Mathematical simulation for integrated linear fresnel spectrometer chip

Abstract

A miniaturized solid-state optical spectrometer chip was designed with a linear gradient-gap Fresnel grating which was mounted perpendicularly to a sensor array surface and simulated for its performance and functionality. Unlike common spectrometers which are based on Fraunhoffer diffraction with a regular periodic line grating, the new linear gradient grating Fresnel spectrometer chip can be miniaturized to a much smaller form-factor into the Fresnel regime exceeding the limit of conventional spectrometers. This mathematical calculation shows that building a tiny motionless multi-pixel micro-spectrometer chip which is smaller than 1mm 3 of optical path volume is possible. The new Fresnel spectrometer chip is proportional to the energy scale (hc/λ), while the conventional spectrometers are proportional to the wavelength scale (λ). We report the theoretical optical working principle and new data collection algorithm of the new Fresnel spectrometer to build a compact integrated optical chip. © 2012 SPIE.