Technical Notes

One of the powerful features of the 19xx/29xx Newport power meters is the ability to collect data and store it on a flash drive. This enables easy transfer of data to an external computer for analysis.

The IRV2 viewers are shipped with the 2.5x lens and adapter mounted to the viewer. In order to mount the 1x lens first remove the viewer handle from the body. Unscrew the threaded side of the adapter from the IR viewer, see Fig. 1.

The characteristics of such high-speed photoreceivers as well as their associated applications are the subjects of this technical note.

From time to time it may be necessary to set a custom detector calibration factor on a 1918- or 1936/2936-series power meter. Such custom factors are most often required when using a self-designed detector or third party detector.

A common question received regarding power meters and low power detectors is “What is the lowest power reading resolvable by my power meter?” In most cases, the information being sought is the lowest resolvable power of a power meter and detector system.

FP3/FP4 series connector adaptors accommodate optical fibers terminated with SMA, ST and FC connectors. These adaptors can be easily attached to the 818-FA fiber adaptor mount with two screws, allowing for easier insertion and unplugging for fiber optic connectors.

Thermopile detectors have become a popular choice for power measurements primarily due to the higher power measurement capability as well as the broadband nature of the detectors.

This ILX Lightwave Internal Technical Note presents the results of bandwidth measurements on the OMM-6810B Optical Multimeter analog output.

A pyroelectric crystalline material has electric polarization even in the absence of an applied voltage. On heating, the material expands and produces a change in the polarization which builds up a charge on the opposite surface.

A photodiode sensor consists of a semiconductor p-n junction. Light falling on the junction causes the formation of electron-hole pairs. In photovoltaic mode, the electron-hole pairs migrate to opposite sides of the junction, producing a voltage.

Measurement techniques of the power, flux (equivalent to power but measured in units of lumens), and spectrum of LEDs is not very different from that of traditional light sources.

Thermopile sensors are based on thermocouples. A thermocouple consists of two dissimilar metals connected in series. To detect radiation, one metal junction is typically blackened to absorb the radiation.

The irradiance distribution of a laser beam is determined by the transverse modes that exit the laser cavity. Typically, the lowest-order transverse mode (TEM00) is selected for emission since it propagates with the least beam divergence and can be focused to the tightest spot.

Reliable spectroradiometry takes a lifetime of work and attention to master. Unreliable spectroradiometry is much easier to accomplish1 all it takes is missing a single critical point, like the interdependence of source time variation and detection system bandwidth or the source spectral bandwidth and instrument chromatic properties.

It is important that users of calibrated power meters and detectors understand and take into consideration the total uncer- tainty or error that exists in their measurements. Often, users assume that the rated calibration uncertainty of the Newport detector or power meter is the only error in their measurements, however, other factors also contribute to measurement uncertainty. Total measurement error is the sum of all possible sources of error, with detector or meter uncertainty being one of multiple sources of error in the measurement.

This Technical Note presents the experimental results showing the effect of source noise on wavelength measurements using the new and improved OMM-6810B Optical Multimeter.

The main types of photoreceivers are those that can detect optical signals with fast temporal responses or those containing high frequency components.

This Technical Note presents the experimental results showing the power measurement stability of an OMM- 6810B Optical Multimeter coupled to an OMH-6727B InGaAs Power/WaveHead.

The incoherent light sources discussed here share several characteristics that distinguish them from lasers. Incoherent light gives rise to radiation, which is emitted from the source in all directions.

Given the different types of laser beam spatial distributions and their evolution as they propagate in free space and through optical elements, measurement of the beam profile is critical to quantify the irradiance at the point of the application.