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Physical Measurement Laboratory /Sensor Science Division

Optical Radiation Group

Maintains, improves, and disseminates the Nation's photometric scales and radiometric scales from the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and visible to the far infrared.

integrating sphere and controls
Photometry
Ambient Radiation Thermometer
Radiation Thermometry
spectroradiometry
Spectroradiometry of Sources
spectral responsivity graph
Spectral Responsivity of Detectors
Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility SURF III
Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility SURF III

The group’s mission is to maintain, improve, and disseminate the Nation's radiometric and photometric scales for the measurement of optical radiation which includes National standards for ultraviolet (UV) and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) radiometry through the use of the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility - SURF III. The group members participate in national and international standards organizations and intercomparisons to ensure acceptance of U.S. optical radiation standards; conduct research to advance the calibration and validation of optical remote-sensing instruments, the measurement of the photometric performance of the human vision system. Applications include semiconductor manufacturing, remote sensing, solid-state lighting, defense, and homeland security.

CALIBRATION SERVICES AND DOCUMENTARY STANDARDS

  • Documentary Standards
    The group’s staff actively participate in and lead the development of Documentary Standards through various Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) by providing the necessary expertise, fundamental measurement science and advanced technologies. We engage with the following SDOs: NEMA, ASTM, CIE, IES, ISO, ASHRAE, IEEE-IAS, IEC, & ASABE.

COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES

The Optical Radiation Group welcomes opportunities to collaborate on joint research, technology, and standards development projects to advance the characterization of the photometry and radiometry. The group provides multiple opportunities for students, scientists, industry, academia, and other R&D laboratories to collaborate. Specific opportunities depend on current areas of interest within the Group, but may include undergraduate research fellowship, postdoctoral fellowships, visiting scientist, and guest researchers as well as various cooperative research arrangements ranging from formal agreements, such as CRADA, Consortia, and interagency agreements, to informal collaborations. For more details, see Employment and Internship Opportunities and Collaboration Opportunities.

Projects and Programs

Aperture measurement with AMM

Aperture area measurements

Ongoing
Aperture area measurements are performed at NIST’s aperture area measurement facility, which combines a precise interferometric motion stage with high-resolution optical microscopy. This non-contact method is especially well suited for the measurement of defining apertures with knife edges that are
3D plot

Applied spectroradiometry and imaging metrology

Ongoing
Stray light correction Array instruments are subject to measurement errors arising from detector's blooming, smearing, nonlinearity, and instrument's stray light. These errors (except the stray-light error) can either be avoided or corrected in many cases. However, the stray light, due to
absolute cryogenic radiometer

Bilateral Comparison of Spectral Responsivity in the Vacuum-Ultraviolet

Completed
The last decade has seen numerous key comparisons in the field of photometry and radiometry between different national metrology institutes (NMIs) in the context of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement. At first, these comparisons were restricted to wavelengths longer than 200 nm, with just the

Tools and Instruments

Beamline 7

Beamline 7: EUV reflectometry

The NIST/DARPA EUV Reflectometry facility began in the late 1980's to make measurements of the reflectivity of EUV multilayer optics for lithography. Since then

News and Updates

model graph

Solved: The Mystery of the Cloudy Filters

There’s a mystery happening in some satellites facing the Sun, and scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Laboratory
laser setup

Seeking COVID’s Kryptonite

To disinfect a surface, you can illuminate it with a blast of ultraviolet (UV) light, which is bluer than the human eye can see. But to specifically inactivate

Publications

Far-UVC: The impact of optical filters on real-world deployment

Author(s)
C Cameron Miller, Ewan Eadie, Paul O'Mahoney, Sally Ibbotson, Kenneth Wood
In 2015, a study showed that Krypton-Chloride (KrCl) excimer lamps could induce erythema and basal layer DNA damage in human skin. Later studies found that

NIST efforts in extreme-ultraviolet metrology

Author(s)
Charles S. Tarrio, Steven Grantham, Rob Vest, Thomas A. Germer, Bryan Barnes, Stephanie Moffitt, Brian Simonds, Matthew Spidell
For several decades, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has actively supported metrology programs for extreme ultraviolet (EUV)

Awards

Cameron Miller

2022 IES Fellow - Cameron Miller

For outstanding leadership and technical contributions to standardization of measurements of light sources and lighting products over two

Press Coverage

Highlights

Products and Services

Contacts

Group Leader

Office Manager