Material Science & Metallurgy

EXPERIMENT- 2

AIM: To study the photo spectrometer .

Objective: To understand the construction and working of a photo spectrometer.
Equipment: Photo Spectrometer
A. Theory:
1. Introduction:
The photo spectrometer is an optical instrument for measuring the
intensity of light relative to wavelength. The separated light is then focused onto
a CCD array detector where the intensity of each wavelength is then measured by
a pixel of the array. A CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is a silicon based multichannel
array detector of UV, visible and near-infra light.
A photo spectrometer is an instrument that measures the amount of
photons (the intensity of light) absorbed after it passes through sample solution.
With the photo spectrometer , the amount of a known chemical substance can
also be determined by measuring the intensity of light detected.
2. Working principle:

The system focuses electromagnetic energy from the light source onto the
material sample. Depending upon the system configuration, light is either
reflected off the sample or transmitted through it. After the light has interacted
with the sample, it is focused onto the entrance slit of the monochromator. The
monochromator is used to separate the light by wavelength using a dispersing
element, most commonly an optical grating. That light is then focused onto a
 Material Science & Metallurgy

CCD detector, which is made up of thousands of individual light detectors, so that

the intensity of light at each wavelength may be measured. The CCD is then read-
off to a computer and the result is a spectrum which displays the intensity of each
wavelength of light, as shown below.
3. Use:
 To measure the light intensity of a sample.
 These instruments are used in the process of measuring color and used for
monitoring color accuracy throughout production.
 They are used by researchers and manufacturers everywhere.
 Photo spectrometer also finds uses in astronomy to obtain information
about the composition, density, temperature, and physical processes of
an object.
 It is use to calculate the relative velocities of supernovae and galaxies.

4. Conclusion: Photo spectrometer is broadly applied in to various field such as

chemistry, biochemistry, physics, chemical and material engineering to identify
light intensity of samples. So we can accurately measure composition, density,
temperature, and physical processes of an object.