Integrated Spectral Sensitivity as Physics-Based Figure of Merit for Spectral Transducers in Optical Sensing.

Area of Science:

• Optical Sensing
• Metrology
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Optical sensors require high precision for measurand determination.
• Spectral transducers map measurand changes to spectral shifts, often analyzed with specific figures of merit.
• Existing figures of merit have limitations for diverse transducers and readout methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a generalized approach for quantifying optical transducer performance.
• To define a new figure of merit applicable to a broader range of sensing systems and readout methods.
• To provide insights for optimizing optical sensor design.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Cramér-Rao lower bound as a foundation.
• Defined a new figure of merit: integrated spectral sensitivity.
• Applied the analysis to two distinct transducer examples.

Main Results:

• The integrated spectral sensitivity offers a more general measure of potential sensor performance.
• The new metric is applicable to various readout methods and transducer types.
• Analysis provided valuable insights into optical sensor design optimization.

Conclusions:

• Integrated spectral sensitivity enhances the evaluation of optical sensor transducers.
• This generalized approach supports the development of more precise and versatile optical sensing systems.
• The findings contribute to advancing the field of optical sensor design and metrology.