Knowledge Base

  Typical example of a recorded subthreshold spectrum of a Fabry-Perot laser made with APEX Technologies ultra high resolution Optical Spectrum Analyser. This application note presents the time measurements of the optical gain in a semiconductor laser using the Apex Technolgoies High Resolution Optical Spectrum Analyser AP2040/AP2050 series. The high resolution allows for accurate gain measurements close to the lasing...

Optical Spectrum of the 23.6-Gb/s OFDM signal measured with APEX Technologies High resolution Optical Spectrum Analyser This paper shows the great utility of the Apex Technologies High Resolution Optical Spectrum Analyser AP2040/AP2050 series in demonstrating a 23.6-Gb/s optical Orthogonal Freqency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) (20-Gb/s after coding) with a colourless transmitter, realised by optical IQ multiplexing. In combination with 8-QAM coding...

Spectral measurement of a Comb with 20 MHz repetition frequency made by the APEX Technologies High Resolution Optical Spectrum Analyser This paper is devoted to present the capacity of the Apex Technologies High Resolution Optical Spectrum Analyser/Optical Complex Spectrum Analyser to show clearly all the Optical Comb sidebands even with a few tens of MHz spacing. Two commercial Optical Frequency...

High return loss in a network or data centre is an issue that can cause a number of problems ranging from source stability to increased BER and a lower signal-to-noise ratio. As a result, pass/fail criteria on fibre optic connections has jumped in recent years as advancements in polishing techniques have allowed for fibre optic matings with lower reflections. Click...

A frequency response analyser is a piece of test equipment designed to inject a sinewave into a circuit, and measure the frequency response of the circuit at multiple test points in order to generate a gain and phase response. This application provides Frequency Response Analysis (FRA) capabilities for the PicoScope instruments from Pico Technology. The FRA uses a common technique...

Metricon’s prism coupling instruments have been referenced in numerous scientific journal articles spanning a wide range of disciplines. This list of Journal References on the prism coupling technique is divided into the following categories: An initial short section entitled "Basic Theory of Prism Coupling" lists representative articles on the theory of thin film waveguides and the prism coupling technique. To...

Metricon’s Model 2010/M offers important advantages over ellipsometry for many applications - unmatched refractive index accuracy, dramatically simpler operation and data analysis, and greater tolerance of poor sample quality. Although prism couplers and ellipsometers can both be used to measure the index of bulk materials and to simultaneously measure film thickness and refractive index, there are major differences in the...

The Metricon Model 2010/M prism coupler offers unmatched ease and accuracy in measuring: Refractive index/birefringence of bulk materials Refractive index and thickness of thin films Loss of optical waveguides Compared to instruments based on optical interference, ellipsometry, or Abbe refractometry, the Metricon 2010/M’s prism coupling technology provides unmatched index accuracy/resolution, and minimal sample preparation is required. The system also measures...

The Model 2010/M can be used to measure thickness and index for one or both films of a dual film structure (as many as four film parameters) provided the top film has a higher refractive index than the lower film. Dual film measurements on transparent substrates or underlying (third layer) films are even possible in many cases. Detailed specifications for...

The accuracy of the Model 2010/M’s refractive index measurement makes possible monitoring of the concentration of phosphorus (and potentially other dopants) in PSG and BPSG films with a combination of speed, simplicity, and sensitivity unmatched by other techniques. The phosphorus monitoring application is based on the fact that as phosphorus concentration in SiO2 increases, refractive index also increases. For the...