Knowledge Center

Please send an e-mail request to our Calibration department that includes the S/N of the device you are missing the Certificate of Calibration for and we would be happy to e-mail you a copy of the latest Certificate of Calibration for the device. Calibration@us.ophiropt.com

Ophir offers a "special calibration" service so the customer can be provided with higher calibration accuracy than the standard catalog accuracy. To learn more

Any measuring instrument designed for measuring LEDs should be calibrated with a similar LED. The optimal calibration source is the one that matches the spectral distribution of the DUT (Device under Test) as closely as possible. By calibrating with an LED-based calibration source instead of a Tungsten-based one, you can ensure the best accuracy and reproductibility. Moreover, stray light effects are greatly reduced since the LED has minimal infrared content in the spectrum.

You can get an RMA for recalibrating your NanoScan by sending an e-mail to Calibration@US.Ophiropt.com and requesting an RMA.

The standard turn-around time from receipt to issuing quotation for power meter calibration is less than 5 days. We do offer additional expedite service for 3 days and super expedite for within 24 hours.

The FGC100 calibration unit is the first calibration source available in the market that uses a high power white LED (> 1000 lumens) for calibration. Calibration with a high power LED is highly beneficial when measuring high power luminaires (1000 to 40000 lumens). Thanks to a precision electronic loop for active stabilization of LED drive current and smart thermal management, the FGC100 achieves a high level of accuracy and repeatability in the measurements.

With the FGC100, the calibration can be done directly on the production floor, on the FluxGage unit itself; no need for long laboratory calibration procedures with integrating spheres. The calibration itself takes only a few minutes.

The FGC100 is delivered with a calibration certificate traceable to NIST and can be used for stand-alone calibration of integrating spheres for general purpose photometry. The FGC100 is designed for 2pi geometry calibration. Contact Ophir for additional information

The calibration process insures that a sensor is working within in-tolerance performance, similar to “as new” condition. Typically when there is a damaged area on a power sensor disk, that particular area will exceed the disk uniformity specification, which is ±2% across the active surface area of the disk, and therefore (with a damaged area on a sensor) it will be rejected for calibration because it is outside of the acceptance criteria to pass the calibration procedure requirements.

The Power Accuracy of +/-3% refers to the absolute uncertainty of the measured value. For example, for a 2 Watt reading, the actual "true" value would be between 1.94 W to 2.06 W (with reference to NIST, to which all our calibration is traceable). This assumes the reading is from about 5% of full scale up to full scale. It should be noted that our accuracy specification is in general based on 2 sigma standard deviation.

Repeatability of the measurement (assuming the laser itself is perfectly stable) is limited in the best case by the power noise level of the sensor, and is typically better than  +/- 1%  depending on the thermal stability of the environment. Stability at higher powers from the middle to the top of the range of the sensor head is usually better than the low end. This is due to small temperature variations having less of an effect as they are proportionally a lower percentage of the total power. For more information, refer to our Web tutorial at: https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/tutorial/calibration-procedure

After numerous requests for re-calibration of M2 systems, in 2008 Ophir-Spiricon started a recalibration program for its M2 systems. This program allows the equipment to be sent back to the factory to be inspected, lubricated and re-calibrated. This enables customers to comply with their ISO regulations. Please click the below link to be directed to a section of our web site where you can request an RMA to return your equipment for re-calibration.
https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/customer-support/...

The answer to this question is two-fold. First of all the recalibration process accomplishes the recalibration of the sensor and returns it to "as-new" working condition. If there is surface damage on the sensor disc that creates areas of non-uniformity exceeding the uniformity across-the-surface specification, then the disc needs to be replaced, even though the accuracy performance of the sensor is not out-of-tolerance. Secondly, many applications require that sensors be found in-tolerance during the calibration process, or else deviation explanations are required and/or costly recalls may need to be implemented. The calibration process is intended to help maintain the sensors within tolerance if at all possible.

