Detectors for Optical Spectroscopy

doi:10.1117/3.1002528.ch5

Book: Fundamentals of Dispersive Optical Spectroscopy Systems

Author(s): Wilfried Neumann

Published: 2014

https://doi.org/10.1117/3.1002528.ch5

Author Affiliations +

Abstract

All kinds of detectors are well-documented in general and factory literature, as well as the specifications. It is therefore not necessary to start from scratch but instead concentrate on the specifics important for optical spectroscopy. Surface-area detectors, such as diode arrays or 2D CCDs, are almost always mounted in the focal plane of a spectrograph. Thus, they interact with the other functions of the spectrometer, which means that the detector can create perturbation. Alternatively, single-element detectors, such as phototubes or solid state elements, are almost always mounted behind the exit slit of a monochromator, interacting with the spectrometric functions only in very rare cases. Because any detector has a relevant contribution to the total system performance, the selection of the detector and its specifications should be considered with great care.