Development of slab waveguide spatial heterodyne spectrometer for remote sensing

We present development of a compact, robust, waveguide Fourier-transform microspectrometer for high-resolution and high-throughput spectroscopy in space-based applications. The prototype device is being developed to monitor water vapor in the atmosphere from a micro-satellite platform. The instrument is based on a unique slab waveguide spatial heterodyne spectrometer (SHS) chip fabricated at the National Research Council Canada in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology.