High-throughput on-the-fly scanning ultraviolet-visible dual-sphere spectrometer

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy
• Optical Physics

Background:

• High-throughput optical characterization is crucial for accelerating the discovery and development of novel functional materials.
• Efficient screening methods are needed to identify materials with desired optical properties for emerging applications.
• Existing techniques may not offer the speed and simultaneous measurement capabilities required for rapid material assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate an on-the-fly scanning spectrometer for high-throughput optical characterization.
• To enable simultaneous transmission and total reflectance measurements at high speeds.
• To validate the instrument's utility in screening light absorber materials and determining their band gap information.

Main Methods:

• Development of a scanning spectrometer operating in the UV-visible and near-infrared regions.
• Implementation of simultaneous transmission and total reflectance measurement capabilities.
• Achieving measurement rates exceeding 1 sample per second.
• Utilizing spectral absorbance data for Tauc plot analysis to derive band gap information.

Main Results:

• Successful development of an on-the-fly scanning spectrometer.
• Demonstration of simultaneous transmission and total reflectance measurements.
• Achieved measurement throughput greater than 1 sample per second.
• Validated the instrument for screening light absorber materials and determining band gaps.

Conclusions:

• The developed spectrometer provides a high-throughput solution for optical characterization.
• The instrument facilitates rapid screening of functional materials, particularly light absorbers.
• This technology can accelerate the discovery of new materials for various applications by enabling efficient band gap determination.