All absorbers used in power/energy measurement are not entirely flat spectrally, that is, they vary in absorption with wavelength. For this reason, Ophir measuring sensors are usually calibrated at more than one wavelength. If the absorption changes only slightly with wavelength, then we define wavelength regions such as <800nm, >800nm and give a calibration within these regions. In that case, the error in measurement between the wavelength the device was calibrated for and the measurement wavelength is assumed to be within the primary wavelength calibration error.

No, the firmware upgrade is independent of the calibration and does not affect it.

Ophir recommends using the FGC100 calibration unit. The FGC100 was specially designed and tested to quickly and accurately calibrate the FluxGage for NIST traceable performance.

It is actually very easy:

• There is a dedicated opening in the FluxGage top cover for attaching the FGC100.
• The FluxGage software has a “Calibration” screen.
• Follow the instructions in the FGC100 manual.

The ModeCheck background calibration cycle may get stuck due to some environmental conditions which cause the wand position to become difficult to determine. You may be able to restore operation by cleaning the back side of the wand where the wand passes the optical sensor.

Since there is no calibration standard to calibrate cameras to, they cannot be calibrated. We do recommend certification according to the information at; https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/customer-support/...

An explanation of how we can accurately calibrate at a fraction of the maximum power is given in our catalog introduction and on our website. In addition, in order to be sure of the calibration at higher powers, we have to know if the linearity of our sensors is within specification. For this purpose we have a 1500W sensor calibrated at various powers at a standards lab. Using a beam splitter and a 15,000 Watt laser we periodically check the linearity or our highest power sensors against this secondary standard.

No. self-absorption is needed when the measurement instrument is white on the inside, FluxGage is black.

Once a year depending on usage.

No. the self-absorption measurement is a relative measurement, so keep the wavelength setting at wavelength of the LED you are measuring.

The absorber is calibrated at 532nm, covering the visible and UV region. At 355nm it reads less than 0.5% higher that at 532nm and at 266nm, it reads 1-2% higher.

Over time the equipment can become damaged, dirty, or drift and it is recommended to have the equipment recalibrated every year to make sure the equipment is measuring accurately within its allowable tolerances.

All Ophir power meters, including photodiode power meters, have an air gap between the fiber tip and the sensor. Therefore they measure the power emitted by the fiber into the air and do not take into account any reflection losses there are in the fiber. Therefore, if in actual use, the fiber will be coupled with no loss to another element, then the losses should be added to the reading. These losses are usually about 4%. Thus if the reading on the Ophir meter is say 100mW, then in lossless use, the real power will be 104mW.

The Ophir integrating sphere sensors, models 3A-IS and 3A-IS-IRG have a white diffuse reflecting coating on the inside of the integrating sphere. The sensitivity of the sensor is quite sensitive to the reflectivity of the coating. If the coating absorption goes up 1%, it can cause a 5% change in reading. Therefore, care must be taken not to soil or damage the white coating of the sensors. Also it may be a good idea to send the sensors for recalibration yearly.

Customers often measure the same laser with 2 different Ophir sensors, both of which are specified to be within calibration. Let’s say that both of the sensors are specified to have a calibration uncertainty of ±3%. Do I expect the difference in reading between them to be less than 3%? On the first thought, this is what one might expect. However this is not necessarily so.
 
First of all, when we specify a calibration accuracy of ±3%, we are talking about a 2 sigma uncertainty, i.e. the readings of various sensors will be within a bell curve with 95% of all sensors reading within 3% of absolute correct calibration and 5% reading outside this accuracy. Thus there is a small chance that the meter will not be reading within 3% of absolute accuracy.
 
A more important reason is that the two sensors’ calibration error may be in two different directions and thus show a larger discrepancy between them than 3%. Say one sensor has been calibrated and reads 2.5% above absolute calibration and the other 2.5% lower than absolute calibration. Both of the sensors are within the specified ±3% absolute calibration but they will still read 5% differently from each other.
 
If we do statistical analysis, the analysis will show that there is in fact a probability of >16% that two correctly calibrated sensors will differ in reading from each other by more than 3% and a probability of over 6% that the sensors will differ in reading between each other by more than 4%.

We now have a portal on our web site for calibrations. You can request a username and password by e-mailing us at calibration@us.ophiropt.com. After that, you can log in and check the status of your RMA at any time.
 
