The Agilent/Keysight 83438A is an Erbium Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) lightwave source that generates incoherent light centered at 1550 nm for characterizing optical components. It delivers high power spectral density—up to one hundred times stronger than an EELED and ten thousand times stronger than a white light source—making it ideal for measuring insertion loss, crosstalk, bandwidth, and polarization dependencies of passive components with medium to high losses.
Technical Specifications
Optical Output
• Type: Erbium Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) source
• Wavelength: Centered at 1550 nm
• Output power: +5.5 dBm (minimum), +6 dBm (typical), +8.1 dBm (maximum)
• Single-mode fiber output with standard Agilent optical interface (angled contact and built-in polarizer options available)
Modulation
• TTL modulation input supporting on/off control or modulation from DC to 300 Hz
Stability
• Power stability: <±0.02 dB over 15 minutes, <±0.05 dB over 6 hours
Electrical
• Supply voltage: 90–132 V or 198–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz
• Power consumption: 50 W
• Fuse: IEC 127 5×20 mm, 6.3 A, 250 V (Agilent part number 2110-0703)
Physical Dimensions
• 4.0 × 8.4 × 17.7 inches
– Key Features
• IEC Laser Class 1 safety classification
• Integrated optical isolator protects the active fiber from back-reflections, ensuring stability
• High power spectral density enables characterization of high-loss components
• Pump laser–activated Erbium-doped fiber amplifier architecture
– Typical Applications
• Measuring isolation, insertion loss, and bandwidth of isolators and circulators
• Characterizing add/drop multiplexers, gratings, and demultiplexers
• Dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) component validation
• Optical spectrum analyzer–based testing workflows
– Compatibility & Integration
The 83438A integrates with Agilent/Keysight Lightwave Solution Platform mainframes and supports older module series, enabling flexible system configurations for optical component test labs.
