Birefringent prism based Fourier transform spectrometer

This paper presents the design of a rugged and compact Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) utilizing a birefringent prism, a pair of polarizers and a linear CCD array. This design improves on existing FTS by eliminating moving parts and spreading the optical path difference (OPD) spatially (rather than temporal scanning), making the system smaller, more reliable, and dramatically reducing measurement times. Both the theoretical models for the design and experimental results of the prototype are presented. The optical performance is tested using LEDs of known wavelengths, with the fringe counting technique employed during interferogram acquisition to ensure accurate sampling of the interferogram at constant OPD intervals. Reconstructing the spectra showed that the detected wavelengths deviated from the actual wavelengths by less than 1 nm. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America