PT-9610 Radiometer
PD-2T Laser Power Detector

In most laser power measurement applications radiant laser power is the one and only qualifying parameter. However in a few specific applications the radiant power noise characteristic is of interest as well. Typically in these applications the detector bandwidth cannot be limited to reduce the signal noise through long integration times. One common example of this involves laser imaging scanners. The very high scanning frequency of these systems requires very fast detection systems without bandwidth limitation. Because of this the noise level and noise characteristic of the laser, used as a light source, influences the signal to noise ratio and therefore the imaging resolution. In 1996 Gigahertz-Optik developed the PT-9610 in close cooperation with a main manufacturer of laser imaging scanners to design a simple to use mobile meter for production and field service use. Eventually the PT-9610 became a reference standard for laser manufacturers supplying lasers for this type of application. The PT-9610 operates in two basic modes. Laser power is measured in CW mode. Plus power oscillation about the mean value (modulation component) is measured and can be analyzed in six different ways:

• r.m.s. wide band value - up to 1MHz
• r.m.s low frequency value - 830Hz (-3dB), 480Hz (-1.5dB)
• r.m.s. high frequency value - 280Hz (-3dB), 480Hz (-1.5dB)
• positive peak value
• negative peak value
• peak to peak value

The PT-9610’s PD-2T laser power detector is low profile only 8mm high with a removable grip for easy placement into tight spaces like inside equipment. Its unique design which includes a miniature integrating sphere made from synthetic ODM98 coating and fast PIN silicon photodiode provide a detection range of up to 120mW and 1MHz. Radiant power sensitivity calibration is provided from 350 to 650nm in 10nm steps and at 351nm, 364nm, 405nm, 426nm, 441nm, 458nm, 473nm, 476nm, 488nm, 496nm, 514nm, 532nm, 543nm, 568nm, 594nm, 612nm, 633nm and 647nm. The calibration data is stored in the detector calibration data connector.