Optical spectrometer

Abstract

A refractive optical grating spectrometer employing a single bidirectionally utilized lens, having a spectral resolution of about 1.4 cm−1 over a spectral range of about 3800 cm−1 and, in one implementation, operate without moving parts. The single lens is traversed by both the input light and the light already dispersed by the diffraction grating. The spectrometer offers high detection efficiency (>50% in the green portion of the optical spectrum, for p-polarized light), high spectral range-to-resolution ratio (>3000) and low noise, and has an exceptionally compact (under 2 liters) spatial volume and a near-diffraction-limited spot size on the detector. With small detection areas (on the order of 10-100 pixels per peak), thermal noise becomes negligible and thermoelectric cooling unnecessary, requiring only USB power. A Raman spectroscopic system employing the same.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.