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Modular sensors for tailored photonic testing setups
Keysight optical power meter heads serve as the sensing front-end that converts optical signals into electrical output for measurement. Designed for accuracy and durability, each head is calibrated for specific wavelength ranges and power levels. Sensor types include InGaAs, germanium, and silicon detectors with optional integrating spheres and filters for optimized performance. With support for a wide range of fiber connectors and configurations, our optical power meter heads enable you to tailor your measurement setup to your application. Pair the right sensor head with the interface you need to maximize accuracy, protect against overload, and match your specific device under test. Choose one of our popular configurations or configure one specific to your application.
Wavelength-optimized sensors
Available with InGaAs, silicon, or germanium sensors optimized for specific spectral ranges to deliver high accuracy and sensitivity in optical measurements.
Wide power range
Measure from picowatts to high-power levels with specialized heads, allowing precise characterization of low-level signals and protection against high-power overloads.
Swappable connectors
Support for a wide variety of optical connector types enables easy adaptation to different devices under test (DUTs) and testing scenarios without extensive reconfiguration.
Polarization-sensitive
Low polarization-dependent loss (PDL) heads for polarization-sensitive applications, enabling more accurate and reliable measurements.
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Type
Head, Interface
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Power range
+10 dBm to -90 dBm, +10 dBm to -80 dBm, +27 dBm to -70 dBm, +40 dBm to -60 dBm
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Wavelength range
800 nm to 1700 nm, 450 nm to 1020 nm, 750 nm to 1800 nm, 850 nm to 1650 nm
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Sensor type
InGaAs, Si, Ge
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Uncertainty at reference conditions
± 2.2% to ± 3.0%
Most popular configurations
InGaAs Optical Power Head
High Power Optical Head with Integrating Sphere
Optical Head Interface
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Frequently asked questions
An optical power meter head is a modular, interchangeable sensor unit that connects to an optical power meter mainframe or interface. It is the component responsible for directly detecting the optical signal and converting it into an electrical signal for measurement.
These modular heads offer increased flexibility in configuring your optical test system for R&D, manufacturing, or service applications.
Choosing between modular power meter heads and multiport optical power meters depends on your need for flexibility versus parallelism.
Use modular optical power meter heads when:
- You need to test a wide variety of wavelengths or power levels: Modular heads come with different detector technologies like InGaAs, silicon, or thermal sensors. This allows precise matching to the signal wavelength and dynamic range required by your test.
- You require flexible physical input configurations: Some DUTs may need bare fiber adapters, angled connectors, or even free-space input. Modular heads offer interchangeable fiber adapters and custom interfaces to accommodate non-standard or specialty optics.
- You work with high-power or ultra-sensitive optical signals: Certain modular heads are optimized for low-noise detection down to nanowatt levels, while others are built with integrating spheres or attenuators to safely handle high-power lasers without damaging the sensor.
- You need application-specific functionality: Some heads are engineered for polarization-dependent measurements, high stability, or low PDL, ideal for coherent optics, quantum photonics, or metrology-grade testing.
In contrast, multiport optical power meters are designed for high-throughput production test, offering multiple parallel measurement channels in a fixed configuration. They are ideal when you need to test many identical devices simultaneously, but they lack the adaptability offered by modular systems.
Yes. Keysight optical power meter interfaces are designed with modularity in mind, allowing you to swap sensor heads as your testing needs change. For example, you can use a high-sensitivity InGaAs head for optical filter characterization, then switch to a high-power thermal head for laser transmitter testing, all without changing the mainframe. This helps reduce downtime when transitioning between test setups.
Some advanced optical power meter heads include integrating spheres and optical filters to extend their performance capabilities:
- Integrating spheres: These are used in free-space or high-divergence beam applications to collect light more uniformly across the sensor surface. They’re ideal for diffuse light sources, LED testing, and calibrated power measurements in high-power or unstable beam profiles.
- Optical filters: Filters are used to extend the dynamic range by attenuating high-power signals, protect sensitive detectors from damage or saturation, block unwanted wavelengths, such as ambient light or pump laser emissions in WDM or Raman setups, and flatten spectral response for more accurate broadband measurements