Agilent Technologies 86140B User Manual

Agilent 86140BSeries Optical Spectrum Analyzer User’s Guide

Agilent Part No. 86140- 90 06 8 Printed in USA January 2002

Agilent Technologies Lightwave Division 3910 Brickway Boulevard, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, USA

Notice.

The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted. Agilent Technologies makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Agilent Technologies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.

Restricte d Ri ghts Legend.

Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to res tric tio ns as se t forth in subparagraph (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 for DOD agencies, and subparagraphs (c) ( 1) and (c) (2 ) of the Commercial Computer Software Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19 for other agencies.

Warranty.

This Agilent Technologies instrument product is warranted against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one y ear f rom date

of shipment. During the warranty period, Agilent Technologies will, at its option, either repair or replace products which prove to be defective. For warranty service or repair, this product mu st be re tur ned to a service facility designated by Agilent Technologies. Buyer shall prepay shipping charges to Agilent Technologies and Agilent Technologies shall pay shipping charges to return the product to Buyer. However, Buyer shall pay all shipping charges, duties, and taxes for products returned to Agilent Technologies from another country.

Agilent Technologies warrants that its software and firmware designated by Agilent Technologies for use with an instrument will execute its programming instructions when properly installed on that instrument. Agilent Technologies does not warrant that the operation of the instrument, or software, or firmware will be uninterrupted or errorfree.

Limitation of Warranty.

The foregoing warranty shall not apply to defects resulting from improper or inadequate maintenance by Buyer, Buyersupplied software or interfacing, unauthorized modification or misuse, ope ra tio n outside of the environmental specifications for the product, or improper site preparation or maintenance.

No other warranty is expressed or implied. Agilent Technologies specifically disclaims the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

Exclusive Remedies.

The remedies provided herein are buyer's sole and exclusive remedies. Agilent Technologies shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, speci a l, inci-

dental, or consequential damages, whether based on contract, tort, or any other legal theory.

Safety Symbols.

CAUTION The caution sign denotes a

hazard. It calls attenti on to a procedure which, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in damage to or destruction of the product. Do not proceed beyond a caution sign until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.

WARNING The warning sign denotes a

hazard. It calls attenti on to a procedure which, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in injury or loss of life. Do not proceed beyond a warning sign until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.

The instruction manual symbol. The product is marked wit h this warning symbol when it is necessary for the user to refer to the instructions in the manual.

The laser radiation symbol. This warning symbol is marked on products which have a laser output.

The AC symbol is used to indicate the required nature of the line module input power.

| The ON symbols are

used to mark the positions of the instrument power line switch.

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The OFF symbols are used to mark the positions of the instrument power line switch.

The CE mark is a registered trademark of the European Community.

The CSA mark is a registered trademark of the Canadian Standards Association.

The C-Tick mark is a registered trademark of the Australian Spectrum Management Agency.

This text denotes the

ISM1-A

instrument is an Industrial Scientific and Medical Group 1 Class A product.

Typographical Conventions.

The following conventions are used in this book:

Key type for keys or text located on the keyboard or instrument.

Softkey type for key names that are displayed on the instrument’s screen.

Display type for words or

characters displayed on the computer’s screen or instrument’s display.

User type for words or charac-

ters that you type or enter. Emphasis type for words or

characters that emphasize some point or that are used as place holders for text that you type.

General Safety Considera tions

General Safety Considerations

This product has been designed and tested in accordan c e w ith the standards listed on the Manufacturer’s Declaration of Conformity, and has been supplied in a safe condition. The documentation contains infor mation and warnings that must be followed by the user to ensure safe operation and to maintain the product in a safe condition.

Install the ins trument according to the enclosure protection provided. This instrument does not protect ag a inst the ingress of wa te r. This instrument protects against finger access to hazardous parts within the enclosure.

WARNI NG If this product is not used as specified, the protection provided by the

equipment could be imp aired. This product must be used in a normal condition (in which all means for protection are intact) only.

