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Tunable KiloArc™

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Lamp Housing

You would have to buy 6 old style vertical lamp housings to deliver the same number of photons that a KiloArc™ delivers to a single point!

At the heart of every OBB KiloArc™ is a proprietary on-axis ellipsoidal reflector. Our reflectors collect up to 70% of the radiant energy from the arc lamp, versus only 12% for typical condenser systems in vertical lamp housings. The ellipse literally wraps around the arc lamp, collecting 5 to 6 times more output power than from a conventional system.

The arc source is located at one focus points of the ellipse, and the radiation is reflected by the ellipse to the secondary focus which is actually outside of the KiloArc™. Since the light is brought to a focus by reflection rather than refraction (through a lens), there are less losses from absorption or lens-surface back-reflection. This design is so efficient that an OBB Lamp housing can deliver  up to 11 times more optical power into a given smaller area than a conventional lamp housing.

Our ellipsoidal reflectors are proprietary in design and the coating used. They are NOT electro-formed reflectors, which can distort with heat, and can degrade within months. Our proprietary design ensures that distortion of the critical ellipsoid cannot occur as the lamp reaches its operating temperature. This ensures thermal stability of focus. The coating ensures reasonably long operating life, typically 2–3 years.

The KiloArc™ ellipsoidal reflector is an f/4 reflector. The f/# is important when considering matching the KiloArc™ source to some other components like, fiber optics, liquid light guides or monochromators. However f/# for an ellipsoidal reflector is not an indicator of light collection as it is in a simple lens design. The shape and size of the ellipsoidal reflector determines how much light is collected from the lamp arc. The f/# only determines the focal cone angle.

The KiloArc™ is air cooled. However since the system uses ozone free lamps, there is no ozone or venting requirements, although there is an exhaust hose adapter if you want to vent the warm air out of a lab.

The OBB KiloArc™ is a sealed arc lamp housing with a quartz window through which the focused light is delivered. Below is the spectral transmission curve for the quartz window.

Quartz Spectral Transmision Curve

Lamp

Unique Quick Release Self Aligning Lamp Replacement.

You have a choice of two lamps depending on the spectral output that you require; xenon or mercury-xenon. The lamps are provided as a complete pre-aligned assembly which includes a cooling fin and a quick release self aligning connector. Of course you may order both types of lamps as they are interchangeable.

The xenon gas used in the lamp provides continuous spectra from 180 nm to 2,500 nm at varying intensities (refer to spectral output graph). The mercury-xenon provides more of a line spectra (refer to spectral output graph). The spectral curves for xenon and mercury-xenon are normalized (relative intensities) therefore, although you cannot tell from the curves, the mercury-xenon lamp actually has greater intensities than the xenon lamp at it’s various peaks. Refer to specifications web page for detailed spectral characteristics of these two lamps.

The KiloArc™ uses ozone free quartz lamps which cut off the deep UV below 240 nm.

Typical lamp lifetime is 1,500 hrs. The lamp lifetime is highly dependent on operating conditions. Lamps should not be operated above their rated wattage (1,000 W).

Lamp Spectrum Band Pass Intensity Charts

Xenon Lamp Spectrum

Xenon Intensity Chart

Wavelength	% output	Wavelength	% output	Wavelength	%output	Wavelength	% output
250-300	2.489	750-800	4.682	1250-1300	0.896	1750-1800	0.345
300-350	3.540	800-850	8.914	1300-1350	0.705	1800-1850	0.306
350-400	4.577	850-900	6.284	1350-1400	0.931	1850-1900	0.306
400-450	5.245	900-950	6.788	1400-1450	0.919	1900-1950	0.306
450-500	5.626	950-1000	5.848	1450-1500	1.118	1950-2000	0.268
500-550	5.214	1000-1050	2.871	1500-1550	0.701	2000-2050	0.345
550-600	5.729	1050-1100	1.953	1550-1600	0.513	2050-2100	0.230
600-650	6.472	1100-1150	1.402	1600-1650	0.515	2100-2150	0.230
650-700	5.649	1150-1200	1.593	1650-1700	0.552	2150-2200	0.230
700-750	4.862	1200-1250	0.846	1700-1750	0.428	TOTAL	100.000

