Monolithic fully integrated programmable micro-diffraction grating based on electro-optical materials

In the last few years Programmable Micro Diffraction Gratings (PMDG) have shown the possibility to be applied in many areas, spanning from imaging, to telecommunication, to spectroscopy. These devices were mainly based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) techniques and realized by moveable mirrors and pop-up structures. Although this approach have held a central stage in Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MOEMS), they made the realized devices delicate and not useful for some critical environments. In this work we discuss the possibility to fabricate a fully integrated electrically driven PMDG device where, to avoid the presence of moving parts, the electro-optical properties of a suitable substrate material are used. The theoretical approach and the design procedure of a miniaturized PMDG apparatus useful as a generator of synthetic spectra are illustrated and discussed in details.