The miniaturized spectrometer presented in this proposal is a simple hand-held static Fourier-transform spectrometer for real-time detection and characterization of chemicals in rapidly changing and/or fast moving environments such as chemicals in clouds and vapor. The core of the system consists of a pair of mirrors and a line scan CCD array. The interferogram is generated in the spatial domain and recorded by the CCD array. By eliminating the moving parts and by using lightweight materials, the system can be miniaturized to a few cubic inches in volume and less than 100 grams in weight for use in the field, yet still provides high resolution ( 1 nm at 800 nm). The integration time is less than 25 ms. The proposed device will meet both the size and weight requirements, and can be low cost. Our projection indicates that the proposed device in production can cost considerably less than comparable devices presently on the market. In phase I, a working model using existing optical and electronic components will be constructed to demonstrate the capability of our design, to identify technical issues, and to formulate solutions for those issues. The compact low-cost Fourier-transform spectrometer has wide applications in real-time analyses of chemicals for automation in chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and petroleum industries and for environmental monitoring. The miniature system can be a stand-alone instrument and can also be incorporated into another system as a subsystem. When equipped with a miniature solid-state laser as the pump source, a compact low-cost Fourier-transform Raman spectrometer can be constructed which will find wide commercial applications in monitoring chemical and biomedical processes.
