B&W Tek has introduced its new thermoelectrically (TE) cooled miniature fibre coupled spectrometer, the Glacier X, which it claims is the smallest TE cooled spectrometer on the market, making it suitable for high performance applications that require portability. It is equipped with a 2,048 element linear CCD array, built-in 16-bit digitiser, and USB 2.0 interface.
Compared to non-cooled CCD spectrometers, the Glacier X offers higher dynamic range, significantly reduced dark counts, and superior baseline stability, making it ideal for low light level detection and long-term monitoring applications. Wavelength configurations are available from as low as 200nm to as high as 1,050nm with resolutions between 0.6nm and 4.0nm. Flexible custom configurations and application support are also available for OEM customers. The device's TE cooling makes it possible for weak signals, such as those arrising from fluorescence and Raman scattering, to be integrated for sufficient time to accumulate measurable signals for detection, resulting in a superior signal-to-noise ratio.