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Special Calibration

Ophir offers a "special calibration" service so the customer can be provided with higher calibration accuracy than the standard catalog...
05/02/18

How Can Calibration Help Me?

For many people, it isn't clear why there is a need for calibration of measurement equipment. These laser users are not fully aware what the...
11/11/18

How Can Calibration Help Me?

By Kristen Winterton, Calibration Technician, Ophir-Spiricon LLCA common concern that I have heard...
01/13/16

Calibration Capability at Ophir

Calibration is perhaps the most important of our products. We have a complete line of calibration lasers so that we can always calibrate at or near the customer...
05/19/14

Spectral Wavelength Calibration

All absorbers used in power/energy measurement are not entirely flat spectrally, that is, they vary in absorption with wavelength. For this reason...
11/06/17

Bridging the THz Gap in Radiometry

By Dr. Ephraim Greenfield, Chief Technology Officer, Ophir PhotonicsThe Renowned German standards laboratory Physikalisch-­‐Technische...
05/19/14

Expanded ISO Accreditations

By Kristen Winterton, Calibration TechnicianAt Ophir-Spiricon we pride ourselves on providing quality in...
02/01/16

Longer Length Sensor Cables

The Ophir sensors are provided with a 1.5m cable between the sensor and the smart head connector. When a longer length cable is needed it can be provided, as long as...
06/29/14

The Telescope Array Project

By Stan Thomas, University of Utah – Physics Department Thomas@physics.utah.eduThe Telescope Array...
05/31/15

Laser Power and Energy Measurement

Ophir standard power and energy measuring heads and displays all use smart head technology. This means that all the configuration and calibration information is...
05/19/14

Why is a power sensor rejected for calibration when there is only a small damaged area on the sensor disk, but it otherwise functions OK.

11/06/17

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.

Our thermal sensor specification states "Power Accuracy +/- 3% at calibration wavelength". To what exactly does the 3% refer?

05/26/15

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

The calibration date on my M2 system has expired. What do I need to do to get it re-calibrated?

05/28/15

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/...

How is it possible that a thermal sensor can pass the calibration before test, but still need a disc replacement?

05/26/15

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.

How is the power meter sensor calibrated for wavelengths other than the specific wavelengths used for calibration?

05/26/15

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.

Why will my ModeCheck not finish its background calibration cycle?

03/21/17

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.

How can we be sure of the calibration of our high power sensors when we calibrate at a small fraction of full power?

05/26/15

An explanation of how we can accurately calibrate at a small 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.

When using the fiber optic adaptor, how do we handle power loss due to the fiber relative to calibration?

06/09/14

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.

Are there any special problems with the calibration stability of integrating sphere sensors?

06/09/14

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.

Ophir high-power sensors are calibrated using moderate-power lasers, not exceeding 1000W. How, then, can we know that these highest power sensors are indeed accurate to ±5% over their entire measurement range as specified?

01/18/18

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.

When an accuracy spec is given, what exactly is meant?

06/03/15

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

How do I spatially calibrate with an imaging lens?

06/01/15

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 have to make some measurements on a long term test. I would like to set up a power meter to take 100 shots of a 30 Hz laser, calculate an average, save the average and dump the rest. I want it to do this every hour for 30 days without human intervention. Can we do that?

06/01/15

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

Set your camera to capture at 30Hz if it has a frame format that supports 30Hz: 

Select an attached power meter or use the manual calibration tool if power calibration is required. If calibration is required counts will turn to an actual power reading for the total frame power or energy: 

You said you need an average so I will assume "Total" is the item you are averaging. It could be any results just enable the one(s) you need: 

You need to average 100 shots at 30Hz each hour so you will need to use the Burst Capture feature. The controls below (as currently set) will capture 100 frames every hour in results priority mode (what you need for this requirement). 

Provide a log file name here: 

Set frame averaging to 100 because you want to average the frames collected. This will produce results that are an average of 100 samples. 

Set logging to continuous as you will stop it manually after 30 days. 

You could also do the math (Days x Logs Per Day = Total logs or 30x24=720) and figure out how many samples a 30 day log would produce at this rate and place this number in the box below in place of the 1 you see now. Then click on the "Folder/Play-Button" icon to the right of the spin buttons to enable "Stop after X Logs" 

When you are ready to start logging, make sure the data source is running and click on the top middle icon you see here, which is the results logging button (has the 1.2 in the icon): 

When you are running and click the "Log Results" button the logging to disk will begin.

