Optical System Design of an Echelle Spectrometer Based on a Digital Micromirror Device

The digital Lock-In Amplifier (LIA) is a kind of weak signal detection equipment with high accuracy and strong selectivity. By using the Phase Sensitive Detection (PSD) technology, it can identify the measured signal with the same frequency as the reference signal and eliminate the interference of noise signals with different frequency from the reference signal. A new Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), which uses Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and Photomultiplier Tube (PMT) as the detector instead of Charge Coupled Device (CCD), can improve the detection ability for weak signals. This study focused on the design and working principle of the digital LIA based on DMD. At the same time the data acquisition system was integrated into the principal prototype of ICP-OES, and the mercury (Hg) lamp was used to conduct a comparative experiment between direct ADC acquisition and lock-in amplification acquisition. The Signal-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the LIA acquisition method was improved by three to five times at the 4×4 template reversal in the whole band range, and 1.7 times at the 1×1 template reversal at the wavelength of 253. 65nm.Finally, the standard sample of cadmium (Cd) element is detected. The experimental results show that the digital lock-in amplifier based on DMD modulation optimizes the performance of the acquisition system, improves the signal to noise ratio of the spectral line signal, and enhances the sensitivity of the ICP-OES instrument.

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs), also known as spatial light modulators, have been produced in a wide variety of configurations specific to their applications such as joint-transform correlator systems, optical neural networks, and high-definition televisions. The characteristics of DMD technology and flexibility of design lend themselves to a new application in optical spectrometers. Medium-resolution optical spectrometers, with a spectral bandwidth on the order of 1 nm, are widely used in instrumentation designed to record molecular absorption spectra in the ultraviolet and visible regions and are among the most widely used laboratory instruments. Modern UV-visible spectrometers usually are designed to use a multichannel detector, such as a photodiode array (PDA), in conjunction with a compact fixed-resolution spectrograph and can record spectra with reasonable speed, ∼ 30 ms. These spectrographs have no moving parts and are used for on-line detection of chromatographic eluents, for routine analytical determinations, and for industrial applications such as measurements made in process streams. However, diode array detectors are generally more expensive and are less sensitive than photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), particularly in the UV, and require cooling when a long integration time and low dark current are necessary. In addition, the diode array cannot acquire spectra fast enough for most kinetic studies to be made. A medium-resolution spectrometer which incorporates DMD technology and a PMT for detection has the potential of obtaining a spectrum on the order of a few milliseconds with high sensitivity at a lower cost than that for current PDA or charged-coupled device (CCD) spectrometers. Another advantage of the DMD spectrometer is that it possesses the capability of repetitively scanning a small portion of the spectrum without collecting the entire spectrum (random pixel access). The high sensitivity of a DMD spectrometer using a PMT also makes it ideal for fluorescence and phosphorescence detection.

In astronomy, multi-object spectrometers (MOS) provide an efficient means to gather large samples of spectral data. Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs) can be used as programmable slit masks in a MOS. There is strong interest in using DMDs in space-based MOS instruments. Our team has been carrying out an environmental test campaign to qualify eXtended Graphic Array (XGA) DMDs for space deployment. The environmental tests have included mechanical shock and vibration, low temperature, heavy ion radiation, proton radiation, and gamma radiation testing. In each of the tests, the devices were able to withstand the expected conditions of a space mission without adverse effects. Initial gamma radiation testing was performed on fourteen XGA DMDs during June of 2018. Ten of the devices were active and four passive (unbiased) during gamma irradiation. Passive devices accumulated a total ionizing dose (TID) of up to 76 krad(Si) without showing adverse effects. The active devices began to exhibit the appearance of non-latching micromirrors at a TID of 16-19 krad(Si). Non-latching mirrors recovered after annealing at room temperature for as little as 24 hours. The DMDs subjected to the harshest testing conditions were completely recovered after six months. A distinct difference in the pattern of non-latching mirrors was observed between commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) DMDs with their original windows and re-windowed DMDs. In this work, we present a second round of gamma radiation testing performed on XGA DMDs at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in June 2019. One of the main purposes of this testing was to further investigate the differences in TID effects observed between the COTS and re-windowed DMDs. This testing also investigated the use of high temperature annealing to accelerate the recovery of non-latching mirrors. Additionally, DMDs which had previously been irradiated in an unbiased state were tested again while active during gamma irradiation. This work finalizes our efforts to qualify XGA DMDs for use in space and provides a better understanding of the effects of TID on the devices.

