A Cryogenic Radiometry Based Spectral Responsivity Scale at the National Metrology Centre

This paper describes the spectral responsivity scale established at the National Metrology Centre (NMC) based on cryogenic radiometry. A primary standard – a mechanically pumped cryogenic radiometer together with a set of intensity-stabilised lasers provides traceability for optical power measurement with an uncertainty in the order of 10-4 at 14 discrete wavelengths in the spectral range from 350 nm to 800 nm. A silicon trap detector, with its absolute responsivity calibrated against the cryogenic radiometer is used as a transfer standard for the calibration of other detectors using a specially built spectral comparator. The relative spectral responsivity of a detector at other wavelengths can be determined through the use of a cavity pyroelectric detector and the extrapolation technique. With this scale, NMC is capable to calibrate the spectral responsivity of different type of photo detectors from 250 nm to 1640 nm with an uncertainty range from 3.7% to 0.3%.