 

Mercury/Xenon Lamp Spectrum

Mercury/Xenon Intensity Chart

Wavelength	% output	Wavelength	% output	Wavelength	%output	Wavelength	% output
260-270	2.205	380-390	0.538	500-510	0.199	800-900	3.186
270-280	2.678	390-400	0.488	510-520	0.199	900-1000	2.947
280-290	2.877	400-410	2.862	520-530	0.199	1000-1100	3.942
290-300	4.231	410-420	0.304	530-540	0.249	1100-1200	3.544
300-310	3.883	420-430	0.319	540-550	3.325	1200-1300	2.190
310-320	5.730	430-440	5.207	550-560	1.563	1300-1400	4.580
320-330	0.538	440-450	0.498	560-570	0.249	1400-1500	2.091
330-340	1.572	450-460	0.199	570-580	3.463	1500-1600	2.449
340-350	0.448	460-470	0.199	580-590	4.908	1600-1700	2.051
350-360	0.886	470-480	0.199	590-600	0.521	1700-1800	2.190
360-370	8.403	480-490	0.229	600-700	3.467	1800-1900	1.990
370-380	1.473	490-500	0.483	700-800	2.041	1900-2000	1.990

 

Power Supply

The KiloArc™ illuminator has a dedicated 1,000 watt power supply and igniter built into it. The power supply is a high efficiency switch-mode type supply. It is rated at 1,200 watts to ensure that it is not operated at the limit of its range. This provides better stability and longer lifetime when operated at 1,000 W. The KiloArc™ has triple shielding and electronic filtering to ensure that there is no RF transmitted or radiated out of the illuminator to interfere with sensitive equipment, like computers.

Igniter

The internal igniter provides a 45 KV pulse for reliable lamp ignition. Ignition noise can disrupt, or even destroy, sensitive equipment in the vicinity of an arc lamp during start-up. This can be quite a concern in a crowded lab environment. OBB Engineers carefully designed and tested the KiloArc’s triple shielding housing and electronic filtering to ensure that there is no RF transmitted or radiated out of the illuminator

KiloArc™ Power Supply and Igniter Specifications
Input	210–240 V AC 50/60 Hz
Starting	45 kV starting pulse
Power Rating	800–1200 watts (adjustable) — recommended 800–1000 watts
Output Volts Compliance	17–23 VDC
Output Current Limit	70 A rms

 

Smart Features

There are two LED indicators on the back, one called the “STATUS” which shows the modes of operation: cool down, stand by, or error. The other is an ERROR indication. It senses problems and displays error codes when they occur.

Particular considerations were paid to safety. The lamp chamber and power supply are constantly monitored for heat, as well as the airflow for cooling. If there are problems the lamp will shut down automatically and you will receive an appropriate error message. If the access door to the lamp is loose or open the lamp will turn off, or not ignite..

We tried to make the operation as fool proof, safe and reliable as possible, making the KiloArc™ ideal for commercial applications.

Mounting Information

In case you wanted to mount the KiloArc™ the following are the mounting options on the base plate of the supply:

Set of Feet

The KiloArc™ comes without feet on a level plate. In case you want to operate it on a surface that requires leveling, we can provide you with a set of four adjustable feet.

4-Inch Exhaust Hose Adaptor

The KiloArc™ does not generate harmful levels of ozone (less than a typical copier). It does generate some heat. Therefore venting is not a requirement, but if you do desire to vent the exhaust from the KiloArc™, select this option.

This extremely rugged monochromator is built from a single solid metal casting that includes the base plate, optical mounts and all four sides of the unit. Inside the monochromator has extensive baffles to reduce stray light. There is an entrance and exit baffle box at the entrance and exit silts, as well as a center baffle that separates the input side from the exit side of the monochromator.

