Wide-band silicon photonic MOEMS spectrometer requiring a single photodetector

We propose a novel integrated micro-opto-mechanical-system spectrometer design in a monochromator setup. It consists of a concave grating fabricated in a planar waveguide that is connected to a rotational electrostatic actuator, which enables angular tuning of the grating. The spectrometer covers a wide operational wavelength range (>100 nm), covering partially the E-band and fully covering the S, C, and L-bands (1416.6 nm - 1696.6 nm), and requires a single photodetector to acquire the spectrum. The spectrometer is designed to exhibit low optical losses throughout the range of motion. The spectrum can be acquired at a frequency of 1.76 kHz. The simulated acquired spectrum features an average insertion loss of -1.8 dB and a crosstalk better than -70 dB with a resolution as low as 1.62 nm. The entire device covers an area of 4 mm x 4 mm and is based on a thick silicon-on-insulator platform.