Optical Engineering
The Evolution of Coded-Aperture Spectroscopy
Coded-aperture spectrometers have enabled high-speed applications that were once considered impractical with traditional slit devices. This article traces the history of this type of spectroscopy, from the earliest analog forms to the latest technology.
Static coded-aperture spectrometer.
Early high-resolution spectroscopy was inefficient and time consuming. In traditional slit spectrometers, the slit width set the collection efficiency and the resolution of the spectrum in contradictory ways. High-resolution spectra required a thin input slit; however, a thin slit limited the optical throughput, necessitating longer acquisition times—which were especially intolerable since spectra were built, point by point, by rotating the dispersive element.
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