AQ6377E optical spectrum analyzer
Yokogawa Test & Measurement Corporation announces the release today of the AQ6377E optical spectrum analyzer for mid-wave infrared (MWIR) measurements. While inheriting the world-class optical performance of the preceding AQ6377 model, the AQ6377E offers a number of new features and functions that enhance speed, accuracy, and capability, enabling it to meet a broader spread of laser application demands, including environmental measurement.
Development Background
In recent years, there has been increasing demand from researchers and developers of MWIR lasers for an optical spectrum analyzer that can quickly and precisely analyze the wavelength spectrum of lasers, including their side modes, especially in the 5μm band. This led to the launch in 2020 of the current AQ6377 model.
“We listen intently to the requests of our customers,” says Terry Marrinan, VP Sales & Marketing at Yokogawa Test & Measurement. “Understanding their challenges helps us develop solutions that overcome complex measurements tasks, while simultaneously driving efficiency and ease-of-use to save both time and money. Our new AQ6377E is no exception. We received requests for faster measurement speeds, the ability to perform pulsed light measurements under various conditions, and a better way to evaluate side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) than is available using Fourier Transform optical spectrum analyzer (FT-OSA) instruments. The AQ6377E provides the solution to these issues.”
New Features
As the successor model to the AQ6377, the AQ6377E optical spectrum analyzer presents users with a number of new functions and specifications.
For instance, the AQ6377E offers improved performance of the built-in chopper*, which operates automatically according to the measurement sensitivity setting. Specifically, Yokogawa has added the NORMAL/CHOP and MID/CHOP measurement sensitivity settings, which apply the lock-in detection function to the intermediate NORMAL and MID sensitivities of the previous model. This capability reduces the impact of background noise when measuring MWIR light spectra and allows faster and more accurate measurement compared with the previous AQ6377.
The AQ6377E also offers much wider pulsed light measurement capabilities thanks to the addition of a new function, ‘advanced pulsed light measurement mode’. This enhancement provides engineers with improved ability to measure pulsed light with low-repetition frequencies that were previously impossible to achieve using the AQ6377.
In laser evaluation, simultaneous measurement over a wide level range was a clear performance advantage of the previous AQ6377. The new AQ6377E adds to this with a dynamic measurement range for the simultaneous measurement of a laser’s optical spectrum. This improvement ensures engineers can accurately evaluate the SMSR, an index of laser performance, which is difficult to achieve with an FT-OSA.
The AQ6377E Optical Spectrum Analyzer is planned to meet the CE marking requirements by the end of January 2025.
* A device that modulates light by periodically interrupting light rays with a vane that rotates at a constant speed.
Major Target Markets
- Universities, laboratory institutes, and research departments
- Manufacturers of lasers, optical fibers, and optical components
Applications
- Laser technology research
- Non-linear optical research, such as optical parametric oscillator (OPO) activities
- Applied research into the sensing of environmental gases like CO2, N2O, and NO
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