WARNI NG No operator serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified

service personnel. To prevent electrical shock do not remove covers.

WARNI NG This is a Safety Class 1 Product (provided with a protectiv e earthing

ground incorporated in the power cord). The mains plug shall only be inserted in a socket outlet provided with a protective earth contact. Any interruption of the protective c o nductor inside or outside of the instrument is likely to make the instrument dangerous. Intentional interruption is prohi bited.

WARNI NG To prevent electrical shock, disconnect the instrument from mains

before cleaning. Use a dr y cloth or one slightly dampened with water to clean the external case parts. Do not attempt to clean internally.

CAUTION Fiber-optic connectors are easily damaged when connected to dirty or

damaged cables and accessories. The Agilent 86140B series’s fr ont-pa nel INPUT connector is no exception. Whe n y o u use im proper cleaning and handling techniques, you risk expensive instrument repairs, damaged cables, and compromised measurements. Before you connect any fiber-optic cable to the Agilent 86140B se ri es , re fe r to “Cleaning Connection s for Accurate

Measurements” on page 6-8.

iii

General Safety Considera tions

CAUTION This product i s designed for use in Installation Category II and Pollution

Degree 2 per IEC 61010- 1C and 664 respectively.

CAUTION Do not use too much liquid in cleaning the optical spectrum analyzer. Water can

enter the fron t-panel keyboard, damaging sensitive electronic compon ents.

CAUTION VENTILA TION RE QUIREMENTS: When installing t he product in a cabinet, the

convection into and out of the product must not be restricted. The ambient temperature (outside the cabinet) must be less than the maximum operating temperatur e of the product by 4

° C for every 100 watts dissipated in the

cabinet. If the total power dissipated in the cabinet is gr eater than 800 watts, then forced convection must be used.

CAUTION Install the instrument so that the detachable power cord is readily identifiable

and is easily reached by the operator. The detachable power cord is the instrument disconne cti ng d evice. It disconnects the mains circui t from the mains supply befo re other parts of the instrument. The front pane l switch is only a standby switch and is not a LINE switch. Alternatively, an externally installed switch or circuit breaker (which is readily identifiable and is easily reached by the operator) may be used as a disconnecting device.

CAUTION Always use the three-prong AC power cord supplied with this instrument.

Failure to ensure adeq uate earth grounding by not us ing this cord may cause instrument damage .

CAUTION Do not connect ac power until you have verified the line voltage is correct as

described in “Line Power Requirements” on page 1-11. Dam a ge to the equipment could result.

CAUTION This instrument has autoranging line voltage input. Be sure the supply voltage

is within the specified range.

CAUTION The Agilent 86140B, 86141B, 86144B, 86146B and 86142B Option 004/005/006

EELED sources contain an IEC Class 1 LED, according to IEC 60825.

CAUTION Use of controls or adjustment or performance of procedures othe r than those

specified herein may result in hazardous radiation exposure.

1 Getting Started

Product Overview 1-2 Setting Up the Analyzer 1-8 Making a Measurement 1-13 The Menu Bar 1-17 The Softkey Pane ls 1 - 1 8 Laser Safety Considerations 1-29 Product Options and Accessories 1-30

2 Using the Instrument

Setting Up Measurements 2-2 Calibrating Wavelength Measurements 2-14 Saving, Recalling, and Managing Fi le s 2- 19 Analyzing Measurement Data 2-27 Analyzer Operating Mo des 2-30

3 Function Reference

4 Remote Front Pan el Operation

Remote Front Panel 4-2

5 Status Listings

Overview 5-2 Error Reporting Behavior 5-4 SCPI-Defined Errors 5-5 OSA Notices 5-1 6 OSA Warnings 5-17 Application -Specific Warnings 5-29 OSA Status Errors 5-35 OSA Errors 5-36 Firmware Errors 5-38

6 Maintenance

Changing the Printer Paper 6-2 Printer Head Cleaning Procedure 6-4 Cleaning Connections for Accurate Measurements 6-8 Returning the Instrument for Service 6-21

