A novel instrument for measurement of low-level scattering from optical components in the UV region

摘要

The quality improvement of optical components for UV application demands increasing sensitivity of the instruments for optical losses measurement. In the optical region between 150 and 350 nm dedicated set-ups are normally needed to measure low-level scattering. Such instruments typically perform single-wavelength measurements, corresponding to that of the laser used. Another draw-back of such sophisticated tools is their elevated costs and the necessity of the staff specially prepared to handle with. Here we propose a novel instrument (patent pending) for measurement of spectral scattering from the high quality optical components in both UV and visible range. It permits spectral data acquisition being positioned as an attachment to a commercial spectrophotometer, and the wavelength range is limited mostly by the spectrophotometer characteristics. The advantage of low costs of a set-up constructed in the base of widely diffused commercial spectrophotometers is combined with the simplicity of its implementation. Moreover, the proposed instrument can be a base for the measurement of scattered light in a dedicated experimental set-up having the light source and the detectors different from those of a commercial spectrophotometer. Some examples of such ad-hoc setups are discussed here as well.