Below is a link to this portal. It is currently available only for US customers.
https://calibration.us.ophiropt.com

The starting point - the calibration measurements themselves (using the moderate-power lasers) - are all based on NIST-calibrated “master” sensors.
Basing high-power calibration accuracy on lower power calibration measurements is valid, subject to the condition that the sensors are linear all across the full power range.
A series of detailed tests have confirmed that indeed these sensors are highly linear, all the way up to the highest powers for which they are rated.
Since the thermal sensors have been shown to be linear over their entire range of powers, it follows that if the calibration is correct at low powers, it will remain correct at high powers as well.

The Ophir specification on accuracy is in general 2 sigma standard deviation. This means, for instance, that if we list the accuracy as +/-3%, this means that 95% of the sensors will be within this accuracy and 99% will be within +/-4%. For further information on accuracy see https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/tutorial/calibration-procedure and https://www.ophiropt.com/laser--measurement/knowledge-center?search=calibration&=SEARCH

The accuracy specification is ±3% of any given reading. This is the accuracy of the calibration under the conditions of calibration. To this must be added other uncertainties if they exist. For more details see: https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/tutorial/calibration-procedure

When using a camera with a lens, the operator must perform a spatial calibration to obtain accurate dimensional results. To do this, you must set up the camera lens system to view an object of a known dimension. The object to be viewed must contrast against its background to yield well defined edges. Use the following procedure.

• In the Camera Dialog Box, set the "Pixel Scale" V value to 1.
• In the Beam Display Toolbar Dialog Box check "Cursors" and "Crosshair"
• In the Camera Dialog Box set the "Resolution" to 1X.
• On the Beam Display Toolbar set "Crosshair" to Manual and "Cursor" to Manual.
• Set the LBA into "CW Mode" and start it "Running."
• Place an object containing at least one known dimension into the imaging plane of the camera lens system, and focus the optics. (A good object might be a circular disk with a diameter of 1cm.) The object should be large enough to fill over 50% of the display height. You can hardware zoom to enlarge the object if necessary. Orient the object so that the calibration dimension aligns vertically on the Y axis cursor. You can use the Pan and Cursor controls to achieve a good alignment.
• With the mouse and left button move the cursor to one edge of the object
• With the mouse and left button move the crosshair to the object's opposite edge. The Delta = value on the screen will contain the pixel count between the known calibration dimensions. Divide this number into the calibration dimension to yield the correct "Pixel Scale" value.
• For example, if a 1cm distance produced a delta count of 176, then the "Pixel Scale" value would become .00568cm, or 56.8µm.

I would also like to set up a beam code to take 10 pictures once a day for 30 days, without human intervention.

The short answer is…sort of.
There are 2 main issues that link measurement accuracy to beam diameter:

• Uniformity of the sensor’s response across the aperture
• Fraction of the sensor’s aperture that the beam fills

Because there is a tolerance on surface uniformity across any sensor’s aperture (there always is), beams of different sizes will of course be affected differently since they take up different chunks of the total surface. The actual uniformity spec varies from sensor to sensor. In general, the uniformity is better than +/-2% over the central 50% of the area (70% of the diameter), and for many sensors considerably better than this. For more information see our tutorial at https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/tutorial/calibration-procedure.
 
Regarding the recommended portion of a sensor’s aperture that a beam should ideally fill: There is a balance here between several factors. All other things being equal, an ideal fraction of sensor aperture would be somewhere between 1/3 and 2/3. Please see this short video for a clear explanation.

On the Certificate of Calibration there is also listed the same “D” to indicate that the diffuser is installed for this wavelength calibration. If the diffuser cannot be removed, the wavelength remains the standard wavelength. An example would be: 532 for a 532 nm source.

Ophir "Thermal" detectors have flat regions of response over their entire usable range. Ophir does a calibration for this flat region and when the detector is no longer flat it gets a new calibration for this new flat region. This is why there are regions instead of discrete wavelengths.

