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Automated high precision variable aperture for spectrophotometer linearity testing.

J C Zwinkels, D S Gignac

|August 12, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A novel automated linearity tester precisely defines apertures using piezoelectric motors. This advanced system accurately assesses detector nonlinearity across a wide dynamic range without extra attenuation, improving measurement reliability.

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Area of Science:

Optical Metrology
Photodetector Characterization
Instrumentation Engineering

Background:

Accurate photodetector linearity is crucial for reliable optical measurements.
Traditional linearity testing methods often suffer from interference, coherence issues, and beam noncoincidence.
Existing methods may require supplementary optical attenuation, limiting dynamic range assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

To design and build a new automated linearity tester.
To overcome the limitations of existing methods for assessing photodetector linearity.
To enable accurate linearity assessment over an extended dynamic range without optical attenuation.

Main Methods:

Development of an automated linearity tester featuring a single variable aperture controlled by piezoelectric motors.
Application of the double aperture method of light addition.
Utilizing the tester with a reference spectrophotometer and adapting it for other instruments with stable measurement beams.

Main Results:

The tester demonstrates high reliability, with nonlinearity measurements of <1-3 parts in 10^4 over a 3400:1 dynamic range at a 97% confidence level.
The system allows linearity assessment for arbitrary flux levels over an approximate 70:1 dynamic range without supplementary optical attenuation.
Transmittance measurements using linearity-corrected photodetectors showed agreement better than 0.025% of the value.

Conclusions:

The new automated linearity tester effectively addresses shortcomings of previous methods.
The device provides reliable and accurate linearity assessment for photodetectors.
This technology enhances the precision of transmittance measurements for reference materials.