2D and 3D images (Pro release to introduce image logging) can also be logged by enabling the required image file types here: 

Use Excel to import the data from the log file with comma delimiting and you will see the following type of log: This log of total frame counts was made using burst capture of 100 frames every 5 seconds.

Tip: When you setup a log in this way you will only see the frames that are logged appear in the BeamGage beam displays. If you are logging one sample an hour you will not see a lot of activity in the beam display windows. Not to worry, you have the power of Multi-Clienting at your finger tips so you can minimize this instance of BeamGage and let it go on logging in the background (maximize it again when you want to see the last frames logged). Now, launch a new instance of BeamGage and connect to the same camera. Because the camera is set at 30Hz you will see a 30Hz video feed in the second instance of BeamGage. This will allow you to monitor in real-time while you are logging in slow-time.

Behold, the power of subscription rate when combined with logging and multi-clienting.

Does measurement accuracy depend on the beam diameter?

08/09/18

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.

Some Ophir Pyroelectric sensors have a removable diffuser and when the diffuser is needed for use, there should be a wavelength to select that has a “D” at the end. This indicates that the diffuser should be in place on the sensor. An example would be: 106D is 1064nm with the Diffuser In.

05/02/16

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.

What is the standard recalibration interval for Ophir Power and Energy measurement sensors?

05/26/15

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.

I am using a PD300 type sensor. I have a broadband light source, but only want to measure the power of a specific wavelength. Can I set my meter to that wavelength and get a measurement?

06/09/14

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.

What are the differences between the old pyro sensors and the current “PE-C” line of pyro sensors? I can only find scattered information in the specs.

01/13/16

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”.

Why wasn’t the firmware upgraded to the latest version when the meter was sent in for recalibration?

05/08/17

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.

The Ophir catalog product specification sometimes states the spectral range to be wider than the spectral range that is programmed into the sensor or indicated in the spec sheet. For instance, the spectral range of the 1000W-BB-34 is specified to be 0.19 - 20µm but the footnote states that it is calibrated for ~0.8µm, 1.07µm and 10.6µm. What does it mean to have a spectral range outside the calibrated wavelength range?

04/11/19

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 Ophir catalog product specification sometimes states the spectral range to be wider than the spectral range that is programmed into the sensor or indicated in the spec sheet. For instance, the spectral range of the 1000W-BB-34 is specified to be 0.19 - 20µm but the footnote states that it is calibrated for ~0.8µm, 1.07µm and 10.6µm. What does it mean to have a spectral range outside the calibrated wavelength range?

03/26/19

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%.

I just installed StarLab 3.30 and now my Juno is no longer recognized. How do I get it working again?

11/06/17

StarLab 3.30 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 3.30, 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.

How do I use the Analog Output of a meter to get a reading of power? And how accurate is it?

09/14/17

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).

Are the BeamSquared lenses interchangeable from one BeamSquared unit to another?

03/21/17

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.

Among the Integrating Sphere accessories offered, there are “Port Plugs” (white), and “Port Covers” (black). What’s the difference?

03/14/17

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.

Are M2-200s lenses interchangeable from one unit to another?

07/25/16

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.

I have multiple sensors. Do I need a specific meter for each sensor or can I use one meter for all of my sensors?

06/15/15

With Ophir's Smart Head technology sensors can be interchanged between different meters easily. The calibration and setting information is stored in the sensors Smart Head connector so it moves with the sensor to the new meter. It is recommended that you power off your Nova meter before removing the sensor, but the new Nova II and Vega meters detect that a sensor has been removed or attached and will power cycle themselves when doing this.

Must I use a particular sensor only with the meter it was ordered with?

06/03/15

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.

What is the largest beam size you can profile?

05/28/15
With the addition of optics, the largest laser beam you can measure is limited by the amount of reduction afforded by the optical setup.  With the use of supporting equipment such as beam reducers or CCTV lenses a spatial calibration can be performed, giving the equivalent pixel pitch with the lenses in place.  Sometimes an imaging target may be needed to make sure you are focusing the imaging optics to the correct location. 
 
