Patent ID: 7839504

Claim:
A method for detecting multiple orders of light in a spectrometer, comprising: receiving light through an entrance slit of the spectrometer; spatially separating portions of the light received through the entrance slit into a first portion and a second portion according to wavelength, wherein spatially separating includes: reflecting at least the first portion of the light received through the entrance slit at a first angle with respect to a primary axis of a first segment of the spectrometer using a first element, wherein the first portion of the light includes light within a first range of wavelengths; transmitting at least a second portion of the light received through the entrance slit through the first element, wherein the second portion of the light received through the entrance slit includes light within a second range of wavelengths; reflecting the second portion of the light received through the entrance slit in the second range of wavelengths that was transmitted through the first element at a second angle with respect to the primary axis of the first segment of the spectrometer using a second element; spectrally dispersing the light received through the entrance slit; focusing the spatially separated and spectrally dispersed light onto a detector.