Agilent Technologies, Inc.
Spectrophotometer calibration methods and systems

Abstract:

A method of calibrating a spectrophotometer comprising a flash lamp. The method comprises receiving light from the flash lamp at a monochromator of the spectrometer, wherein the flash lamp is a short arc noble gas flash lamp with transverse or axially aligned electrodes; configuring the monochromator to progressively transmit the received light at each of a plurality wavelengths of a selected range of wavelengths, wherein the range of wavelengths is associated with a wavelength feature according to a known spectral profile of the flash lamp, and wherein the wavelength feature is a self-absorption feature; and determining a spectrum of the flash lamp, wherein the spectrum comprises a corresponding power or intensity value for each of the plurality of wavelengths. The method further comprises determining a wavelength calibration error value for the wavelength feature by comparing the spectrum with a segment of a predetermined reference spectrum associated with the flash lamp, wherein the segment of the predetermined reference spectrum includes one or more wavelengths associated with the self-absorption feature; and calibrating the spectrophotometer based on the wavelength calibration error value.