Rigorous analysis of a volume phase holographic grism for astronomical observations

A grism typically consists of a transmission grating attached to a prism and constitutes an important optical element for spectroscopic astronomical observations. Here, we present a new type of grism that includes a volume phase holographic grating and evaluate its performance in detail using the rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA). Based on the knowledge gained from this evaluation we were able to design and fabricate a grism prototype with good performance.