Out-of-Band Measurement of LED-based Solar Blind UV Filters

Due to the difficulty in measuring very low out-of-band cutoff depths of solar blind UV filters, we propose a cutoff depth adjustable measurement system (CDAM) to test deep cutoff filters with a large dynamic range. The CDAM utilizing the substitution method is elaborately composed of several parts, including narrow-band LED light sources, standard reflective neutral attenuators with known attenuation coefficients, and a photomultiplier (PMT). This paper also presents an attenuator combination method ensuring that the PMT works within its linear response range. In addition, numerical simulation testifies to the method, and experiment shows that the CDAM system can achieve an extension of dynamic range from 0-6 OD to 0-10 OD, which is sufficient for the measurement of out-of-band cutoff depths of solar blind UV filters. Above all, the CDAM system, being easily implemented, of wide dynamic range, and highly precise, could be widely used in the measurement of filter cutoff depth.