In most applications the beam size is less than 10mm. When a beam gets larger, a reducing telescope can be used to bring it down to a size to fit on the array. Our largest array camera, the L11059, has an array size of 26x39mm.

Does the Quasar require annual recalibration?

05/27/15

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.

What is the accuracy of Ophir laser power sensors?

05/26/15

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%.

I don't see my exact wavelength in the wavelength option for my Ophir sensor. I only see several wavelength ranges. What should I do?

05/21/15

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.

I sometimes need to see an analog representation of my laser power on a scope, in parallel to measuring it with a thermal sensor. What solutions are available?

06/23/14

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.

How should I clean my sensor?

06/09/14

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.

What happens if you use the HE sensors in the forbidden spectral region?

06/09/14

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.

How long do I fire the laser into the sensor? Do I need to fire the laser more than once? How do I process the information in the PLC to output the correct power measurement to the operator?

05/26/15

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.

What is the “NIRS” wavelength setting in the 10K-W and 15K-W sensors?

03/18/18

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).

Can a lost PD300 filter be replaced?

06/09/14

Technically it could be replaced, but it is not just a matter of replacing the filter. Since the PD300 is a "calibrated" sensor it requires that the filter also be "calibrated". Especially since the PD300 response varies with wavelength, it requires that both the PD300 and the filter be calibrated over the entire spectral range with a monochromator. Because of the cost to calibrate the replacement filter with the PD300 sensor, we recommend purchasing a new PD300 sensor when a replacement filter is needed.

Fastest Calibration in the Industry

Why is Ophir-Spiricon's calibration lead-time the fastest in the industry? Learn about our lean journey and hear our announcement on how we will become even better this year.
05/25/15

Calibration Factors

When a power/energy meter is in "Calibrate" mode, various "Factors" are displayed to the user. This video explains the meaning of each of these factors.
06/24/14

BeamGage Laser Beam Profiling System

BeamGage® is a state-of-the-art beam profiling system that performs extensive data acquisition and analysis of laser beam parameters, including beam size, shape, and uniformity, and divergence. It...
02/16/17

How Can Accurate Laser Calibration Help Me?

Many people do not understand the necessity of equipment calibration. They do not understand what the calibration process entails, and how it can save them money, time, and frustration. Ophir&...
06/27/18

Fastest Calibration in the Industry

Why is Ophir-Spiricon's calibration lead-time the fastest in the industry? Learn about our lean journey and hear our announcement on how we will become even better this year.
06/02/15

White Paper: Measuring LED Power with Thermal Sensors

LED’s are used today in many applications with the most prominent being the lighting of our homes, streets and businesses. Despite their clear advantages, measurement techniques of the power, flux...
02/16/16

Laser Power Meter Usage in Law Enforcement

The Ophir Nova or Laserstar series power meters, along with the appropriate photodiode sensors are used on a daily basis for technical support and calibration of police
06/02/15

Tech tip: Finding The Right Tool for the Right Job

Each week our team in Ophir Optronics Solutions Ltd. receives requests to replace older or damaged laser power or energy meters and sensors. At the same time, we receive many items returned to...
06/13/18

Wireless Laser Measurements: No Strings Attached

Remember how Pinocchio achieved his dream of becoming “real” when he was finally freed from his strings? If you need to measure your laser beam’s power or energy, but the usual...
11/01/17

How low can you measure laser power?

Ophir has very high standards for what is considered “measurable.”  That is why when we delineate a power scale, the minimum power is usually about 20...
06/02/15

A Photodiode Laser Sensor for Every Wavelength

If you are measuring very low powers, you’ll want a photodiode power sensor. These come in various models, with physically different detectors. Some are made from Silicon, some are Germanium, etc. ...
06/02/15

How to Measure Broadband Spectral Sources

Broadband spectral sources, such as arc lamps or gas-discharge lamps are still used in many lighting applications due to their high efficiency and other unique characteristics. ...
01/05/16

OPHIR’S 2018 CATALOG IS HERE!

If you have a laser, you need to measure it. As in every year - Ophir's 2018 new catalog covers a wide range of laser power and energy sensors, meters and laser beam profiling systems for...
02/14/18

What’s M-Squared, again?