Contents-1

Contents

7 Specifications and Regulatory Information

Definition of Terms 7-3 Specifications 7-5 Regulatory Information 7-21 Declaration of Conformity 7-22

Contents-2

Product Overview 1-2 Setting Up the Analyzer 1-8 Making a Measurement 1-13 The Menu Bar 1-17 The Softkey Pane ls 1-18 Laser Safety Considerations 1-29 Product Options and Accessories 1-30

Getting Started

Product Overview

The 86140B series of optical spectrum analy z er s provide fast, accurate, and comprehensive measurement capabilities for spectral analysis.

• Full-featured SCPI c omm a nd s f or pr ogramming instruments over LAN

• Display-off feature for making faster measurements

• Remote file saving and printing for outputting measure m ent results

• Filter mode for accurate and flexible measurements

• Built-in applications for accelerating test times

Filter Mode The Agilent 861 44B and 86146B filter mode allows single dense wavelength

division mul ti plexing (DWDM) to be isolated and routed to external test equipment. The filter mode capability is built-in to internal applications to allow for fast and easy implementation of channel dropping. For Agilent 86146B instruments, this mode also allows the ability to measure time resolve chirp (TRC).

Built-in Applications

Built-in applications allow fast, repeatable measurements for WDM systems, lasers, amplifiers, a nd pas sive components. These applications can be added through a firmware upgrade.

WDM Application

This application allows you to measure DWDM sub-system components, (such as transmission sub-systems, optical add/drop multiplexers, and multiplexers/ de-multiplexers) for param et er s suc h as opti cal sig nal - to-noise ratio (OSNR), channel wavelength, channel power, and span tilt.

Passive Component Test Application

This applicati on simplifies the testing of passive c o m p onents, such as fi lte rs, couplers, and isolators by defining a test plan that measures parameter s such as insertion and return loss, bandwi dth, and filter shape.

1-2

Getting Started

Product Overview

Source Test Application

This application offers automated optical source and laser characterization.

Amplifier Test Application

This applicatio n simplifies the process of characterizin g ga in and noise figure of optical amplifiers such as EDFA’s, SOA’s and Raman amplifiers.

1-3

Getting Started

Product Overview

Agilent 86140B Front and Rear Panels

1-4

Getting Started

Product Overview

1-5

Getting Started

Product Overview

Optical Spectrum Analyzer Display

Figure 1-1. Optical Spectrum An aly zer Display

1-6

Getting Started

Product Overview

Figure 1-2. Display Annotations

1-7

Getting Started

Setting Up the Ana lyzer

Setting Up the Analyzer

Step 1. Receive and Inspect the Shipment

Table 1-1.Items in a Standard Agilent 86140B Series Shipment

Description Product Number

BNC Cable (24 inches) 8120-1839 1 GPIB Cable 8120-3444 1 FC/PC Dust Cap 1401-0291 2 English User’s Guide Manual 86140-90068 1 Application Guide 86140-90071 1 Programming Guide 86140-90069 1 Quick Start Card 86140-90087 1

1-8

Item Quantity

Getting Started

Setting Up the Analyzer



Inspect the shipping container for damage.



Inspect the instrume nt.



Verify that you received the options and accessories you ordered. Keep the shipping container and cushioning material until you have inspected

the contents of the shipment for completeness and have checked the optical spectrum anal yz er mechanical ly and electrical ly.

If anything is missing or de fe ctive, contact your nearest Agile nt Tech nologies Sales Office. Refer to “Returning the Instrument for Service” on page 6-21. If the shipment was damaged, contact the carrier, then contact the nearest Agilent Technologies Sales Office. Keep the shipping materials for the carrier’s inspection. The Agilent Technologies Sales Offi c e wi ll a rra nge for repair or replacement at Ag ilent Technologies’ option without waiting for claim settl e- ment.

