Yokogawa has introduced the AQ6374 optical spectrum analyzer (OSA), the successor to the Yokogawa and ANDO-branded AQ6315A wideband OSA. The benchtop AQ6374 features diffraction grating based monochromator technology for highly precise measurement performance, an enhanced user interface, and an air purging feature for applications over the wavelength range from 350 to 1750 nm.
The new OSA inherits enhanced versions the control technologies originally developed for the AQ6370 series. The AQ6374 therefore offers improved operability and measurement speeds up to 40X that of its predecessor. For example, the ability to sample 100,001 points of data is 100X as much as the AQ6315A and enables measurement over a broad wavelength range with high resolution. Meanwhile, data-transfer rates during remote control via Ethernet are up to 100X faster than for the AQ6315A.
Thanks to its monochromator technology, the OSA offers:
- wavelength resolution setting from 0.05 to 10 nm
- wavelength accuracy of ±0.05 nm (at 633 and 1523 nm) or ±0.2 nm (from 350 to 1700 nm)
- level accuracy of ±1.0 dB
- level sensitivity of -80 dBm (from 900 to 1600 nm)
- measurable power range from -80 to +20 dBm
- close‐in dynamic range of 60 dB (peak ± 1.0 nm, resolution 0.05 nm)
- sweep time of less than 0.5 sec.
The instrument features internal data storage of 512 MB; external data storage is supported via a USB interface. The OSA also has Ethernet RJ-45 and GP‐IB interfaces. A built‐in calibration source enables fully automatic optical alignment and wavelength calibration in "just a few minutes," Yokogawa says.
The new purging feature is designed to minimize the influence of water-vapor absorption on spectral measurements. It continuously supplies a pure purge gas such as nitrogen (or dry air) to the monochromator through dedicated connectors on the back panel.
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