Here’s a surprising statistic: Nine out of ten laser technicians have no idea what M² is. Most laser beam characteristics are easy to put your finger on:  laser beam width,...
04/25/18

Need more help? Ask one of our experts! and we'll contact you as soon as possible
 

Special Calibration

Ophir offers a "special calibration" service so the customer can be provided with higher calibration accuracy than the standard catalog...
05/02/18

How Can Calibration Help Me?

For many people, it isn't clear why there is a need for calibration of measurement equipment. These laser users are not fully aware what the...
11/11/18

How Can Calibration Help Me?

By Kristen Winterton, Calibration Technician, Ophir-Spiricon LLCA common concern that I have heard...
01/13/16

Calibration Capability at Ophir

Calibration is perhaps the most important of our products. We have a complete line of calibration lasers so that we can always calibrate at or near the customer...
05/19/14

Spectral Wavelength Calibration

All absorbers used in power/energy measurement are not entirely flat spectrally, that is, they vary in absorption with wavelength. For this reason...
11/06/17

Why is a power sensor rejected for calibration when there is only a small damaged area on the sensor disk, but it otherwise functions OK.

11/06/17

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.

Our thermal sensor specification states "Power Accuracy +/- 3% at calibration wavelength". To what exactly does the 3% refer?

05/26/15

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

The calibration date on my M2 system has expired. What do I need to do to get it re-calibrated?

05/28/15

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/...

How Can Accurate Laser Calibration Help Me?

Many people do not understand the necessity of equipment calibration. They do not understand what the calibration process entails, and how it can save them money, time, and frustration. Ophir&...
06/27/18

How is it possible that a thermal sensor can pass the calibration before test, but still need a disc replacement?

05/26/15

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.

How is the power meter sensor calibrated for wavelengths other than the specific wavelengths used for calibration?

05/26/15

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.

Why will my ModeCheck not finish its background calibration cycle?

03/21/17

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.

How can we be sure of the calibration of our high power sensors when we calibrate at a small fraction of full power?

05/26/15

An explanation of how we can accurately calibrate at a small 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.

Fastest Calibration in the Industry

Why is Ophir-Spiricon's calibration lead-time the fastest in the industry? Learn about our lean journey and hear our announcement on how we will become even better this year.
06/02/15

Fastest Calibration in the Industry

Why is Ophir-Spiricon's calibration lead-time the fastest in the industry? Learn about our lean journey and hear our announcement on how we will become even better this year.
05/25/15

Calibration Factors

When a power/energy meter is in "Calibrate" mode, various "Factors" are displayed to the user. This video explains the meaning of each of these factors.
06/24/14

When using the fiber optic adaptor, how do we handle power loss due to the fiber relative to calibration?

06/09/14

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.

Are there any special problems with the calibration stability of integrating sphere sensors?

06/09/14

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.

White Paper: Measuring LED Power with Thermal Sensors

LED’s are used today in many applications with the most prominent being the lighting of our homes, streets and businesses. Despite their clear advantages, measurement techniques of the power, flux...
02/16/16

Bridging the THz Gap in Radiometry

By Dr. Ephraim Greenfield, Chief Technology Officer, Ophir PhotonicsThe Renowned German standards laboratory Physikalisch-­‐Technische...
05/19/14

Expanded ISO Accreditations

By Kristen Winterton, Calibration TechnicianAt Ophir-Spiricon we pride ourselves on providing quality in...
02/01/16

Ophir high-power sensors are calibrated using moderate-power lasers, not exceeding 1000W. How, then, can we know that these highest power sensors are indeed accurate to ±5% over their entire measurement range as specified?

01/18/18

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.

When an accuracy spec is given, what exactly is meant?

06/03/15

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

How do I spatially calibrate with an imaging lens?

06/01/15

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 have to make some measurements on a long term test. I would like to set up a power meter to take 100 shots of a 30 Hz laser, calculate an average, save the average and dump the rest. I want it to do this every hour for 30 days without human intervention. Can we do that?

06/01/15

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

Set your camera to capture at 30Hz if it has a frame format that supports 30Hz: 

Select an attached power meter or use the manual calibration tool if power calibration is required. If calibration is required counts will turn to an actual power reading for the total frame power or energy: 

You said you need an average so I will assume "Total" is the item you are averaging. It could be any results just enable the one(s) you need: 

You need to average 100 shots at 30Hz each hour so you will need to use the Burst Capture feature. The controls below (as currently set) will capture 100 frames every hour in results priority mode (what you need for this requirement). 

