Yokogawa launches higher-performance successor to market-leading AQ6315A wideband optical spectrum analyser

The new AQ6374 is the successor to the Yokogawa and ANDO-branded market-leading AQ6315A wideband optical spectrum analyser. Featuring diffraction grating based monochromator technology delivering high-precision measurement performance and accuracy, an enhanced user interface and an air purging feature, the new instrument offers engineers a powerful benchtop tool for general-purpose optical spectrum measurements over the wavelength range from 350 to 1750 nm. 

By inheriting and enhancing the control technologies originally developed for the AQ6370 series, the AQ6374 model achieves superior operability and measurement speeds up to 40 times that achieved by the AQ6315A. The ability to sample 100001 points of data (100 times as much as the AQ6315A) enables measurement over a broad wavelength range with high resolution, while data-transfer rates during remote control via Ethernet are up to 100 times faster than for the AQ6315A.

The measurement performance achieved by the monochromator technology include a wavelength resolution setting from 0.05 to 10 nm, a wavelength accuracy of ±0.05 nm (at 633 and 1523 nm) or ±0.2 nm (from 350 to 1700 nm), a level accuracy of ±1.0 dB, level sensitivity of -80 dBm (from 900 to 1600 nm), a measurable power range from -80 to +20 dBm, a close‐in dynamic range of 60 dB (peak ± 1.0 nm, resolution 0.05 nm), and a sweep time less than 0.5 sec.

Internal data storage of 512 Mbyte is included, and external data storage is supported via a USB interface. Ethernet RJ-45 and GP‐IB interfaces are also incorporated. A built‐in calibration source is provided for a full-automatic optical alignment and wavelength calibration, which takes just a few minutes.

The new purging feature is designed to minimise the influence of water-vapour absorption on spectral measurements by continuously supplying a pure purge gas such as nitrogen (or just some dry air) to the monochromator through dedicated connectors on the back panel.

The AQ6374 features an ergonomically designed graphical user interface for maximum user friendliness, incorporating elements such as a full text menu, aggregation of measurement conditions, display of a "hard key" menu the same as the panel layout, and a trace setting menu.