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are micro-electro- mechanical systems, originally developed to display images in projector systems. A DMD in the focal plane of an imaging system can be used as a reprogrammable slit mask of a multi-object spectrometer (MOS) by tilting some of the mirrors towards the spectrometer and tilting the rest of the mirrors away, thereby rejecting the unwanted light (due to the background and foreground objects). A DMD-based MOS can generate new, arbitrary slit patterns in seconds, which significantly reduces the overhead time during astronomical observations. Critically, DMD-based slit masks are extremely lightweight, compact and mechanically robust, which makes them attractive for use in space-based telescopes. As part of a larger effort to investigate the use of DMDs in space telescopes (sponsored by a NASA Strategic Astrophysics Technologies grant), we characterized the optical performance of Texas Instruments DMDs to determine their suitability for use in multi-object spectrometers. The performance of a DMD-based MOS is significantly affected by its optical throughput (reflectance), contrast ratio (the ability of the DMD to reject unwanted light) and scattering properties (which could lead to crosstalk and reduced signal-to-noise ratio in the spectrometer). We measured and quantified the throughput and contrast ratio of a Texas Instruments DMD in several configurations (which emulate the operation of a typical DMD-based MOS) and investigated the scattering properties of the individual DMD mirrors. In this work we present the results of our analysis, describe the performance of a typical DMD- based MOS and discuss the practical limitations of these instruments (such as maximum density of sources and expected signal-to- noise ratio).

In this paper, we present a novel design of an optical power splitter. Owing to the inherent variable power split ratios that the proposed design delivers, it is ideal for use in communications, sensing and signal processing applications where variable power splitting is often quintessential. The proposed power splitter module is dual mode as it combines the use of a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) based Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD) and an Electronically Controlled Tunable Lens (ECTL) to split the power of an input optical signal between two output ports – the designated port and the surplus port. The use of a reflective Digital Spatial Light Modulator (DSLM) such as the DMD provides a motion-free digital control of the split ratio between the two output ports. Although the digital step between two possible successive split ratios can be fairly minimal with the use of a high resolution DMD but it is a challenge to correctly ascertain the exact image pattern on the DMD to obtain any desired specific split ratio. To counter this challenge, we propose the synchronized use of a circular pattern on the DMD, which serves as a circular clear aperture with a tunable radius, and an ECTL. The radius of the circular pattern on the DMD provides a digital control of the split ratio between the two ports whereas the ECTL, depending on its controller, can provide either an analog or a digital control by altering the beam radius which is incident at the DMD circular pattern. The radius of the circular pattern on the DMD can be minimally changed by one micro-pixel thickness. Setting the radius of the circular pattern on the DMD to an appropriate value provides the closest “ball-park” split ratio whereas further tuning the ECTL aids in slightly altering from this digitally set value to obtain the exact desired split ratio in-between any two digitally-set successive split ratios that correspond to any clear aperture radius of the DMD pattern and its incremental minimal allowable change of one micropixel. We provide a detailed scheme to calculate the desired DMD aperture radius as well as the focal length setting of the ECTL to obtain any given split ratio. By setting tolerance limits on the split ratio, we also show that our method affords diversity by providing multiple possible solutions to achieve a desired optical power split ratio within the specified tolerances. We also demonstrate the validation of the proposed concept with initial experimental results and discussions. These experimental results show a repeatable splitter operation and the resulting power split ratios according to the theoretical predictions. With the experimental data, we also demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in obtaining any particular split ratio through different DMD and ECTL configurations with specific split ratio tolerance values.

Based on our earlier investigations, we continued and intensified our effort on the assessment of laser-induced damage effects in the visible range on a digital micromirror device (DMD) in comparison to different electro-optical imaging sensors such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) and charge-coupled devices (CCD). The main two objectives of our current work are: i) to fill the gap for the damage threshold regarding the time scale of picosecond pulses (527 nm) for CCD and CMOS devices and ii) evaluate the performance of a new device, the DMD, with both nanosecond pulses (532 nm) and picosecond pulses (527 nm) and compare the results with those of the CCD/CMOS. In the course of this research, we improved the experimental setup. Furthermore, we characterized the damage caused by laser pulse energies exceeding the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). For both the CMOS and CCD cameras, we received damage thresholds of about 10mJ/cm2 (picosecond pulses). For the DMD, we obtained LIDT values of 130mJ/cm2 (nanosecond laser pulses) and 1500mJ/cm2 (picosecond laser pulses). In case of the CMOS devices, we additionally compared the appearance of the damage obtained from the output signal of the camera under test and the microscope images of the surface of the camera. The first visible changes on the surface of the sensor occurred at energy densities that are an order of magnitude higher than the threshold values related to the output signal.

