Fabrication of a high-resolution smartphone spectrometer for education using a 3D printer

Abstract

In this paper, we present the details of the development of a smartphone spectrometer for education using a 3D printer and characterized the performance by comparison with a paper craft spectrometer. The optical design and the narrow slit used in the build resulted in the formation of accurate images of the slit on the image sensor leading to a superior resolution compared to the paper craft spectrometer. Increasing the exposure time of the phone's camera revealed the fine structure of a spectrum with high resolution. The baffle structure inside the spectrometer proved to be effective in removing noise when the exposure time was increased. We expect that the 3D printed smartphone spectrometer proposed in this paper can be useful as an education tool for students to understand the various aspects of light, atoms, chemistry, and physics.