Argon mini-arc meets its match: use of a laser-driven plasma source in ultraviolet-detector calibrations

The National Institute of Standards and Technology operates two spectral comparator facilities, both of which are used to provide detector calibrations from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared spectral range. One, the Ultraviolet Spectral Comparator Facility (UV SCF), has been in operation for more than two decades, providing one of the core calibration services. Recently, the illumination source used in the UV SCF has been changed from an argon mini-arc source to a laser-driven plasma light source. This new source has higher brightness, a smaller source size, better temporal stability, and much better conversion efficiency than the previous source. The improvements in the capabilities are summarized.