SpektroChip

The starting point of the project idea is the cooperation with the Institute for Semiconductor Technology at the University of Stuttgart (IHT). There, a sensor chip with a germanium-on-silicon (Ge-on-Si) sensor line and a diffraction grating was developed. In the project, the chip, which is sensitive in the NIR range, will now be integrated into a highly miniaturized spectrometer system setup for the quantitative analysis of a biomedical sample. The technology of NIR spectroscopy will be used as an analytical tool. This is becoming increasingly important in the fields of biomedical research, environmental research and the food industry.

The project focuses especially on the realization of a simple, low-cost system that stands out from the high-priced, inflexible solutions currently available on the market and allows direct automated detection of an analyte. In particular, current sensor applications such as “on-site” detection, lab-on-a-chip systems and in-line process monitoring are to be addressed. The optical sensor chip is based on Ge-on-Si photodiodes, which are significantly more cost-effective than the compound semiconductor detectors (e.g. made of indium gallium arsenide) that dominate the market in the NIR range, since they are compatible with CMOS technology and thus offer much greater miniaturization and scaling potential.