Hyperspectral imaging with deformable gratings fabricated with metal-elastomer nanocomposites.

We report the fabrication and characterization of a simple and compact hyperspectral imaging setup based on a stretchable diffraction grating made with a metal-polymer nanocomposite. The nanocomposite is produced by implanting Ag clusters in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) film by supersonic cluster beam implantation. The deformable grating has curved grooves and is imposed on a concave cylindrical surface, thus obtaining optical power in two orthogonal directions. Both diffractive and optical powers are obtained by reflection, thus realizing a diffractive-catoptric optical device. This makes it easier to minimize aberrations. We prove that, despite the extended spectral range and the simplified optical scheme, it is actually possible to work with a traditional CCD sensor and achieve a good spectral and spatial resolution.