2A-BB-10 High-Sensitivity Laser Power/Energy Sensor

22A-BB-10 High-Sensitivity Laser Power/Energy Sensor Description:

High Sensitivity Thermal Sensors 10μW to 3W Datasheet 2A-BB-10 Drawing

The 2A-BB-10 is a highly sensitive laser power/energy sensor with extremely low noise and drift. It features a 9.5mm aperture. The power measurement range is 20µW - 2W, and the energy measurement range is 10µJ - 2J. It has a flat spectral response with a wavelength coverage of 0.19 - 20µm. The sensor comes with a 1.5-meter cable for connecting to a host meter or PC interface.

Features and Advantages：

Specifications：

As the spectral sensitivity of the absorber used for the power and energy measurement is not fully linear, Ophir sensors get a high precision calibration by default with more than one wavelength.。

Each thermal sensor is calibrated independently of a particular Ophir power meter with its calibration information contained in the DB15 plug. When the sensor is connected to the meter, the meter reads and interprets this information to display a calibrated reading. Each power meter is calibrated independently and has the same sensitivity as an other meter within about 2 tenths of a percent.Unless otherwise indicated, Ophir sensors and meters should be recalibrated within 18 months after initial purchase, and then once a year after that.

Specifications：

Frequently Asked Questions：

How do you calculate the power and energy density of a laser beam?

If the power is P and the diameter of the beam is D then the power density is P /(.785 * D2) . If it is a pulsed laser and the energy is E, the repetition rate is R and the diameter is D then the power density is E*R/(.785 * D2), The energy density is E/(.785 * D2). The sensor finder will automatically calculate the power and energy density.

Must I use a particular sensor only with the meter it was ordered with?

Ophir meters and sensors are calibrated independently. Each meter has the same sensitivity as the other within about 2 tenths of a percent. Each sensor is calibrated independently of a particular meter with its calibration information contained in the DB15 plug. When the sensor is connected to the meter, the meter reads and interprets this information. Since the accuracy of our sensors is typically +/-3%, the extra 0.2% error that could come from plugging into a different meter is negligible and therefore it does not matter which calibrated meter we use with a particular calibrated sensor.

Can a laser measurement depend on the distance from the laser to the sensor?

In theory, if a beam is completely parallel and fits within the aperture of a sensor, then it should make no difference at all what the distance is. It will be the same number of photons (ignoring absorption by the air, which is negligible except in the UV below 250nm). If, nevertheless, you do see such a distance dependence, there could be one of the following effects happening:

• If you are using a thermal type power sensor, you might actually be measuring heat from the laser itself. When very close to the laser, the thermal sensor might be “feeling” the laser’s own heat. That would not, however, continue to have an effect at more than a few cm distance unless the light source is weak and the heat source is strong.
• Beam geometry – The beam may not be parallel and may be diverging. Often, the lower intensity wings of the beam have greater divergence rate than the main portion of the beam. These may be missing the sensor's aperture as the distance increases. To check that you'd need to use a profiler, or perhaps a BeamTrack PPS (Power/Position/Size) sensor.
• If you are measuring pulse energies with a diffuser-based pyroelectric sensor: Some users find that when they start with the sensor right up close to the laser and move it away, the readings drop sharply (typically by some 6%) over the first few cm. This is likely caused by multiple reflections between the diffuser and the laser device, which at the closest distance might be causing an incorrectly high reading. You should back off from the source by at least some 5cm, more if the beam is not too divergent.

Needless to say, it’s also important to be sure to have a steady setup. A sensor held by hand could easily be moved around involuntarily, which could cause partial or complete missing of the sensor’s aperture at increasing distance, particularly for an invisible beam.

If according to the catalog specs or the sensor finder I am very close to the damage threshold but below it, should I choose such a sensor?

It is not recommended to choose a sensor if it is very close to the damage threshold if there is an alternative, since laser damage is not an exact figure and depends on many things. Use the Sensor Finder to find the best match where you are preferably below 50% of the damage threshold.

Do I need to recalibrate my instrument? How often must it be recalibrated?

Unless otherwise indicated, Ophir sensors and meters should be recalibrated within 18 months after initial purchase, and then once a year after that.

How should I clean my sensor?

First, clean the absorber surface with a tissue, using Umicore #2 Substrate Cleaner, acetone or methanol. Then dry the surface with another tissue. Please note that a few absorbers (Pyro-BB, 10K-W, 15K-W, 16K-W and 30K-W) cannot be cleaned with this method. Instead, simply blow off the dust with clean air or nitrogen. Don't touch these absorbers. Also, HE sensors (such as the 30(150)A-HE-17) should not be cleaned with acetone.

Note: These suggestions are made without guarantee. The cleaning process may result in scratching or staining of the surface in some cases and may also change the calibration.

Does the damage threshold depend on power level?

The damage threshold of thermal sensors does depend on the power level and not only the power density because the sensor disc itself gets hotter at high powers. For instance, the damage threshold of the Ophir broadband coating may be 50KW/cm2 at 10 Watts but only 10KW/cm2 at 300W. The Ophir specifications for damage threshold are always given for the highest power of use of a particular sensor, something which is not done by most other manufacturers. This should be taken into account when comparing specifications. The Sensor Finder takes the power level into consideration when calculating damage threshold.

When an accuracy spec is given, what exactly is meant?

The Ophir specification on accuracy is in general 2 sigma standard deviation. This means, for instance, that if we list the accuracy as +/-3%, this means that 95% of the sensors will be within this accuracy and 99% will be within +/-4%.