A CCD spectrometer operates by first directing light through an entrance slit onto a diffraction grating. This optical component acts like a precision prism, splitting the light into its constituent wavelengths. The separated light is then projected onto a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) sensor. This highly sensitive, array-based detector measures the intensity of light at each specific wavelength point simultaneously. This key principle allows for rapid, high-resolution spectral acquisition. The result is precise and detailed data, capturing the entire spectral signature of a sample in a single, efficient measurement.