Provide a log file name here: 

Set frame averaging to 100 because you want to average the frames collected. This will produce results that are an average of 100 samples. 

Set logging to continuous as you will stop it manually after 30 days. 

You could also do the math (Days x Logs Per Day = Total logs or 30x24=720) and figure out how many samples a 30 day log would produce at this rate and place this number in the box below in place of the 1 you see now. Then click on the "Folder/Play-Button" icon to the right of the spin buttons to enable "Stop after X Logs" 

When you are ready to start logging, make sure the data source is running and click on the top middle icon you see here, which is the results logging button (has the 1.2 in the icon): 

When you are running and click the "Log Results" button the logging to disk will begin.

2D and 3D images (Pro release to introduce image logging) can also be logged by enabling the required image file types here: 

Use Excel to import the data from the log file with comma delimiting and you will see the following type of log: This log of total frame counts was made using burst capture of 100 frames every 5 seconds.

Tip: When you setup a log in this way you will only see the frames that are logged appear in the BeamGage beam displays. If you are logging one sample an hour you will not see a lot of activity in the beam display windows. Not to worry, you have the power of Multi-Clienting at your finger tips so you can minimize this instance of BeamGage and let it go on logging in the background (maximize it again when you want to see the last frames logged). Now, launch a new instance of BeamGage and connect to the same camera. Because the camera is set at 30Hz you will see a 30Hz video feed in the second instance of BeamGage. This will allow you to monitor in real-time while you are logging in slow-time.

Behold, the power of subscription rate when combined with logging and multi-clienting.

Laser Power Meter Usage in Law Enforcement

The Ophir Nova or Laserstar series power meters, along with the appropriate photodiode sensors are used on a daily basis for technical support and calibration of police
06/02/15

Does measurement accuracy depend on the beam diameter?

08/09/18

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.

Some Ophir Pyroelectric sensors have a removable diffuser and when the diffuser is needed for use, there should be a wavelength to select that has a “D” at the end. This indicates that the diffuser should be in place on the sensor. An example would be: 106D is 1064nm with the Diffuser In.

05/02/16

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.

What is the standard recalibration interval for Ophir Power and Energy measurement sensors?

05/26/15

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.

Longer Length Sensor Cables

The Ophir sensors are provided with a 1.5m cable between the sensor and the smart head connector. When a longer length cable is needed it can be provided, as long as...
06/29/14

I am using a PD300 type sensor. I have a broadband light source, but only want to measure the power of a specific wavelength. Can I set my meter to that wavelength and get a measurement?

06/09/14

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 Telescope Array Project

By Stan Thomas, University of Utah – Physics Department Thomas@physics.utah.eduThe Telescope Array...
05/31/15

What are the differences between the old pyro sensors and the current “PE-C” line of pyro sensors? I can only find scattered information in the specs.

01/13/16

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”.

Why wasn’t the firmware upgraded to the latest version when the meter was sent in for recalibration?

05/08/17

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.

The Ophir catalog product specification sometimes states the spectral range to be wider than the spectral range that is programmed into the sensor or indicated in the spec sheet. For instance, the spectral range of the 1000W-BB-34 is specified to be 0.19 - 20µm but the footnote states that it is calibrated for ~0.8µm, 1.07µm and 10.6µm. What does it mean to have a spectral range outside the calibrated wavelength range?

04/11/19

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 Ophir catalog product specification sometimes states the spectral range to be wider than the spectral range that is programmed into the sensor or indicated in the spec sheet. For instance, the spectral range of the 1000W-BB-34 is specified to be 0.19 - 20µm but the footnote states that it is calibrated for ~0.8µm, 1.07µm and 10.6µm. What does it mean to have a spectral range outside the calibrated wavelength range?

03/26/19

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%.

Tech tip: Finding The Right Tool for the Right Job

Each week our team in Ophir Optronics Solutions Ltd. receives requests to replace older or damaged laser power or energy meters and sensors. At the same time, we receive many items returned to...
06/13/18

I just installed StarLab 3.30 and now my Juno is no longer recognized. How do I get it working again?

11/06/17

StarLab 3.30 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 3.30, 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.

How do I use the Analog Output of a meter to get a reading of power? And how accurate is it?

09/14/17

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).

Are the BeamSquared lenses interchangeable from one BeamSquared unit to another?

