable Spectrometer for Submillimeter Astronomy Based on Silicon Fabry–Perot, Preliminary Results. J Low Temp Phys (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-024-03120-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-024-03120-2