Tunable MEMS Fabry-Pérot filters for infrared microspectrometers: a review

Many application fields of infrared spectroscopy require small, robust and transportable spectrometers, which are considerable less costly than existing products. Therefore microspectrometer technologies are rapidly emerging and many research groups spend effort on this. Compared to other kinds of devices, micromachined tunable Fabry-Pérot filters are best suited in terms of miniaturization and optical throughput. This paper gives a review of μFP filters for infrared spectroscopy. Different approaches from several groups are compared. Optical performance parameters like wavelength tuning range, spectral resolution and aperture size as well as complexity of fabrication and costs are discussed.