Abstract: This invention is for a broad spectrum apparatus that provides a substantially uniform spectral response from a spectrometer by introducing one or more elements whose combined response or correction factor is the inverse of that produced by the rest of the apparatus. The response of the elements can be formed either pre or post dispersion. In the case of pre-dispersion the correcting components may be optical components chosen from a full combination of optical filters, either purely transmissive or a combination of transmissive and reflective as in the case of dichroic mirrors, optical lenses with chromatic aberration, integrating spheres or other diffusers coated with material whose response is wavelength dependant. The post-dispersive application may involve a spatial filter or shaped aperture to partially block the more intense wavelengths. A particular attractive application may be a mask that is directly etched onto the surface of a CCD array detector.