NIR Mini-Spectrometer (900-1700 nm)

Sensitive and stable, Hamamatsu’s uncooled miniature spectrometer operates between 900 nm and 1700 nm. Its 4- to 5-nm typical resolution provides enough information for NIR analysis while still achieving high throughput. Small and rugged, this spectrometer is an ideal replacement for larger, more expensive cooled spectrometers. Our spectrometer offers several features and benefits.

Sensitivity

Transmission optics behaves almost ideally in the NIR. Our 100% fused silica master diffraction grating and conventional lenses produce high transmission and low stray light.

Stability

Compared to reflective grating designs, our in-line designs, with the input on one side and the detector on the opposite side, have smaller diffraction angles. Smaller angles improve thermal stability and reduce aberrations.

Our thermal compensation construction includes solid, large area contacts for increased stability. No epoxies, polymers, or gels exist in the optical path.

Uncooled and stable

Industrial users commonly pick an optimal integration time and then rarely change operating conditions. With fast integration times and normal indoor environments, there is little reason to use a cooled spectrometer. Fast integration times are readout noise limited. Further reduction of dark current through cooling may have no benefit. In contrast, when signal levels are very low and users need to integrate for seconds, cooling is very beneficial. Hamamatsu sells a C9913GB cooled spectrometer for those applications.

Faster can be better

Industrial applications sometimes measure rapidly moving or changing products. The ability to integrate fast reduces data blur. Faster acquisition gives a more accurate measurement and provides the user with more precise data.

Small size

Small enough to fit in your hand, our miniature spectrometer proves beneficial when size and portability matters.

Powered just by USB

One USB connection provides all the power this uncooled spectrometer needs. Cooled spectrometers require additional power supplies.

Interface and software

USB spectrometers are standard with a complete software CD. Included on the CD are the following:

A simple windows XP program (executable) for out-of-the-box operation and normal use
Hardware, Software, Design, and Developer’s manuals
API, files, and examples for Visual Basic, C++, and Labview .dll wrapper

Example applications

Water content measurement
Film thickness measurement
Pharmaceutical analysis
Chemical analysis (overtone regions H₂O, ROH, CH, RNH₂, etc.)
Spectral light source monitoring

C9406GC photo

C9406GC NIR spectrometer

dimensional outline

Dimensional Outline (unit: mm, tolerance unless otherwise noted: ±0.5)

Inside the C9406GC

picture of g9204-512d image sensor

At the heart of our NIR miniature spectrometer is a Hamamatsu InGaAs linear image sensor (G9204-512D). For more information, click here.

Miniature Spectrometer Lineup

Hamamatsu manufactures a variety of miniature spectrometers which cover a broad spectral range from UV to NIR. Each spectrometer has a special feature to offer such as high resolution, high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, low noise, or ultra-compact size. Also available are OEM models designed for installation into portable measuring devices.

Below is a chart showing various members of our spectrometer lineup. Click on a product number to view product information.