With normal usage we recommend calibrating every 12 months. To accommodate shelf time and shipping time new manufactured product comes with a calibration sticker that shows a recalibration period of 18 months from manufacturing. However this does not negate the recommended 12 month recalibration interval should you receive the product with more than 12 months remaining on the new manufactured calibration sticker.

It varies from sensor to sensor. In general, the uniformity is better than +/-2% over the central 50% of the area and for many sensors considerably better than this. For more information see our tutorial at https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/tutorial/calibration-procedure

The PD300 series of photodiode-based sensors are calibrated with a full spectral curve using a scanning monochromator (plus a few laser "anchor points").

The wavelength ("Laser") setting tells the meter what wavelength is being used and hence what calibration factor to apply when a measurement is underway. It does not, however, physically limit the possibility of other wavelengths from entering. All light (within the sensor's specified range of course) entering the detector will be measured; the meter will apply the calibration factor meant for the selected wavelength, "thinking" that only that wavelength is present.

In other words, these sensors assume a monochromatic light source. Their relative spectral response is not flat and they are therefore not suited for broadband beams.

So, if you want to check one wavelength from a broadband source, you will need to use a wavelength filter that only passes that wavelength. Then you should set your meter to the appropriate wavelength to account for the detector's relative sensitivity.

The old pyro sensors and the newer PE-C sensors are almost identical; the differences between them are as follows:

1. More compact
2. User Threshold – minimum energy threshold (below which the sensor will not trigger) can be selected according to users' needs
3. Measures longer pulses (up to 20ms depending on model)
4. Has up to 5 pulse width settings as opposed to only 2 pulse width settings

Disadvantages:
Smaller size and therefore:

• May need a heat sink (P/N 7Z08267) in order to stand up to higher average powers
• May need a mechanical size adapter (P/N 7Z08273) if it must fit into an existing mechanical jig designed for the older models

Meters and Software Support:
StarLite, Juno, Vega, & Nova II fully support the Pyro-C series. Laserstar, Pulsar, USBI, Quasar, and Nova / Orion with adapter* partially support the Pyro-C series:

• Only 2 of the 5 pulse width settings are available
• Lowest measureable energy cannot be selected (no User Threshold).

StarLab software supports both Pyro-C and older pyro series.

*Note: The PE-C series will only operate with Nova / Orion meters with an additional adapter Ophir P/N 7Z08272 (see details in Ophir website).

Wavelength Setting Names:
If you have your own software for communicating with the sensor, it may be important to note that for some models, the names of the wavelength settings are a bit different between the old pyro and the new PE-C, even though they mean exactly the same thing.

For example, with diffuser OUT, the settings in the PE50BB-DIF-V2 are called “<.8u” (i.e. visible, represented by a calibration point at 532nm that covers the full visible range), and “106” (i.e. 1064nm), while in the PE50BB-DIF-C these same settings are called “532” (i.e. 532nm, the calibration point for the visible) and “1064”.

Our recalibration process is to not automatically upgrade the firmware in meters when they are sent in for recalibration, unless specifically requested to upgrade it. The reason for this is that we support many companies, such as medical companies, that have equipment validation processes that don’t allow changing the firmware version from the currently validated version. If you do want the latest firmware version installed, we will do that at no additional charge (for meters which are upgraded electronically) if it is specifically requested on the RMA request checklist form. For older meters (such as the Nova) that are upgraded through changing the EEPROM, a nominal fee is added, if firmware upgrade is requested. Note; upgrading the firmware does not affect the calibration.

No, the light scattered from the walls of the adapter that gets back to the sensor absorber is negligible and does not affect calibration.

The spectral range stated at the beginning of the spec indicates the range of wavelengths for which the sensor can be usefully used even if the exact calibration is not specified for that range. This means that over the calibrated wavelength range, the accuracy is specified and guaranteed. Over a wider useful wavelength range, the sensor is usable but no accuracy is guaranteed. In general over this wider range, the accuracy will be within up to ±15%.

The spectral range stated at the beginning of the spec indicates the range of wavelengths for which the sensor can be usefully used even if the exact calibration is not specified for that range. This means that over the calibrated wavelength range, the accuracy is specified and guaranteed. Over a wider useful wavelength range, the sensor is usable but no accuracy is guaranteed. In general over this wider range, the accuracy will be within up to ±15%.

