A high-resolution spatial heterodyning interference spectrometer

A novel spectrometer which has a resolution of 0.013 nm with high throughput is described. The system uses a Michelson interferometer in which the mirrors have been replaced with Littrow-mounted diffraction gratings. First-order diffracted beams returning from the gratings interfere at the interferometer output to produce a spatial interferogram which is heterodyned about an optical frequency determined by the setting angles of the gratings. The heterodyning process leads to increased resolution, but limits the free-spectral range of the instrument to, in our case, about 3 nm. This is sufficient for characterizing narrow-band sources such as laser diodes. We present the theory of operation of the instrument and some sample spectra obtained from a sodium vapor lamp, a HeNe discharge, and a 670 nm diode laser.