Design of a c-band spectrometer based on an arrayed waveguide grating

The design, fabrication, and performance of an arrayed-waveguide grating based spectrometer are presented. Operation is in the C-Band telecommunications wavelength range. The AWG is a 40 channel device making the spectrometer output discrete points in the corresponding channel bands. Optical alignment and packaging considerations are taken into account in the optical system design. An electronic control and data collection subsystem is fabricated to operate the spectrometer and collect data. Device referencing is discussed and calibrated waveform measurement is performed with the completed spectrometer showing accurate spectral output.