Digital light processing (DLP) is an innovative display technology that uses an optical switch array, known as a digital micromirror device (DMD), which allows digital control of light. To date, DMDs have been used primarily as high-speed spatial light modulators for projector applications. A tablet PC is a notebook or slate-shaped mobile PC. Its touch screen or digitizing tablet technology allows the user to operate the notebook with a stylus or digital pen instead of using a keyboard or mouse. In this paper, we describe an interface solution that translates any sketch on the tablet PC screen to an identical mirror-copy over the cross-section of the DMD micromirrors such that the image of the sketch can be projected onto a special screen. An algorithm has been created to control each single micromirror of the hundreds of thousands of micromirrors that cover the DMD surface. We demonstrate the successful application of a DMD to a high-speed two-dimensional (2D) scanning environment, acquiring the data from the tablet screen and launching its contents to the projection screen; with very high accuracy up to 13.68 &mgr;m x 13.68 &mgr;m of mirror pitch.

A digital micromirror device (DMD) micromirrors periodic spatial structure is a measuring scale in interior orientation parameters calibration of optoelectronic devices problems, when using a DMD as a testobject. It is important that DMD micromirrors periodic spatial structure remains constant. Change in a DMD micromirrors spatial structure may occur due to heating. In addition to heating a DMD, an optoelectronic device photodetector is also subject to heating and, accordingly, change in its spatial structure. It is necessary to estimate change in a spatial structure of DMD micromirrors and an optoelectronic device photodetector.A DMD micromirrors spatial drift and a DMD micromirrors spatial drift together with a digital camera photodetector pixels spatial drift for operation 4 h are analyzed. The drift analysis consisted in the points array position assessing formed by a DMD and projected onto a digital camera. When analyzing only a DMD micromirrors drift, a digital camera was turned on only for shooting time for exclude digital camera influence. A digital camera did not have time to significantly heat up, during this time. After a digital camera it cooled to a room temperature.Average drift of all DMD micromirrors determines the accuracy of interior orientation parameters calibration of optoelectronic devices using a DMD in time. Maximum drift of all micromirrors after switching on is observed. Minimum DMD warm-up time is 60 min for average drift of all micromirrors less than 1 μm is necessary. Minimum DMD warm-up time is 120 min when using a DMD together with a digital camera is necessary.A DMD expansion uniformity determines the accuracy of interior orientation parameters calibration of optoelectronic devices using a DMD, because irregular expansion disturbs micromirrors periodicity. The average change in distance of neighboring points is less than 0.1 μm for every 20 min.Thus, a DMD can be used as a test-object in interior orientation parameters calibration of optoelectronic devices. The results can be used as compensation coefficients of change in DMD micromirrors spatial structure due to temperature effects during operation, if more accurate are necessary.

Research on Dispersive Detection Technology Based on Digital Micromirror Device by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry

Digital micromirror device and spatial heterodyne spectroscopy combined modulation interference spectroscopy

Present car-headlamps can adapt their light distribution to the traffic situation only in a predefined way. The next generation of headlamps will offer a more flexible adaptation of their light distribution like an adaptive Cut-Off-Line in "Advanced Frontlighting Systems" (AFS). Addressable light sources in future active headlamps enable functions like glare free high beam or marking light. There are several possibilities to design such an addressable light source. In this contribution one solution using a digital micro mirror device (DMD) is presented. With this device an adaptive light distribution can be generated by modulating every pixel of the DMD individually. For the design of an optical system for a DMD headlamp a DMD-Projector was analyzed. The procedure of generating a light distribution can be divided into two processes: a.) illumination of DMD b.) projecting the image of the DMD on the street. In a DMD projector the illumination of a DMD is a very complex optical system with many optical elements. Some of these optical elements are not necessary for a car headlamp because of different requirements for car headlamps and DMD projectors. The illumination system can be simplified if these elements are eliminated. Also the aspect ratio of the imaging system for the DMD has to change 4:3 (DMD) to 7:2 (light distribution on the street).

