An interferometer spectrometer that has reduced alignment sensitivity is
described herein. Parallelism of an output ray pair formed by a single
input ray is not affected by variations in relative alignment of the
components. In comparison to other compensated interferometer designs,
lateral separation errors in the output ray pair due to optical component
misalignment are reduced. The reduced alignment sensitivity may be
accomplished by utilizing simple planar components that are common to
both light paths. The reduced alignment sensitivity and simplicity in
design provides a more compact and more robust interferometer, with
reduced manufacturing costs associated therewith. An elliptical field of
view light source that utilizes an array of collimator lenses is also
described. The light source provides a more compact design than a single
circular collimator lens of the same area, and is suitable for single
channel or multi-channel use.