Broadband snapshot spectrometer based on spliced spectra

Abstract

Wavelength scanning in broadband spectrometers has limitations on transient imaging and instrument size. We demonstrate a broadband snapshot spectrometer scheme by developing an integrated grating with n different blaze angles on one substrate and a slicer mirror to provide high diffraction intensities in a wide wavelength range. A slicer mirror divides the entire spectrum into n windows, with each window containing a blazed wavelength. The spectra can be spliced and detected by an area-array detector at one exposure. Using this method, we designed and optimized a snapshot spliced-spectrum spectrometer that numerically covers 200–1000 nm wavelength range with a spectral resolution of 0.27 nm.