Ophir's temporal sensors do not require calibration.

StarLab 3.50 does include new features which may require a firmware upgrade of the meter or PC interface, I.E. Juno, in order to operate with it. The required firmware is included with StarLab 3.50, but you do need to click on the More… link in the Select Device(s) menu in order to launch the Diagnostics menu and then proceed with the Upgrade firmware procedure. After performing the firmware upgrade, the meter or PC interface will connect with StarLab and operate normally. Note; Upgrading the firmware will not affect calibration.

The analog output of the meter - using the mating connector provided – gives a voltage signal proportional to the actual reading (it is in fact just a D/A translation of what is being displayed), so it represents a fully calibrated reading. The full scale value is a function of the meter being used and the power range it is on. With the StarBright, Vega and Nova II, for example, the user can select full scale analog output voltage ranges of 1v, 2v, 5v or 10v, and the 100% level of the chosen power scale is scaled to the full scale voltage. For example: if you choose 5V full scale analog voltage range, and your sensor is set to a 50W full scale power range, then you will have 5V = 50W or 0.1 V/W. It will vary according to the chosen power range and chosen full scale voltage range. The electrical accuracy is stated in the specification (see the User manual) as ±0.2% (of reading) ±0.3% of full scale volts (in addition to the calibration accuracy of the sensor’s reading itself).

Because of the design of the lenses for the new BeamSquared, you will be able to use lenses on multiple systems. We have included an RFID chip on each lens which holds the information for that lens. We have also programmed the BeamSquared optical trains to have their calibration information stored in the device. With this improvement the configuration files for pairing optical trains and lenses are no longer required making lenses interchangable.

Yes, click on the Computations tab and enter the reading from your Ophir power meter equipment into the Calibration Value editbox on the Power panel and click on the Calibrate button (checkmark) to correlate the Ophir power meter reading with your beam profile.

An unused port should be closed, to prevent unwanted light from entering the sphere. Closing it with a diffuse white port plug, however, adds the surface area of that plug to the (diffuse white) effective area of the sphere that is doing the “integrating”. For a calibrated integrating sphere sensor, this change in the behavior of the sphere changes its calibration, and results in incorrect readings. In such applications, a black “Port Cover” should be used.

It is NOT recommended to interchange the lenses between units. The M2-200s lenses are unique and serialized for the particular M2-200s unit they are provided with. Each lens includes calibration information for the Effective Focal Length and Back Focal Length that are entered into the specific serialized configuration files for each M2-200s. If lenses are interchanged between units, accuracy can be degraded. If lenses are lost or broken, we can replace them. If specific configuration files are lost, we do keep backup copies of them and can email them to you.

Ophir meters and sensors are calibrated independently. Each meter has the same sensitivity as the other within about 2 tenths of a percent. Each sensor is calibrated independently of a particular meter with its calibration information contained in the DB15 plug. When the sensor is connected to the meter, the meter reads and interprets this information. Since the accuracy of our sensors is typically +/-3%, the extra 0.2% error that could come from plugging into a different meter is negligible and therefore it does not matter which calibrated meter we use with a particular calibrated sensor.

The Quasar is no different than the other instruments that have electronic components: it requires annual recalibration. But it’s up to the customer whether to do this or not. We know that the calibration of the instruments degrades somewhat over time, as shown in the datasheet. This may or may not affect your particular application. To maintain compliance with ISO and other standards, we highly encourage annual recalibration.

The agent can order a replacement filter with software to load into sensor to update sensor calibration curve.

Generally, our sensors are calibrated (traceable to NIST) to within ±3% accuracy 2 sigma which means that 95% of the sensors are accurate within ±3%. However, if your application requires very high accuracy, we also offer something called “double calibration” which can bring the error down to ±2%.

Select the range that contains your wavelength. The sensors have coatings on them that have been characterized and for any wavelength within that range the sensor will be within calibration tolderance including variations in sensitivity within that range. When there is a difference in sensitivity that exceeds the allowable tolerances, a new wavelength range is created and a calibrated for.