03/21/17

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.

Among the Integrating Sphere accessories offered, there are “Port Plugs” (white), and “Port Covers” (black). What’s the difference?

03/14/17

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.

BeamGage Laser Beam Profiling System

BeamGage® is a state-of-the-art beam profiling system that performs extensive data acquisition and analysis of laser beam parameters, including beam size, shape, and uniformity, and divergence. It...
02/16/17

Are M2-200s lenses interchangeable from one unit to another?

07/25/16

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.

I have multiple sensors. Do I need a specific meter for each sensor or can I use one meter for all of my sensors?

06/15/15

With Ophir's Smart Head technology sensors can be interchanged between different meters easily. The calibration and setting information is stored in the sensors Smart Head connector so it moves with the sensor to the new meter. It is recommended that you power off your Nova meter before removing the sensor, but the new Nova II and Vega meters detect that a sensor has been removed or attached and will power cycle themselves when doing this.

Must I use a particular sensor only with the meter it was ordered with?

06/03/15

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.

What is the largest beam size you can profile?

05/28/15
With the addition of optics, the largest laser beam you can measure is limited by the amount of reduction afforded by the optical setup.  With the use of supporting equipment such as beam reducers or CCTV lenses a spatial calibration can be performed, giving the equivalent pixel pitch with the lenses in place.  Sometimes an imaging target may be needed to make sure you are focusing the imaging optics to the correct location. 
 
In most applications the beam size is less than 10mm. When a beam gets larger, a reducing telescope can be used to bring it down to a size to fit on the array. Our largest array camera, the L11059, has an array size of 26x39mm.

Does the Quasar require annual recalibration?

05/27/15

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.

What is the accuracy of Ophir laser power sensors?

05/26/15

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%.

I don't see my exact wavelength in the wavelength option for my Ophir sensor. I only see several wavelength ranges. What should I do?

05/21/15

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.

I sometimes need to see an analog representation of my laser power on a scope, in parallel to measuring it with a thermal sensor. What solutions are available?

06/23/14

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.

How should I clean my sensor?

06/09/14

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.

What happens if you use the HE sensors in the forbidden spectral region?

06/09/14

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.

Laser Power and Energy Measurement

Ophir standard power and energy measuring heads and displays all use smart head technology. This means that all the configuration and calibration information is...
05/19/14

How long do I fire the laser into the sensor? Do I need to fire the laser more than once? How do I process the information in the PLC to output the correct power measurement to the operator?

05/26/15

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.

Wireless Laser Measurements: No Strings Attached

Remember how Pinocchio achieved his dream of becoming “real” when he was finally freed from his strings? If you need to measure your laser beam’s power or energy, but the usual...
11/01/17

What is the “NIRS” wavelength setting in the 10K-W and 15K-W sensors?

03/18/18

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).

How low can you measure laser power?

Ophir has very high standards for what is considered “measurable.”  That is why when we delineate a power scale, the minimum power is usually about 20...
06/02/15

A Photodiode Laser Sensor for Every Wavelength

If you are measuring very low powers, you’ll want a photodiode power sensor. These come in various models, with physically different detectors. Some are made from Silicon, some are Germanium, etc. ...
06/02/15

How to Measure Broadband Spectral Sources

Broadband spectral sources, such as arc lamps or gas-discharge lamps are still used in many lighting applications due to their high efficiency and other unique characteristics. ...
01/05/16

OPHIR’S 2018 CATALOG IS HERE!

If you have a laser, you need to measure it. As in every year - Ophir's 2018 new catalog covers a wide range of laser power and energy sensors, meters and laser beam profiling systems for...
02/14/18

What’s M-Squared, again?

Here’s a surprising statistic: Nine out of ten laser technicians have no idea what M² is. Most laser beam characteristics are easy to put your finger on:  laser beam width,...
04/25/18

Can a lost PD300 filter be replaced?

06/09/14

Technically it could be replaced, but it is not just a matter of replacing the filter. Since the PD300 is a "calibrated" sensor it requires that the filter also be "calibrated". Especially since the PD300 response varies with wavelength, it requires that both the PD300 and the filter be calibrated over the entire spectral range with a monochromator. Because of the cost to calibrate the replacement filter with the PD300 sensor, we recommend purchasing a new PD300 sensor when a replacement filter is needed.

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