Actual blaze angle of the Bausch & Lomb R4 echelle grating

An innovative procedure is described for measuring blaze angle that is free of systematic effects associated with an alternative approach. The method uses the effect of facet diffraction on the blaze function when an echelle grating is used off-Littrow. The angle measurement in the Littrow condition is wavelength independent and locates the actual direction of the grating facet normal.