Achievement of 0.005% combined transfer uncertainties in the NIST detector calibration facility

Abstract

Improvements in a lamp-monochromator-based facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Visible near-infrared Spectral Comparator Facility (VisSCF) which is used to calibrate optical detectors for spectral radiant power responsivity from 300 nm to 1100 nm, are described. These changes include extending the VisSCF operational range down to 300 nm from 350 nm, thereby fully covering the ultraviolet-A (UVA) spectral region and partially covering the UVB range. These improvements have lowered the magnitudes of most of the components in the uncertainty budget and have led to combined 0.005% transfer (k = 1) uncertainties in the spectral power responsivity calibrations over most of the spectral range. Redevelopment of the uncertainty budget results in total expanded uncertainties of spectral responsivities of less than 0.1% (k = 2) over the spectral range from 380 nm to 980 nm, with the greatest uncertainty term coming from the calibrations of the transfer standards.