Miniature Spectrometer Based on a Rotated Chirped Volume Bragg Grating

Miniaturizing optical components has been a dominant research theme for the past few decades [1]. However, such miniaturization is no guarantee for the reduction of the overall size of an optical system, as often free-space propagation is needed [2]. One example is the ubiquitous task of stretching and compressing ultra-fast pulses. In the most common case when surface gratings are used, the volume of the system is dominated by free-space propagation, usually needed for the light to disperse enough angularly and cover a certain area [3].