Imaging spectrometer and camera with high spectral range

Abstract

An imaging spectrometer and camera are disclosed including a prism that refracts incident light a spectral range for spectrographic analysis with a shortest wavelength (λ) and a longest wavelength (λ). A diffraction grating is aligned with the prism and diffracts the incident light. The refraction and diffraction for a set of diffraction orders used for the spectrographic analysis both increase a deflection angle of the incident light from an original optical axis. The spectral range spans greater than an octave such that λ>2λ. The refraction and diffraction are such that a second diffracted order of λdoes not overlap with a first diffracted order of wavelengths shorter than λ. The second order diffraction for wavelengths between λand λ, and the first order diffraction for wavelengths between λand λ, are detected in different spatial regions to perform the spectrographic analysis from λto λ.