Application Examples
There are many ways that Ocean Optics products can be combined to provide custom solution for you. Below are some ways that Ocean Optics products can be combined into a custom solution. If you would like help figuring out a custom solution please feel free to contact us

The USB 650 is low cost visible absorption measurement system that is designed for educational institutions. In this example, the light source and cuvette holder are integrated into one unit. Miniature CCD spectrometers have no moving parts which makes them extremely rugged and easy to maintain. The Spectrasuite software is used for control and measurements on all the Ocean Optics spectrometers and is well suited for teaching concepts involving Beer's law, concentration curves, and kinetics. Approximate Price as shown (including software): $1,950.
A USB 4000 UV-Vis system (with a UV-Vis source-cuvette holder attached) can provide a wavelength range from 210-880 nm, resolution to 1 nm, and detect absorbance changes down to 0.01A. This unit in particular is well suited for biological applications that require UV measurements such as DNA ratios. Compared with conventional UV-Vis spectrometers: there are no moving parts, has an extremely small foot print (89.1 mm x 63.3 mm x 34.4 mm), and fast data acquisition times (as low as 1 ms). Approximate price (including software): $4,800.
High resolution UV-Vis Absorbance measurement systems are often configured with a stable UV-Vis Light source, (2) 400 micron fibers, a cuvette holder and a high resolution Spectrometer (Maya). These systems can provide a wide spectral range 175-1100 nm (based on grating option) and resolution down to .035 nm (based on slit) selection. These systems are often preferred in labs where applications/experiments have higher demands and setups change over time. Approximate price: $11,100.
Temperature control for absorbance or fluorescence can be done by accurately holding the temperature constant or programming a ramp over time. In this example, a light source in the visible region is used with a temperature controlled cuvette holder. The cuvette holder can carefully control temperature to within .05 deg C over a range between -55 to +105 deg C. Approximate Price: $8800.
A USB 2000+ XR (eXtended Range) fluorescence system is shown where a visible light source is used with a selected band pass or high pass filter (just prior to the sample). The fluorescence signal is acquired 90 degrees from the incident beam. Note that weak fluorescence signals can also be increased using additional mirrors (not shown) in the ports opposite to each fiber. Approximate price: $5,900
Reflectance measurement where a light source is used to deliver light in a bundle of 6 illumination fibers (right). The center fiber (red) collects the reflectance from the sample. In order to reduce background scattering, the probe is placed at a 45 degree angle. This application is often used for uniform bulk solid samples and/or powdered materials. Approximate Price: $4600.
Portable reflectance measurements can be made and evaluated in the field with a Jaz spectrometer. In this example a reflectance probe can measure plant leaf absorbance characteristics such as chlorophyl without the need for a laptop. The peaks of interest can be identified on the spot (on the OLED display) and stored on the internal SD card. Further analysis can be done in the lab by downloading the spectra into a PC (via USB) running the Spectrasuite software. The spectrometer shown, is a complete portable system configurable for UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy and expandable for PH and O2 sensing. Approximate price: $4600
Irradiance measurements on lasers can be done with an integrating sphere, fiber patch cord and a high resolution spectrometer. Irradiance measurements of this type require a calibrated light source (not shown) for the initial calibration for quantitative irradiance units. Note the integrating sphere can be used for beams of any shape as long as the total beam is captured within the sphere. In the case of bare diode lasers, with the divergent beams, the integrating sphere with a high resolution spectrometer can accurately measure the line width and power (as a function of wavelength). Approximate price (not including the calibrated light source): $6700.
Irradiance applications often involve measurements with large light sources (e.g., sun, lamps, UV radiation sources etc.). A cosine corrector (small circular white disk shown above) is used to collect the light across a 180 degree angle. The spectrometer shown in this example is pre-configured and pre-calibrated for irradiance measurements at the factory, i.e., no calibration lamp is required. Fast data acquisition is also accomplished through the USB 2.0 interface to capture entire spectrums down to 1 millisecond. In other words, data acquisition in the software (Spectrasuite) can set up to take spectrums periodically for monitoring irradiance over time (i.e., to monitor drift). Approximate price: $4700
An irradiance measurement setup can be used to monitor the quality control in LEDs (or other miniature light sources) with a calibrated light source (not shown) and integrating sphere. In the dark blue box below the integrating sphere (light blue box), is a NIST traceable LED socket and driver. The integrating sphere is then placed over the LED where a specified drive current can be applied. The integrating sphere will capture the entire light emitted by the LED. The spectrometer attached by a patch cord can further characterize, the power, wavelength, and/or drift over time. Approximate price (not including the calibration light source): $5900
Raman applications involve a narrow band laser source (at 532 or 785 nm), and a high pass filter just prior to spectrometer (to block residual laser light, and pass the Raman shift signal). The laser source is focused with high intensity to distort the molecular bonds in solids thus producing a weak scattered signal above the laser line (referred as Stokes lines). The weak scattered signals can provide fingerprint-like spectra of the molecular structure, such as ones used in pharmaceutical applications. Depending on the application, systems can vary from high resolution systems (pictured on the left), to portable hand held FDA approved units on the right. Approximate Price: 785 nm High Resolution System (Left): $18,000 785 nm Low Resolution System (Center): $15,000 785 nm Hand held FDA Compliant Raman System (Right): $25,000
A portable optical oxygen sensor can be configured for measuring dissolved and gaseous oxygen pressure in a variety of media. The tip of the probe contains a sol-gel coating with an oxygen indicator. The coating formulations can be for general laboratory use, high sensitivity applications, as well as hydrocarbon rich environments. The principle of the sensor is based on dynamic fluorescence quenching, where a 475 nm LED pulses of light are sent to the sol-gel tip. The tip fluoresces at ~600 nm with a characteristic decay (following the 475 nm pulse) that is correlated to the amount of oxygen in the medium. Approximate price: $3,900
Sol-gel patches in combination with a reflectance probe can be used to measure O2 content in the actual food container or other semi-transparent containers such as wine bottles. Over time, the O2 content can be used as an indicator of the quality of the packaging. This is an example of remote sensing through a container where the transmission (attenuation through colored glass/plastic) does not affect the measurement. The oxygen content is determined from the phase of the fluorescence signal decay and not the amplitude which makes this measurement approach simple, robust and accurate over time. The types of patches (sol-gel material) will vary depending on the application. A bifurcated fiber with a borosilicate bundle (RE-BIFBORO-2) is recommended with the patches for higher sensitivity when reading through the package. Approximate price (with fiber probe): $550.
PH probes can also be used with pre-configured or custom spectrometers, a light source, and the OOI Sensors Software. The fiber optic probe is designed to hold immobilized colorimetric indicator dye materials. Calibration involves recording spectra in the high and low pH sample, and in at least one pH standard such as a NIST-traceable buffer. This allows one to establish a PH curve that associated with dye indicator. Approximate price (probe only): $650
The Smart Cuvette is designed for PH measurements where any UV-Vis spectrometer can be used (~250-800nm). They are primarily well suited for biological applications for PH ranges from 5.0-9.0. Smart Cuvettes can be purchased in quartz or polystyrene. All cuvettes come with a factory calibration and users also have the option to perform their own complete calibration. Approximate price (8 polystyrene Smart Cuvettes): $70
Spectrecology Ocean Optics Shadow Caster
Official PayPal Seal Visa MasterCard American Express Discover