Patent ID: 7768642

Claim:
A compact imaging spectrometer having enhanced efficient detectors comprising: an aperture slit; an optical system forming spectral components of electromagnetic radiation received by said aperture slit, wherein said optical system comprises a Mangin type lens having a reflective portion and a refractive portion, a pupil lens, a diffraction grating, and a corrector lens positioned wherein said aperture slit transmits electromagnetic radiation to the reflective portion of the Mangin type lens and the reflective portion directs electromagnetic radiation onto the pupil lens, the pupil lens directs electromagnetic radiation onto the diffraction grating, the diffraction grating directs electromagnetic radiation onto the pupil lens, the pupil lens directs electromagnetic radiation onto the refractive portion of the Mangin type lens, and the refractive portion of the Mangin lens directs electromagnetic radiation onto the corrector lens, a plurality of detectors in a common plane forming a staggered detector array with spaces there between in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of said optical system and positioned to receive electromagnetic radiation from the corrector lens; means for scanning an image of the spectral components in a field larger than the staggered detector array over the staggered detector array; and signal processing means, coupled to the staggered detector array, for processing signals from the staggered detector array and forming a composite representation of the larger field containing the spectral components, whereby the plurality of detectors effectively form a larger detector area.