Yokogawa AQ6376

Optical Spectrum Analyzer, range: 1500-3400nm.

Range from 1500 to 3400 nm
High sensitivity up to -65 dBm
High resolution up to 0.10 nm
Purge function (water vapor removal)
Free Space optical input

Introduction to the Yokogawa AQ6376

The AQ6376 is the latest version of our benchtop optical spectrum analyzer, extending the wavelength range far beyond the NIR range of our previous models into the MWIR region from 1500 to 3400 nm.

Popular applications include the detection of gases such as carbon oxides (COx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbon gas (CxHy) for environmental studies.

As with the long-wavelength model, it offers the additional benefits of gas-purge input/output ports, a built-in cut filter for high-order diffracted light and an innovative dual-speed mode. It increases the sweep speed by up to 2 times compared with the standard mode.

Key features

Long wavelength range from 1500 to 3400 nm
Gas-purge ports to reduce water vapor effects
Built-in cut filter for high-order diffracted light
Dual-speed mode to increase measurement speed
High sensitivity up to -65 dBm
High resolution up to 0.10 nm
Wide close-in dynamic range (55dB)
Fast auto calibration
Free Space optical input providing maximum flexibility, low maintenance costs and high reliability
Excellent performance in detecting environmental gases using laser spectroscopy
An essential tool for research and development as well as the production of optical devices in the wavelength range from the telecom band up to 3.4 µm

Purge function

Due to its high resolution and sensitivity, the AQ6376 can actually detect the presence of water molecules in the air. Water vapor is detected in the upper region of the near-infrared wavelength range and may overlap with or mask the spectral features of the actual device under test in this particular region.
By continuously supplying pure nitrogen to the monochromator through the ports on the rear panel, the AQ6376 can reduce the influence of water vapor absorption and deliver more reliable and accurate measurements than ever before.

Built-in cut filter for high-order light

Due to the diffraction technology used, the monochromator may under certain circumstances generate high-order diffracted light, which appears at wavelengths equal to an integer multiple of the input wavelengths.
By cutting incoming light below 1500 nm with the built-in filter, the AQ6376 drastically reduces the influence of high-order diffracted light on the measurement. Therefore, the measured data are always reliable and reproduce the actual signal under test.

Dual-speed mode

Increases the sweep speed by up to 2 times compared with the standard sweep mode, with a loss of only 2 dB relative to the standard sensitivity value.

Long wavelength range: from 1500 nm to 3400 nm

The AQ6376 covers not only the wavelength used in communications but also the 3 µm region, which is used in environmental sensing, medicine, biology and industrial applications.

High sensitivity: up to -65dBm

The AQ6376 can measure optical power from +13dBm to -65dBm thanks to its highly dynamic and very low-noise components and circuits used for photodetection. This enables precise measurements of both high- and low-power sources.
The measurement sensitivity can be selected from 7 values according to the measurement speed required for the specific test to be performed.

High resolution and wide dynamic range

The AQ6376 uses a double-pass monochromator structure to achieve high wavelength resolution (0.10 nm) and a wide close-in dynamic range (55 dB). In this way, closely spaced signals and noise can be measured separately.

Speed and calibration

Fast sweeping

Thanks to a proprietary sweeping technique, the AQ6376 achieves a significantly higher sweep speed than conventional measurement systems that use a monochromator. The maximum sweep time is only 0.5 sec for a 100 nm span.

Fast command processing and data transfer

By using a fast microprocessor, the AQ6376 achieves very high command-processing speed, and the Ethernet interface provides up to 100 times faster data transfer speed than GP-IB.

Fast auto calibration

The AQ6376 has a built-in light source used for wavelength calibration and optical alignment of the monochromator elements, so that it can always provide accurate measurements.

The calibration and alignment process takes less than 2 minutes and is fully automatic.

NOTE: Wavelength calibration can also be performed using an external reference source.

Free Space optical input

The AQ6376 uses a free-space optical input structure, i.e. no optical fiber is mounted inside the instrument.

This design makes the instrument:

TROUBLE-FREE, because no internal fiber can be scratched or contaminated
MAINTENANCE-FREE, because there is no need to clean internal fibers
VERSATILE, because the instrument accepts /PC and /APC connectors
MULTIPURPOSE, because the instrument accepts both single-mode and multimode fibers, without the high insertion loss caused by MM-SM fiber matching

Applications of spectrum analyzers

Free Space input

Technical specification

Band		Telecom		VIS	VIS & Telecom	exNIR	MWIR	MWIR
Model		AQ6370D-12	AQ6370D-22	AQ6373B	AQ6374	AQ6375B	AQ6376	AQ6377

Wavelength range		600-1700nm		350-1200nm	350-1750nm	1200 nm-2400nm	1500nm-3400nm	1900 nm-5500nm
Application		General applications, telecommunications		Bio-Photonics	General applications, telecommunications, bio-photonics	Environmental monitoring, gas detection	Environmental monitoring, gas detection	Environmental monitoring, gas detection
Applicable fibers		SM, GI50, GI62.5 large-core fibers up to 200µm		SM, GI50, GI62.5 large-core fibers up to 800µm	SM, GI50, GI62.5 large-core fibers up to 800µm	SM, GI50, GI62.5	SM, GI50, GI62.5	SM, large-core fibers up to 400µm
Wavelength resolution setting (nm)	Min	0.02		0.01	0.05	0.05	0.1	0.2
	Max	2		10	10	2	2	5
Wavelength accuracy (nm)		±0.1 (Full range) ±0.04 (1450 to 1520 nm)		±0.2 (Full range) +/-0.05 nm (633 nm)	±0.2 (Full range) ±0.05 (633 nm) ±0.05 (1523 nm)	±0.5 (Full range) ±0.05(1520 to 1580nm) ±0.1(1580 to 1620nm)	±0.5 (Full range)	±0.5 (Full range)
		+/-0.02 nm(1580 to 1620nm)	+/-0.01 nm (1580 to 1620 nm)
Maximum sensitivity		-90dBm (1300 to 1620nm)		-80dBm(500 to 1000nm)	-80dBm(900 to 1600nm)	-70dBm(1800 to 2200nm)	-65dBm(1500 to 2200nm)	-60dBm(2900 to 4500nm)