ARCoptix VIS-NIR-FIB

Ultra-broadband spectral range: 350-2500 nm

The ARCoptix VIS-NIR-FIB is an ultra-broadband spectrometer designed for use with fibered probes over the complete VIS & NIR spectral range (350-2500nm). The system incorporates one Arcoptix FT-NIR Fourier-Transform scanning spectrometer (model FTNIR-L1-025-2TE) for the NIR range 900-2500 and one multichannel grating spectrometer for the VIS (350-1000nm). Both instruments are integrated in a single, portable housing that features two separate SMA inputs for the VIS and for the NIR ranges, matching the transmission ranges of high-OH and low-OH fibers. The software supplied with the spectrometer automatically merges the spectra produced by the 2 spectrometers.

Unlike most scanning spectrometers used for such applications that take several minutes for a complete scan, the  VIS-NIR-FIB (350-2500nm) give a result within two seconds! The software can be customized on demand for specific colorimetric or other standard measurements. Please contact us for more information: info@arcoptix.com

Characteristics

  • Ultra-broad spectral range: 350-2500nm
  • Very good resolution(<1.5nm)
  • Operation via optical fibers
  • Fast measurements (down to 2 seconds)
  • Very easy to use

How does it work?

Permanently aligned interferometer

The heart of the FT-Rocket is dual corner-cube (retro-reflector) interferometer. The two corner-cubes are fixed to a common swinging arm, which rotates to create an optical path difference (with respect to the beam splitter) in the two arms of the interferometer.
This type of design is called a permanently aligned interferometer. This particular arrangement of the interfeormeter is known to be the most robust against vibrations and temperature drifts. It never has to be realigned.
The swinging arm of the interferometer rotates on wear-free flexure system, making this mechanical system extremely robust and durable.

Solid-state reference laser

For measuring the movement of the mirrors, a solid-state reference laser is coupled into the interferometer. Compared to classic HeNe lasers, the solid-state lasers that we use are more compact and have a much longer life-time. They have a very low temperature-induced wavelegnth drift and, when kept at constant temperature with a Peltier element, their wavelength can be stabilized to a few PPM, thus providing a very accurate and reproducible wavelength scale. This is crucial for ensuring a day-to-day and unit-to-unit consistency.

Specifications

Features

VIS-NIR-FIB
Spectral range

350nm-2500nm
VIS spectrometer

Dispersive spectrometer with a silicon array detector (3648 pixels) 16-bit ADC

Spectral range: 350-1000nm
NIR spectrometer

Fourier-Transform NIR spectrometer with extended range InGaAs photodiode, 2TE cooled, 24-bit ADC
Spectral range: 900-2500nm (uncooled version)

Fiber inputs

2x SMA-905 (one for VIS, one for NIR)
Minimum measurement time

<2 seconds
Resolution

<1.5nm
SNR (Full dynamic range- 5 sec measurement, Halogen lamp directly attached)

>1’000:1 (VIS) @ 600nm

>10'000:1 (NIR) @ 2000nm

Notice that (due to poor sensitivity of Si and InGaAs detectors) the SNR is up to 10x lower in the overlap region from 900 to 1100 nm.

Software interface

Windows 10
Operating voltage (power)

12V / 10W
(line power adaptor 100-240V included)
Communication Interface

USB 2.0
Product Dimensions

220mm x 180mm x 80mm
Product Weight

2.5Kg
Operating Temperature

5°C – 35°C

 

Efficiency of VIS spectrometer grating

Efficency of the VIS Spectrometer grating

Features and benefits

Fibered spectrometer with the broadest available spectrum 350-2500nm

The VIS-NIR-FIB (350-2500nm) is the fiber-input spectrometer covering the broadest spectral range on the market.

Best of two worlds

The use of an Fourier-transform spectrometer for the NIR and a grating spectrometer for the VIS is the best solution for a fast and reliable broadband spectrophotometer.:

  • For the VIS range the most performant solution is the multichannel dispersive spectrometer with a Si-diode array. This solution offers fast measurement times, high sensitivity and good resolution at a moderate cost.

  • For the NIR spectral range, the scanning Fourier-transform spectrometers produced by Arcoptix are superior to photodiode-array based grating spectrometers. Indeed dispersive spectrometers are based InGaAs photodiode arrays that suffer from various noises and distortions due to the pixel variability and usually cannot reach wavelegnths beyond 2300nm.

Free software

The VIS-NIR-FIB (350-2500nm) are delivered with a free Windows compatible graphical user interface (GUI) program. The software automatically merges the spectral data from the VIS and NIR spectrometers.

The free basic software package allows the user to:

  • Configure hardware measurement parameters (amplifier gain, averaging, ...)
  • Display real-time spectral measurement results
  • Set reference spectra (white, dark) and choose among raw spectra, transmission or absorption modes.
  • Usual features such as save, open, zoom, rescale...
  • Save data of combined VIS-NIR spectra, or individual VIS and NIR spectra

Accessories

The VIS-NIR-FIB (350-2500nm) are compatible with many fiber-based accessories available on the market. Attention must be paid to the fact that the spectral range of the accessories covers the full VIS-NIR spectrum. The illustrations below show two typical arrangement for measuring in diffuse reflectance and in transmission modes with the VIS-NIR (350-2600nm)

Transmission mode

The ARCspectro VIS-NIR-FIB is the ideal spectrometer for measuring the transmission of samples all over the VIS to NIR range. Accessories needed for this configuration are:

  • (1) one Vis-NIR or UV-VIS-NIR light source, typically a halogen or deuterium + halogen light source (e.g. an ARCLIGHT-NIR or DH-MINI)
  • (2) one Vis-NIR or UV-VIS-NIR fiber patch cable (e.g. our FIB-UVN-600-050)
  • (3) one Vis-NIR or UV-VIS-NIR cuvette holder (e.g. CUV-UV) with UV-compatible cuvette made of quartz glass
  • (4) one Y-branched fiber bundle with 1x UV-VIS and 6x Vis-NIR 200μm core diameter fibers

Reflection mode

The VIS-NIR can also be used for reflection measurements, e.g. using a fibered reflection probe. Accessories needed for this configuration are:

  • (1) one Vis-NIR light source, typically halogen light source such as our ARCLIGHT-NIR
  • (2) one Y-branched fiber bundle with 7x VIS-NIR, 600μm core diameter fibers
  • (3) one Y-branched fiber bundle with 1x UV-VIS and 6x Vis-NIR 200μm core diameter fibers
  • (4) if needed, one diffuse reflectance standard (not shown)
  • (5) if needed, a reflection probe holder/stand (not shown)


Reflection setup