title: Compact liquid-crystal-polymer Fourier-transform spectrometer.
abstract: We present the optical design and realization of a low-resolution liquid-crystal (LC) Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS). This FTS is based on a polarization interferometer that has a Wollaston prism made of a LC material as a key component. It has a compact design, a good acceptance angle, and low temperature dependence and can be fabricated with cost-effective LC technology. Because the LC is polymerized, it is robust, and the temperature dependence is drastically reduced. The performance of a compact handheld version of the spectrometer and the characteristics (angular dependence, resolution, stray light, and temperature dependence) will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre Suisse d'Electronique et Microtechnique SA Zürich, Badenerstrasse 569, 8048 Zürich, Switzerland. gerben.boer@epfl.ch
authors.forename: Gerben
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boer
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruffieux
authors.forename: Toralf
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Scharf
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dändliker