October, 2006

EEEL Adds New Wavelengths to Extend Laser Power and Energy Measurement Services

Recently, wavelength coverage of NIST laser calibration services was extended to include laser power meter calibrations at 325 nm and 375 nm as well as laser energy meter calibrations at 1574 nm after evaluation of damage and aging to our primary standards. The standards include the laser optimized cryogenic radiometer (extended to 375 nm), the C-series calorimeter (extended to 325 nm and 375 nm), and the Q-series calorimeter (extended to 1574 nm).

David Livigni and Josh Hadler extended the wavelength coverage of NIST cw laser power meter calibrations to 375 nm by completing the first intramural comparison between the NIST primary standard for cw laser power measurements and the C-series calorimeters. Calibrations of a cw laser power meter were also demonstrated at 325 nm in response to growing demand for calibrated detectors for use with blue and ultraviolet (UV) lasers. Sectors for blue and UV laser technology include automotive, semiconductor, and communications. Disciplines for this technology include chemistry, physics, biology, and manufacturing (in material systems as fundamental as water, silicon, steel, and DNA). UV detectors are sold commercially with uncertainties ranging from 5 % to 10 %. Our long-term goal is to enable industry to reduce this uncertainty by an order of magnitude, comparable to the performance of similar detectors for visible and near IR applications.

Xiaoyu Li, calibration leader for high-energy pulsed laser and high power laser measurements, completed laser upgrades and an evaluation of the Q-series calorimeter for operation at 1574 nm. This service was extended to meet the needs of the DoD and its contractors for applications such as development of laser range finders and target designators in the so-called "eye safe" wavelength range.

Contact: John Lehman, phone 303-497-3654