Step 2. Connect Accessories and Power Cord



Although you can operate all instrument functions using only the front-panel keys, and trackball on portabl e m odels, these accessories make your op tical spectrum analyzer easier to use. Connect any standard PC-compatible mouse (or other pointing device), keyboard, or external VGA-comp a t ible display.

1-9

Getting Started

Setting Up the Ana lyzer

CAUTION Do not stack other objects on the keyboard; this will cause self-test failures on

power-on.

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You can connect a PCL-language printer (for example, an HP1 LaserJet) to the instrument’s rear panel Parallel connector. Use a parallel Centronics printer cable, such as an HP C2950A (2 m) or HP C2951A (3 m).



The line cord provided is matched by Agilent Technologi es to the country of origin on the order. Refer to “Accessories” on page 1-31.

1. HP and Hewlett-Packard are U.S. registered trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company.

1-10

Getting Started

Setting Up the Analyzer

Table 1-2. Line Power Requirements

Power 115 VAC: 110 VA MAX. / 60 WATT S MAX. / 1.1 A MAX.

230 VAC: 150 VA MAX. / 70 WATTS MAX. / 0.6 A MAX.

Voltage nominal: 115 VAC / 230 VAC

range 115 VAC: 90–132 V range 230 VAC: 198–254 V

Frequency nominals: 50 Hz / 60 Hz

range: 47–63 Hz

Step 3. Apply Power to Instrument

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Press the power switch at the lower left-hand corner of the front panel. After a short ini tiali zation p eriod , the dis play wil l look simi lar to the pict ure on

this page.



Allow the instrument to warm up for at least 1 hour.

Step 4. Clean Connectors and Prepare for Measurements

CAUTION Fiber-optic connectors are easily damaged when connected to dirty or

damaged cables and accessories. The front-panel INP UT c o nnector of the Agilent 86140B series is no exception. When you use improper cleaning and handling techniques , y o u ri sk expensive instrument repairs, damaged cables, and compromised measureme nts . Before you connect any fiber-optic cable to the Agilent 86140B series o ptical spectrum ana lyzer, refer t o “Cleaning

Connections for Accurate Measurements” on page 6-8.

CAUTION A front-panel connector saver is provided with Agilent 86140B series

instruments. Attach the connector saver to the front-panel INPUT connector of the instrument. You can now make your connections to the connector save r instead of the instrument. This will help prevent damage to the front-panel INPUT connector of the instrument. Damage to the front-panel INPUT connector is expensive in terms of both repair costs and down-time. Use the front-panel connector saver to prevent damage to the front-panel INPUT connector.

Note

All product specifications apply to measurements made without using the front-panel connector saver.



After the instrument has warmed up for at least 1 hour, perform an auto align

1-11

Getting Started

Setting Up the Ana lyzer

by pressing the fron t panel Auto Align button. This will ensure o ptimal amplitude accuracy, and can correct for any mis-alignment caused by the instrument shipment.

T o learn more about this or any Agilent Technologies product, visit our web site at http://www.agilent.com/ c m / in dex.shtml. Or, to learn more about fiber optic test equipment, follow this path from the address listed:

1 Click Communications Produ cts. 2 Click Lightwave Measu rement Solutions. 3 Click Communications Solutions and then select Optical and Photonic

Solutions.

1-12

Getting Started

Making a Measureme nt

Making a Measurement

This procedure will introduce you to the A gile nt 86140B series optical spectrum analyzer front panel controls. By following this procedure you will do the following:

• Perform an auto alignment

• Perform a peak search

• Use a delta marker

• Print the display

Refer to “The Menu Bar” on page 1-17 and “The Softkey Panels” on page 1-18.

Instrument setup

A source signal must be present at the input of the optical spectrum analyzer. In this procedure a Fabry-P erot laser is used as the source . You ca n use another source or the optional 1310/1550 nm used, the displa y w ill differ from tho s e sh ow n.

To set the OSA to a known state

• Press the front-panel Preset key to set the instrument to a known state. For a complete description of preset conditions, see page 3-65.

