Optical fiber smartphone spectrometer

Opt Lett. 2016 May 15;41(10):2237-40. doi: 10.1364/OL.41.002237.

Abstract

An optical fiber-based smartphone spectrometer incorporating an endoscopic fiber bundle is demonstrated. The endoscope allows transmission of the smartphone camera LED light to a sample, removing complications from varying background illumination. The reflected spectra collected from a surface or interface is dispersed onto the camera CMOS using a reflecting diffraction grating. A spectral resolution as low as δλ∼2.0 nm over a bandwidth of Δλ∼250 nm is obtained using a slit width, ωslit=0.7 mm. The instrument has vast potential in a number of industrial applications including agricultural produce analysis. Spectral analysis of apples shows straightforward measurement of the pigments anthocyanins, carotenoid, and chlorophyll, all of which decrease with increasing storage time.