Miniaturized cost-effective broadband spectrometer employing a deconvolution reconstruction algorithm for resolution...

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Spectroscopy
• Digital Signal Processing

Background:

• Miniaturized spectrometers are crucial for portable and cost-effective spectral analysis.
• Achieving high spectral resolution in compact devices often involves trade-offs with optical aberrations.
• Digital algorithms offer a pathway to overcome optical limitations and enhance performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a miniaturized broadband spectrometer with enhanced spectral resolution.
• To implement an opto-digital co-design strategy for aberration correction.
• To validate the effectiveness of a reconstruction algorithm for resolution enhancement.

Main Methods:

• Developed a miniaturized optical system with controlled residual aberrations.
• Employed an opto-digital co-design approach, integrating optical design with digital correction.
• Utilized a reconstruction algorithm to enhance the spectrometer's optical resolution.
• Performed tolerance analysis to ensure cost-efficient, commercially viable component selection.

Main Results:

• Achieved an initial optical resolution of <1.7 nm (VIS) and <3.4 nm (NIR) with the optical design.
• Built a prototype spectrometer with dimensions of 37x30x26 mm³.
• Further improved resolution to <1.3 nm (VIS) and <2.3 nm (NIR) using the restoration algorithm.

Conclusions:

• The opto-digital co-design approach effectively enhances spectral resolution in miniaturized spectrometers.
• The developed reconstruction algorithm significantly improves optical resolution beyond the inherent capabilities of the optical system.
• This cost-efficient, compact spectrometer design has potential for various advanced sensing applications.