Spectral synthesis using an array of micro gratings

In this paper, we present the design of a novel spectral synthesis system that is based on an array of in-plane moving micro gratings, instead of using a conventional out-of-plane micromirror array. Utilizing the unique nondispersive characteristic of the optical phase modulation mechanism based on in-plane movable micro gratings, we demonstrate that the synthetic spectra problem can be greatly simplified and effectively reduced to that of conventional phase retrieval. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.