The digital micromirror device DMD is widely used in visible light projection, special-purpose spatial light modulation, and infrared scene simulation, due to its high resolution, uniformity and energy concentration. In some applications that require high frame rate scene image display, it is necessary to ensure that the DMD displays high gray level images at a high frame rate. However, the display frame rate of the pulse width modulation (PWM) method is limited by the minimum time required for DMD loading data, unable to achieve high frame rate display. Although the DMD binary display mode can meet the requirements of high frame rate display, it cannot meet the requirements of high gray level. The paper proposes an image display method that uses light source and DMD to synchronize modulation. Decompose the high-order gray image into bit planes according to the gray threshold, and the DMD displays each bit plane in binary mode under the trigger of an sync pulse. The intensity of the illumination laser source is modulated by an acousto-optic modulator to match the bit plane and the radiated laser power. This method makes use of the function of high frame rate display in DMD binary mode cooperate with light intensity modulation of illumination laser source, and realizes high frame rate and high dynamic range image display. With this method, the maximum frame rate of 8-bit gray level image with 1920 ×1080 resolution can reach 2KHz. The experimental system has realized 200Hz frame rate display of 8-bit gray level image with 1920 ×1080 resolution.

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are commercial micro-electromechanical systems, consisting of millions of mirrors which can be individually addressed and tilted into one of two states (+/-12deg). These devices were developed to create binary patterns in video projectors, in the visible range. Commercially available DMDs are hermetically sealed and extremely reliable. Recently, DMDs have been identified as an alternative to microshutter arrays for space-based multi-object spectrometers (MOS). Specifically, the MOS at the heart of the proposed Galactic Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) uses the DMD as a reprogrammable slit mask. Unfortunately, the protective borosilicate windows limit the use of DMDs in the UV and IR regimes, where the glass has insufficient throughput. In this work, we present our efforts to replace standard DMD windows with custom windows made from UV-grade fused silica, low-absorption optical sapphire (LAOS) and magnesium fluoride (MgF2). We present transmission measurements of the antireflection coated windows and the reflectance of bare (window removed) DMDs. Furthermore, we investigated the long-term stability of the DMD reflectance and experiments for coating DMD active area with a layer of pure aluminum (Al) to boost reflectance performance in the UV spectral range (200400 nm).

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are a mature commercial technology, with several potential applications in space-based instruments. In particular, DMDs are currently the only practical alternative to microshutter arrays as slit mask generators for space-based multi-object spectrometers (MOS). A DMD is an array of micromirrors which can be addressed individually and tilted into one of two states (+/- 12 w.r.t. the device plane), which makes it a very versatile binary light modulator. These devices are widely utilized in a variety of optical systems, especially projectors. Recently, the use of DMDs for ground-based multi-object spectrometers has been demonstrated. The compact size and small weight of DMDs makes them especially attractive for a space- based MOS, where the only current alternative is an array of microshutters. DMDs were originally designed for visible range applications; therefore the protective glass window they are supplied with does not have sufficient throughput in the UV or IR and has to be replaced. In this work, we describe the procedure by which we replaced the standard window with UV-grade fused silica, sapphire and magnesium fluoride. We performed initial shock and vibrational tests to evaluate the mechanical robustness of the re-windowed devices, to investigate the ability of these devices to survive launch conditions. We performed residual gas analysis to study the outgassing properties of the new DMDs and evaluate the ability of the new seals to protect the device. The tested devices show near-hermetic seals before and after the mechanical testing.

Digital micromirror devices (DMDs) can be used as versatile, rapidly reconfigurable object selectors in spacebased multi-object spectrographs (MOS). DMDs are inexpensive, compact, reliable, high-throughput devices, that enable extremely flexible and efficient multi-object spectrographs; several DMD-based MOSs are currently being built for 4 m class ground-based telescopes. Previously, we have shown that DMDs are suitable for deployment and operation in space, in the near-UV and optical regimes (200 - 1000 nm). Using aluminum coatings protected with LiF and LiF/AlF3 films, we aim to extend the operational range of DMDs into the 100 - 200 nm FUV regime. Our initial coating runs produced DMDs with reflectivity > 40% in the range of 110 - 180 nm. Critically, the DMDs remain operational after the coating process. We will discuss potential for further improvement and introduce several mission concepts based on a FUV/NUV DMD MOS, that can be deployed on CubeSat and ESPA-class missions.