The monochromator has four optional ports that can be utilized for two inputs and two outputs. In the standard configuration it comes with one entrance and one exit port. This gives you a choice of four different input/output geometries:

180° Straight Line – with folding mirrors on entrance and exit

90° Right Angle – with folding mirror on the exit side

90° Left Angle – with folding mirror on the entrance side

360° – with no folding mirrors

180° Straight Line	90° Right Angle
90° Left Angle	360°

 

You can also elect as an option to have two entrance ports or two exit ports. This option adds an appropriate flipping mirror(s) and slit assemblies. The flipping mirror is manually switched to receive light from either entrance port, or to deliver light to either exit port depending on the configuration.

Dual Exit Ports	Dual Entrance Ports	Dual Entrance and Exit Ports

 

Slits

The monochromator slits are continuously adjustable manual slits with micrometers for adjustment. The slits also have a digital readout of the physical slit size selected. The slit housing also has a manually sliding shutter to quickly shut off or open the light path. This manual shutter has a variable height adjustment to allow you to adjust the allowable slit height.

Gratings

There is a wide selection of gratings to choose from depending on the optical requirements. All gratings are 50 x 50 mm flat gratings. The Ruled gratings have better optical throughput and Holographic gratings have improved stray light characteristics. Ruled gratings have two fundamental parameters to choose from; the groove density, expressed in grooves (or lines) per millimeter, and the blaze angle which nominally refers to the peak reflectance wavelength expressed in nanometers.
The groove density affects the resolution and mechanical scanning range of the monochromator. Below is a reference chart showing the affect groove density has on the mechanical scanning range of the monochromator as well as the reciprocal linear dispersion.

 

Groove Density	Mechanical Scanning Range (nm)	Reciprocal Linear Dispersion (nm/mm)
2,400 g/mm	0 to 550 nm	2 nm/mm
1,200 g/mm	0 to 1,100 nm	4 nm/mm
600 g/mm	0 to 2,200 nm	8 nm/mm
300 g/mm	0 to 4,400 nm	16 nm/mm
150 g/mm	0 to 8,800 nm	32 nm/mm

 

An optional dual grating mount allows you to select two different gratings, say to optimize throughput in different wavelength ranges. The gratings are positioned back to back and a switch dial is available at the top of the monochromator to manually choose which grating is to be used.

Below is a list of our standard gratings. Other gratings are also available upon request.

Available Gratings

Part #	Description	Grating Curve
200	600 g/mm, 1,250 nm blaze	Download Curve
201	1,200 g/mm 300 nm blaze	Download Curve
202	1,200 g/mm 400 nm blaze	Download Curve
203	1,200 g/mm, 500 nm blaze	Download Curve
204	Holographic grating 300–800 nm	Download Curve
205	75 g/mm 10.0 µm blaze	Download Curve
206	150 g/mm, 4.0 µm blaze	Download Curve
207	300 g/mm, 2.0 µm blaze	Download Curve
209	600 g/mm, 750 nm blaze	Download Curve
211	600 g/mm 1.0 µm blaze	Download Curve
212	1,200 g/mm, 600 nm blaze	Download Curve
213	1,200 line/mm, 750 nm blaze	Download Curve

 

Wavelength Control

The monochromator wavelength is controlled with a manual dial and readout. The readout is designed to be in true wavelength in nanometers for the 1,200 g/mm grating. For other gratings you have to multiply the dial readout by a factor depending on the actual grating resolution. For example with the 600 g/mm grating you multiply the digital readout by 2 to arrive at the true wavelength position of the monochromator.

Programmable Computer Control

An optional computer control accessory is available. It includes a stepper motor assembly, an MD-1000 USB motor controller interface box and a LabVIEW* driver for computer control of the monochromator wavelength with LabVIEW software from National Instruments.

A very simple software package is also provided by OBB to remotely select the wavelength and control the shutter. Requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating system.

Software Screen Shots
Click to enlarge

 

OBB has a policy of continuous product development and reserves the right to amend part numbers, descriptions and specifications without prior notice.