Micromachining Yields Compact FT Spectrometers

Fourier transform spectroscopy is poised to take the next step forward. Thanks to silicon micromachining techniques, high-resolution spectrometers will soon move out of the lab and into commercial applications. Instruments based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, as illustrated by a lamellar grating interferometer developed at the University of Neuchatel's Institute of Microtechnology in Switzerland, will be produced in large quantities and at low cost.