Compact fiberoptic spectrometer extends into the infrared spectrum

Compact fiberoptic spectrometer extends into the infrared spectrum

Ocean Optics (Dunedin, FL) introduced a compact, fiber-coupled spectrometer that operates over the 1-3-µm wavelength region early this month at PittCon (New Orleans, LA). The optical system is a modified criss-cross Czerny-Turner design; choosing from among 10 to 12 diffraction gratings allows optimization for a particular application. Silica fiber permits sampling at distances u¥to 1 km.

A 256- or 512-element lead sulfide (PbS) array detector developed by Graseby Infrared (Orlando, FL) combined with "a revolutionary new multiplexer design produces higher yield from the detector" than previously possible, says Ocean Optics vice president Leeward Bean. The company is targeting three markets for the fiberoptic IR instrument: telecommunications, industrial/environmental, and medical. Ocean is also working on a PC plug-in version, similar to its products for UV/visible/near-IR wavelengths. According to Bean, the IR instrument should be capable of a 1-nm resolution over a 1000-nm spectral range. As the wavelength range is increased further into the IR, several spectrometers can be multiplexed together to cover a wider range. The "goal is a seamless fiberoptic spectrometer covering 200 nm to 5 µm," says Bean. For more on novel near-IR spectrometers, see p. 75.