EELED. If another source is be ing

1-13

Getting Started

Making a Measurement

To perform an Auto Align

For maximum amplitude accuracy, perform an automatic alignment whenever the optical spectrum analyzer has been moved, subjected to large temperature changes, or fol lowing warm-up. See “Auto Align” on page 3-10 for more information.

1 Connect a fiber from the source to the input connector of the optical spectrum

analyzer. Be sure to follow the good connector practices described in “Cleaning

Connections for Accurate Measurements” on page 6-8.

2 Enable the source. Pre ss Markers > Peak Search to find the pe a k signal power. 3 Press the front-panel Auto Align key to optimize the detection of the incoming

signal. This takes a few mo ments to complete.

To perform a peak search

4 Press the front-panel Auto Meas key to locate and zoom-in on the si gnal. Plea se

wait until the Auto Measure routine is complete. A marker is placed on the peak of the displayed signal.

Trace with normal marker.

1-14

Getting Started

Making a Measureme nt

To zoom in on the signal

Press the Span softkey and then use the knob, step keys, or numeric keypad to zoom in on the signal.

Using the delta marker

The optical spectrum analyzer has four types of markers; normal markers, bandwidth markers, delta markers and noise markers. The marker currently being displayed is a normal marker. In the next step we will use it as a delta marker.

5 Press the front- panel Markers key.

6 Press the More Marker Functions.... softke y.

7 Press the Delta Marker softkey to activate the delta marker and the act iv e

function area.

8 Use the knob, step keys or nu meric entry pad to move the delta marker. 9 The reference marker remains station a ry.

Trace with delta marker.

1-15

Getting Started

Making a Measurement

Printing the display

10 Press the Print key to print a copy of the display. The output will be sent to the

internal or external printer, depending on the printer selected.

1-16

The File Menu

Getting Started

The Menu Bar

The Menu bar includes the File, Measure, Application, and Options drop-down menus. Each menu selection includes a descriptive label.

(Action) Indicates the selection will perform an action such as

making a measurement or printing the display.

(Panel) Indicates th e selection will open a softkey panel.

The Measure Menu

The Applications Menu

The Options Menu

1-17

Getting Started

The Softkey Pan els

The Softkey Panels

You can acce ss the soft key pane l s using eithe r the front-panel keys or the menu bar. This section includes brief descriptions of the following menus. See

Chapter 3, “Function Reference” for additional information on each of the

OSA functions.

The Amplitude Menus 1-19 The Applications Menus 1-20 The Bandwidth/Sweep Menus 1-22 The Markers Menus 1-23 The Save/Recall Menus 1-24 The Systems Menus 1-25 The Traces Menus 1-27 The Wavelength Menus 1-28

1-18

Getting Started

The Softkey Panels

The Amplitude Menus

You can access the Amplitude softkeys using the front-panel Amplitude key or the Measure menu Ampli tude selection on the menu bar.

1-19

Getting Started

The Softkey Pan els

The Applications Menus

You can access the Applications (Appl’s) softkeys by using the front-panel Appl’s key or the Applications menu Launch an Installed Application section on the menu bar. For a complete description of the appli cations, refer to the Agilent 86140B Series Measurement Applications User’s Guide that came w it h your instrument .

1-20

Getting Started

The Softkey Panels

1-21

Getting Started

The Softkey Pan els

The Bandwidth/Sweep Menus

You can access the Bandwidth/Sweep softkeys by using the front-panel Bandwidth/Sweep key or the Measure menu Bandwidth/Sweep selection on the

menu bar.

1-22

Getting Started

The Softkey Panels

The Markers Menus

You can access the Markers softkeys by using the front-panel Markers key or the Measure menu Marker s se lection on the menu bar.

1-23

Getting Started

The Softkey Pan els

The Save/Recall Menus

You can acce ss the Save/ Recal l so ftke y s and s et up pane l s by using the drop down File menu Save/Recall selection or the front-panel Save/Recall key. Use these functions to save, recall and print the measurement results.

1-24

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