Integrating sphere as an instrument for sphere integration

If your application requires measurement of a widely diverging beam, an integrating sphere is the best option to consider. An integrating sphere is an optical component that captures a light beam and enables you to measure the power in the beam under conditions that would otherwise be very challenging. A widely diverging beam that might overfill a regular sensor aperture.

Sphere integration

The inner surface of the sphere is coated with a highly diffused white coating. The beam enters the sphere through an opening. The inner surface is so highly diffused that the light is reflected multiple times in all the directions. This causes the light to be uniformly distributed around the entire inner surface of the sphere.

You can think of it as a diffuser but in three dimensions, there are many design details that need to be optimized for various applications including the size of the sphere, the type of the detector used, placing of internal baffles to prevent direct to prevent direct illumination of the detector by the source.

Because of the uniform distribution of the light inside the sphere, we can use a power sensor to sample a small part of the sphere’s inner surface. We can measure the power by knowing the area of the sensor and the surface area of the sphere. We can automatically apply a calibration factor to get the total power in the sphere. This optical trick makes the readings independent of the beam size, position divergence.

Applications

We can use an integrating sphere to measure power from sources whose beams are widely diverging such as LEDs, Vic CIL’s and other laser diodes, and fiber optics. Parallel laser beams can also be measured taking advantage of the fact that the integrating sphere effectively attenuates the beam by having only a small fraction of it.
For example, we can make use of the fast response of a photodiode sensor and measure powers that if directly incident on the photodiode would saturate it.

Advantages of Integrating Sphere

• The sphere is essentially insensitive to misalignment of the beam.
• Integrating spheres also have extra ports from which light can be sampled for other uses. For example, to perform spectral measurement or analyze temporal pulse shape.
• Integrating spheres can be used to measure transmittance or reflectance of diffuse or scattering materials.
• The test sample would be placed at the entrance port of the sphere or at a part opposite to the entrance port depending on the details of what’s being measured.
• We can also use the sphere in the reverse direction instead of using it as a collecting device for capturing and measuring a beam.
• In addition, the radiating spheres can be used to measure the total light radiated from the lamp.
• Integrating sphere is mostly used in optical measurements.
• We can measure the total power of a light without any inaccuracy. Apart from that, reflection and absorption of samples can be easily understood.

High Precision Spectroradiometer Integrating Sphere System

LPCE-2(LMS-9000) is a high CCD Spectroradiometer with good precision. It has a good Integration Sphere Testing System, that is best suitable for the photometric and colorimetric measurement of all the luminaries such as Energy-saving lamps, Fluorescent lamps and HID lamps. HID lamps are high voltage sodium pumps and mercury lamps with high voltage.

The measurements in the final data meet the requirements of CIE, EN, and LM-79 clause 9.1. These measurements are useful for the measurement of photometry and colorimetry.

LPCE-2 Integrating Sphere Spectroradiometer LED Testing System is useful for single LEDs and LED lighting products light measurement. The quality of LEDs can be tested by analyzing its photometric, colorimetric and electrical parameters.

Standard System Configuration

• The integrating sphere (LMS-9000C) features;
• An Optical Fiber (CFO-1.5M)
• Digital Power Meter (LS2050B)
• DC Power source (DC3005)
• AC Power source (LSP-500VARC)
• Integrating Sphere (IS-1.5MA and IS-0.3M(option))
• A Standard Light Source (SLS-50W and SLS-10W)
• 19 Inch Cabinet (CASE-19IN)

Measurements

• Colorimetric: Coordination of Chromaticity, CCT, Color Ratio, Peak Wavelength, Half Bandwidth
• Photometric: Luminous Flux, Power radiancy, Energy Efficiency Class, EEI, Pupil Flux Efficiency, Pupil Factor, Cirtopic Flux and PPF
• Electrical: Voltage, Current, Power, Power factor, and Displacement Factor
• LED optical maintenance test: Flux VS Time, CCT VS time, CRI VS time, Power VS time, Power factor VS time, Current VS time, Flux efficiency VS time.

Specification

• Spectral Wavelength Accuracy: ±0.3nm, Wavelength Reproducibility: ±0.1nm
• Sample Scanning Steps: ±0.1nm
• Accuracy of Chromaticity Coordinate (Δx, Δy): ±0.002 (under Standard A Lamp)
• Correlated Color Temperature CCT: 1,500K~100,000K, CCT Accuracy: ±0.3%
• Color Rendering Index Range: 0~100.0, Accuracy: ±(0.3%rd±0.3)
• Photometric linear: ±0.5%
• Stray light: <0.015%(600nm) and <0.03%(435nm)
• Integration Time: 0.1~10,000ms
• It can measure the temperatures inside and outside of integrating sphere
• Flux testing method: spectrum, photometric and spectrum with photometric revision
• The system includes the auxiliary lamp device and the software includes self-absorption function
• It can measure the temperatures inside and outside of integrating sphere
• Connect with PC via USB cable. The English version software can be run in Win7, Win8, Win10 and Win11 (The driver was Certificated by Microsoft)
• The LM-79 Photometric, Colorimetric and Electricity report can be exported PDF and LED Optical Maintenance test report can be exported Excel or PDF

LISUN Model	LMS-9000C	LMS-9000CUV-VIS	LMS-9000CVIS-NIR
Wavelength	350-800nm	200-800nm	350-1050nm

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of an integrating sphere?
An integrating sphere spreads the incoming light in different directions by reflecting the light over the entire surface of the sphere. This feature of an integrating sphere makes it an ideal instrument for multiple applications. For example, laser power, reflectance, flux and other radiance instruments.

What are the drawbacks of an integrating sphere?
Apart from the advantages of an integrating sphere, there are some disadvantages. The coating gets damaged if the source of light is high-powered. We can not use the damaged coating, it should be changed if we use the sphere again. This is an expensive task. Materials used in this procedure are barium sulphate and magnesium oxide.

Lisun Instruments Limited was found by LISUN GROUP in 2003. LISUN quality system has been strictly certified by ISO9001:2015. As a CIE Membership, LISUN products are designed based on CIE, IEC and other international or national standards. All products passed CE certificate and authenticated by the third party lab.

Our main products are Goniophotometer, Integrating Sphere, Spectroradiometer, Surge Generator, ESD Simulator Guns, EMI Receiver, EMC Test Equipment, Electrical Safety Tester, Environmental Chamber, Temperature Chamber, Climate Chamber, Thermal Chamber, Salt Spray Test, Dust Test Chamber, Waterproof Test, RoHS Test (EDXRF), Glow Wire Test and Needle Flame Test.

Please feel free to contact us if you need any support.
Tech Dep: Service@Lisungroup.com, Cell/WhatsApp:+8615317907381
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Tags：IS-*M , IS-*MA , IS-*MA**C , IS-*MT , LPCE-2 (LMS-9000) , LPCE-3