There are a number of options, depending on the purpose.

• In many cases, the simplest solution could be to make use of the analog output of the meter – that gives a voltage signal proportional to the actual reading (it is in fact just a D/A translation of what is being displayed), so it represents a fully calibrated reading. The full scale value is a function of the meter being used and the power range it is on.
• The "SH to BNC connector" (Ophir P/N 7Z11010) simply takes the raw output from the detector element and sends it to the scope. It bypasses the sensor's EEROM which contains the calibration data, so it essentially turns the sensor into an uncalibrated "dumb" analog sensor. It should be noted, though, that in some cases we could be talking about a signal to the scope that may be low, perhaps even near the noise level of the scope, which limits the usefulness of this method at low powers.
• If the need is to see the pulse width – the temporal profile – the solution (assuming applicable specs) is to use an approprinte temporal sensor connected to a scope; you can point it anywhere where it will catch some backscatter from your laser, and you'll see the pulse temporal form as it really is.

For HE between 0.625 and 1um, the window transmits too much and the absorption drops by ~10%. Because of this, the thermal heat sink compound behind the absorber can dry out. If the power and energy is kept to 1/10 of maximum and the calibration is not important, the sensor can be used in this spectral region.

First, clean the absorber surface with a tissue, using Umicore #2 Substrate Cleaner, acetone or methanol. Then dry the surface with another tissue. Please note that a few absorbers (Pyro-BB, 10K-W, 15K-W, 16K-W and 30K-W) cannot be cleaned with this method. Instead, simply blow off the dust with clean air or nitrogen. Don't touch these absorbers. Also, HE sensors (such as the 30(150)A-HE-17) should not be cleaned with acetone.
 
Note: These suggestions are made without guarantee. The cleaning process may result in scratching or staining of the surface in some cases and may also change the calibration.

How long you fire the laser into the meter depends on you. Some manufacturers do it 100% of the time via a beam splitter. That way they have a constant feedback system to allow them to not only monitor the power output, but also to control it so the laser is stable. Other people only do it for a short time to verify the setting is producing the correct amount of power. For different applications different sensors would be needed. For continual monitoring we would recommend a sensor that is designed to have the laser on it all the time. For short time measurements, a sensor designed for short use would be more ideal. For lasers that are pulsed, we recommend firing the laser a couple of times to get an understanding of the pulse to pulse change as well as being able to monitor the average. However, some applications only want to verify the energy setting, so they only fire the laser once to see if they are ready to go. Again, the decision is up to you. Processing the information in the PLC is completely up to you. Usually this requires some form of calibration so you can take the information you are delivering to the PLC and correlate it with your operator display. I.e. Volts/Watt. How many Volts from the sensor is equal to X amount of Watts the laser just produced.

The 10K-W and 15K-W sensors are calibrated at wavelength 1.064μm, but since they relatively flat spectrally throughout the near infrared, this setting can be use anywhere in the spectral range 0.8 – 2μm. This is represented by the wavelength setting “NIR”. (They are also calibrated at 10.6um for CO2 lasers.)

 
Approximately 3.2% of the light impinging on the sensor is backscattered in a diffuse manner. The “Ophir 10K-W/15K-W Scatter Shield” (P/N 7Z08295) is available to reduce this effect. When it is installed on the front flange of the 10K-W or 15K-W, it will reduce the backscatter to about 0.9%, by absorbing much of the backscattered light and by reflecting some of it back into the sensor where that light is absorbed. The increased absorption with the shield causes the reading on the sensor to be slightly higher than without the shield. We have introduced a laser setting called NIRS to compensate for this. When using the scatter shield, set the laser setting to NIRS. Otherwise, leave it at NIR. The situation is similar for the 30K-W sensor; there the calibration is at 1070nm, and the settings are called “107” (for regular use) and “107S” (for use with the 30K-W Scatter Shield).

Unless otherwise indicated, Ophir sensors and meters should be recalibrated within 18 months after initial purchase, and then once a year after that.