Development of a micro-spectrometer system for process control application

Increasingly micro-system components are being developed using existing micro-electronics fabrication technology for a diverse range of applications. Such components are being integrated into sensor and transducer systems in telecommunications, bio-medical applications and in process control. These systems are often small and robust compared to predecessor systems and their components offer the benefits of using micro-electronic fabrication techniques. One such available component is a micro-spectrometer developed using the LIGA technique to write the system grating. Using such a spectrometer a system was developed for application in process control. This paper outlines the development of hardware and software to implement this system and some results from initial trials.