Thorlabs - Gas Reference Cells

Reference cells contain vapors from specific atomic elements or molecular compounds, each of which has a well-defined absorption spectrum. These cells are commonly used in spectroscopic applications such as tunable diode laser calibration, stabilization of laser frequencies, and calibration of wavelength meters. Thorlabs offers both pyrex and quartz reference cells that contain a range of standard fill materials. All of the cells offered here have been baked and evacuated to 10^-8 torr in order to remove contaminants. Additionally, each cell is helium leak checked to ensure the longevity of the vapor cell. Custom reference cells can be manufactured upon request.

Reference Cell Setup

Since each fill material is associated with a unique absorption spectrum that serves as its fingerprint, the contents of a reference cell can be determined via a linear absorption measurement (as depicted by the simplified schematic above). By scanning a tunable diode laser over a wavelength range and detecting light absorption (A) with a photodetector, a series of peaks will be recorded, which is characteristic of the gas inside the cell.

Please note: These reference cells can only be shipped from the United States and may incur special handling charges, particularly for our customers located outside the U.S. Please contact Sales for a shipping quote. Due to hazardous materials shipping regulations, we are currently unable to ship our reference cells to Brazil, China, or Uruguay.

Reference Cell Oven Temperature Controller Connector

6-Pin Hirose

HiRose Out

Pin #	Assignment
1	Heater Input
2	Heater Input Return
3	Reserved on TC200 (Do not connect)
4	Sensor Input (+)
5	Sensor Input (Ground)
6	Reserved on TC200 (Do not connect)

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Posted Comments:

Poster: cbxie

Posted Date: 2013-03-07 03:34:51.337

I want to order the I2 cell for research, but I can not find the suitbale one in the product list. Could your company produce the I2 cell for our specialization-Diameter of 25mm and Length of 400mm.

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2013-03-07 12:35:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: We could possibly make this depending on the specs needed. I will get in contact with you to discuss about this directly.

Poster: zelensky

Posted Date: 2012-08-23 09:35:29.0

I need RB87 cell with buffer gas (e.g. Ne, 5-30 torr) Is this option available?

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2012-08-23 08:10:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: We are able to customize our gas reference cells. I will get in contact with you directly regarding this.

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2012-08-16 11:24:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: These gas reference cells must be shipped with a hazardous cargo charge and specifically it must be sent via FedEx Air Freight Cargo as the mode of delivery. This is a regulation and there is no way that we can circumvent this. I will get in contact with you to discuss more about this.

Poster: scholten

Posted Date: 2012-08-15 23:57:25.0

Good to see these as being available again. However, do you charge "Hazardous cargo" shipping charges for these? To ship to Australia, other suppliers say they must specify hazardous cargo, which means they cannot go on passenger planes, and the additional cost is very high (approx. $500). If you can circumvent that it makes your cells significantly lower in cost. Thanks

Poster:

Posted Date: 2011-11-23 17:24:16.0

A response from Tyler at Thorlabs: Hello acable, Unfortunately we recently discontinued our line of gas cells and as a result this page is no longer a good place to put this data. If you already have a reference cell from us could you please contact our technical support group and they will provide you with any absorption data we have.

Poster: acable

Posted Date: 2011-11-19 18:13:55.0

The catalog page gives some absorption plots, would it be possible for you to post these to the web for easy access.

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-08-24 14:28:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. Our Sales Department will contact you to discuss shipping methods.

Poster: ding

Posted Date: 2011-08-23 19:05:55.0

I am not able to buy the water vapor cell in the Netherlands. I was wondering if I can ask someone to order it in US and bring it to Europe with him. How long does it take to ship it within US? Shall I expect long waiting period even in US? Thanks a lot!

Poster: technicalmarketing

Posted Date: 2007-11-26 08:22:01.0

Dear Kevin, The yellowish gold film that you see on the cell is most likely condensed Na. As you heat the cell, the vapor pressure increases, causing the vapor will coat the cell walls themselves. If you blow warm air onto the areas of the cell where this condensation has occured using a heat gun (or even a hairdryer) while keeping the rest of the cell cooler, youll be able to remove the condesed vapor from the surfaces that you need access to for your experiment.

Poster: Kevin.lyon

Posted Date: 2007-11-21 11:50:22.0

We have purchased this cell along with the heater GCH09-150 and the associated controller. The cell works fine however the heater was only rated for 80 C which does not provide hardly any vapor pressure for sodium. It may be enough if you are looking at absorption however for any fluorescence it is insufficient heat. We then used heater tape to heat the cell to around 150 degrees and got the results we needed however the cell turned an odd yellowish gold. I am not yet sure what reaction may be responsible for this however the cell still provides an atomic sodium spectra despite the discoloration.

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Gas Reference Cells

Reference Cell Oven Temperature Controller Connector

6-Pin Hirose