A compact imaging spectrometer based on random dispersion and up-conversion luminescence

By using a frosted glass plate and an infrared sensor card, we demonstrate a miniature imaging spectrometer design that covers a broad wavelength range from visible to infrared with high spectral resolution. The spectral contents of the incident probe beams are reconstructed by solving a series of matrix equations with a nonlinear optimization algorithm. The proposed imaging spectrometer offers significant advantages over current instruments that are based on Fourier transform and grating dispersion, in terms of size, resolution, spectral range, cost and reliability. The imaging spectrometer consists of five primary components for performing the functions of collimation, dispersion, modulation, detection, and calculation, respectively. Disordered small particles of the frosted glass in dispersion component reduce the fabrication complexity. An infrared sensor card in the conversion component broaden the operational spectral range of the system into visible and infrared bands. Since the CCD used in the detection component provides very large number of intensity measurements, one can reconstruct all spectra with high resolution.