Design and testing of a two-monochromator reference spectrofluorimeter for high-accuracy total radiance factor measurements

Abstract

A two-monochromator reference spectrofluorimeter has been developed at the National Research Council of Canada in accordance with International Commission on Illumination and American Society for Testing and Materials colorimetry standards to permit high-accuracy total spectral radiance factor measurements of fluorescent materials. This fully automated instrument employs a xenon-arc light source, all-reflective optics, two grating monochromators with order-sorting filters, a cooled photomultiplier tube analyzing detector, and a calibrated silicon photodiode monitor detector. The instrument operating range is 250-1050 nm with a selectable bandpass (optimized for a 5-nm resolution), and the measurement geometry is 45 degrees annular illumination and 0 degrees viewing (45/0). We describe the instrument's design, testing, and verification procedures. Systematic errors that have been determined and corrected for include instrument polarization, beam nonuniformity, wavelength shifts, stray light, and system drift. The wavelength accuracy and reproducibility are estimated to better than +/-0.1 and +/-0.03 nm, respectively. The photometric short-term repeatability and long-term reproducibility are estimated to be better than +/-0.15% and +/-0.5%, respectively. The overall photometric accuracy is better than 1% of the value over a wide range of reflectances, and the reproducibility of the color specification of a fluorescent material is better than 0.25 DeltaE(ab) units.