This article demonstrates a compact prism imaging spectrometer method. A catadioptric curved prism is located at the secondary mirror position of the spectrometer and used to balance the aberrations, enlarge the dispersion width, and decrease the volume. A mathematical model of the prism and spectrometer is derived, which provides an optimal initial structure for a non-coaxial spectrometer, simplifying the optical design process and reducing the system volume. Using this method, a compact shortwave infrared imaging spectrometer with a 16° field of view is designed with an F-number/3, and the measured spectrum ranges from 0.95 to 2.5 μm. The performance is analyzed and evaluated. Laboratory testing results prove the excellent optical performance, and under the same specifications, the spectrometer length decreases by 40%.
Keywords: compact volume; curved prism; infrared spectrometer.