Microtaper leaky-mode spectrometer with picometer resolution

The wide application of optical spectroscopy makes miniaturized spectrometers with fundamental importance.The scalability,high-performance,low-cost,and small footprint are still contradicting each other and limiting the applicability of miniaturized spectrometer for practical application.Here we propose a compact spectrometer that satisfies the four advantages.The device uses a fiber taper tip to generate complex leaky mode patterns within 1 mm length.The unique correspondence between the pattern and wavelength operates effectively for hundreds of nanometers spectral range while providing a spectral resolution around~1 pm.The integration of multiple taper tips enables hyperspectral imaging applications.The working range of our device can be further extended using different materials and detectors while keeping the similar architecture.