Figure
Laser Source Grating Screen
The distance between Grating and screen f = 100×10 -2 m = 1 m
TABULAR COLUMN:
2xn xn xn/f = tan −1
Xn sinθ
d sin
Order in m in m f =
n
no in nm
(n)
1
0
Experiment No. 3
DIFFRACTION GRATING (Semiconductor LASER)
AIM: To determine the wavelength of Semiconductor Laser by using Diffraction Grating by
calculating grating costant.
x
FORMULA: = tan −1 degree
f
d sin
= m
n
1 1
Where d = Grating constant= = 2.54 10 −2 m =1.25×10-4m
N 200
n = order (n=1…, first order…..)
= diffraction angle
= wavelength of laser
PROCEDURE:
1. The grating is placed on grating stand and the laser beam is aligned such that the beam is
incident on the grating. At about one meter away on the path of the laser beam, screen is
placed. The distance between the grating stand and the image screen is set to be
f=100cm.
2. The laser is switched on, the diffraction pattern is observed as shown in fig, the position of
the diffraction spots are marked as x1, x2, x3,….
3. The center of the spots of the diffraction pattern are marked on the cm graph sheet and the
graph sheet is removed from the screen and the distance between consecutive order of
diffraction is measured using scale and tabulated.
4. The diffraction angle are calculated using the formula,
5. The wavelength of laser is calculated for all the orders of diffraction pattern using
the formula, and average value of wavelength is calculated
RESULT: The wavelength of Laser is found to be λ=_________n m
CALCULATIONS:
The diffraction angles are calculated using the formula,
x
= tan −1
f
For
n=1
n=2
n=3
n=4
n=5
1 1 -4
Grating constant =d = = 2.54 10 −2 m =1.25×10 m
N 200
The wavelength of laser is calculated for different orders of diffraction pattern using the
formula,
d sin
=
n
For
n=1
n=2
n=3
n=4
n=5
Average λ=
DIFRACTION GRATING
1. On what phenomenon of light this experiment is based?
Ans. Diffraction.
2. Define diffraction.
Ans. The deviation of a light ray from its rectilinear path, when it passes across objects
whose dimensions are comparable to the wavelength of incident light is called
diffraction.
3. How many types of diffraction are there? What are they?
Ans. There are two types of diffraction:
i) Fresnel diffraction
ii) Frauhofer diffraction
Frenel’s diffraction is the diffraction effect observed due to spherical wave fonts. No
lenses are used to observe the diffraction pattern, since the source and the screen are at
finite distances from the obstacle.
Fraunhofer diffraction is the diffraction effect observed when a plane or cylindrical
wave font is involved. Such a condition requires establishing a gap of infinite distance
between both the source and the screen from the obstacle, which is obtained by
employing suitable lenses.
4. Mention few differences between interference and diffraction.
Ans. i) Interference is due to the resultant effect of overlapping of light waves,
originating from the coherent sources. Diffraction is due to the resultant effect of
overlapping of light waves originating from every point on the exposed part of the same
wave font.
ii) In interference, intensity of dark and bright fringes will be uniform over the entire
range of interference pattern. In diffraction, the intensity of fringes/ spectrum decreases
and vanishes over a small range of diffraction pattern.
iii) The fringe width in the case of interference could be either constant (air wedge) or
varying (Newton’s rings). In diffraction, the fringe width always varies.
5. What is Grating?
Ans. A grating is a plane glass plate, on which a large number of opaque rulings ( 200
LPI) are drawn at equidistance with a diamond head. The distance between two
successive opaque rulings acts as a slit whose width will be comparable with
wavelength of incident light. Thus, when light falls on a grating it undergoes
diffraction.
6. What is grating constant?
Ans. The distance between two consecutive opaque rulings or width of the slit is known
as grating constant C.
7. What is the grating constant of say, 5000 LPI?
Ans. Then the width of the slit will be more and the diffraction effects will not be
pronounced.
8. Distinguish between the spectrum due to diffraction grating and prism.
Ans. Broadly speaking diffraction is nothing, but bending of light around an opaque
obstacle. The bending effect is more for waves of longer wavelengths. Thus, red light
deviates more than the blue light around a diffracting object. This is in contrast to the
phenomenon of refraction wherein the blue light deviates more than the red light since
the refractive index (RI) of the material causing dispersion (refraction) is more for blue
light than for red light. The deviation is proportional to the RI. Because of this inverse
effect the spectrum obtained by a diffraction grating is the reverse order compared to
the one obtained by a prism.
9 .How does first order spectrum differ from the second order spectrum in its
physical characteristics?
Ans. The intensity of the spectrum decreases as the order increases.
10. How do you calculate the granting constant if g is not given?
Ans. The granting constant C is nothing but the reciprocal of the number of rulings per
inch N. 1
Thus, C= =N , if N =200 LPI
1
Then, C = 200 / 2.54 x 10-2 m
2.54 x 10-2 (m)
or C=
200
11. Where is the zeroth order (n=0) spectrum?
Ans. The central maxima (nothing but the direct slit) is the zeroth order (n-0) spectrum.
12. Define Wavelength.
Ans. The distance between consecutive crests or troughs is called the wavelength
13) What is the acronym of Laser?
Ans. LASER stands for Light Amplification stimulated emission of radiation.
14) What are the basic principles of LASER?
Ans. Basic principles of LASER are
• Induced absorption
• Spontaneous emission
• Stimulated emission
