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S in g le P h o to n Co u n tin g
AP D, MC P & P MT
D e te c to rs
plus High Speed Amplifiers, Routers, Trigger
Detectors, Constant Fraction Discriminators
From Becker & Hickl,
id Quantique and
Hamamatsu
F
Boston Electronics Corporation
91 Boylston Street, Brookline MA 02445 USA
(800)347-5445 or (617)566-3821 fax (617)731-0935
www.boselec.com
tcspc@boselec.com
HPM-100-40
High Speed Hybrid Detector for TCSPC
GaAsP cathode: Excellent detection efficiency
Instrument response function 120 ps FWHM
Clean response, no tails or secondary peaks
No afterpulsing
Excellent dynamic range of fluorescence decay measurement
No afterpulsing peak in FCS measurements
Internal generators for PMT operating voltages
Power supply and control via bh DCC-100 card
Overload shutdown
Direct interfacing to all bh TCSPC systems
Adapters to bh DCS-120 FLIM system and Zeiss LSM 710 NLO NDD port
The HPM-100 module combines a Hamamatsu R10467-40 GaAsP hybrid PMT tube with the preamplifier and
the generators for the PMT operating voltages in one compact housing. The principle of the hybrid PMT in
combination with the GaAsP cathode yields excellent timing resolution, a clean TCSPC instrument response
function, high detection quantum efficiency, and extremely low afterpulsing probability. The virtual absence of
afterpulsing results in a substantially increased dynamic range for fluorescence decay recordings. Moreover,
FCS curves obtained with the HPM-100 are free of the typical afterpulsing peak. FCS is thus obtained from a
single detector, without the need of cross-correlation. The HPM-100 module is operated via the bh DCC-100
detector controller of the bh TCSPC systems. The DCC-100 provides for power supply, gain control, and
overload shutdown. The HPM-100 interfaces directly to all bh SPC or Simple Tau TCSPC systems. It is available
with standard C-mount adapters, adapters for the bh DCS-120 confocal scanning FLIM system, and adapters
for the NDD ports of the Zeiss LSM 710 NLO multiphoton laser scanning microscopes.
Instrument response function. Left linear scale, right logarithmic scale. FWHM is 120 ps.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
http://www becker-hickl com
email: info@becker-hickl com
US Representative:
Boston Electronics Corp
tcspc@boselec com
www boselec com
UK Representative:
Photonic Solutions PLC
sales@psplc com
www psplc com
HPM-100-40
Absence of afterpulsing improves dynamic range of fluorescence decay measurements
Conventional PMT
HPM-100
DCS-120 with HPM-100
Left: Fluorescence decay recorded with conventional PMT. The background is dominated by afterpulsing. Middle: The only source of background in
the HPM is thermal emission of the photocathode. The dynamic range is substantially increased. Right: The lower background yields improved
lifetime accuracy and lifetime contrast in FLIM measurements.
Fluorescence correlation measurements are free of afterpulsing peak
Conventional PMT
HPM-100
HPM-100
Left: Autocorrelation of continuous light signal of 10 kHz count rate, conventional GaAsP PMT. Middle: Autocorrelation of continuous light signal
of 10 kHz count rate, HPM-100 module. The curve is flat down to the dead time of the TCSPC module. Right: FCS curve of fluorescein solution,
HPM-100 module. The red curve is a fit with one triplet time and one diffusion time. bh DCS-120 confocal FLIM system, laser 473 nm.
Dark count rate vs. temperature
Typical values and range of variation
Detection quantum efficiency vs. wavelength
APD voltage 95% of maximum
Dark count
rate, 1/s
1200
Quantum
Efficiency
1.0
1100
1000
900
800
0.1
700
600
500
400
0.01
300
200
100
0
10
15
20
25
30
Case temperature, °C
200
300
400
500
Wavelength
600
700 nm
Specifications, typical values
Wavelength Range
Detector Quantum efficiency, at 500 nm
Dark Count rate, Tcase = 22°C
Cathode Diameter
TCSPC IRF width (Transit Time Spread)
Single Electron Response Width
Single Electron Response Amplitude
Output Polarity
Output Impedance
Max. Count Rate (Continuous)
Overload shutdown at
Detector Signal Output Connector
Power Supply (from DCC-100 Card)
Dimensions (width x height x depth)
Optical Adapters
300 nm to 730 nm
45%
560 s-1
3 mm
120 ps, FWHM
850 ps, FWHM
50 mV, Vapd 95% of Vmax
negative
50 Ω
> 10 MHz
>15 MHz
SMA
+ 12 V, +5 V, -12V
60 mm x 90 mm x 170 mm
C-Mount, DCS-120, LSM 710 NDD port
HPM-100-50
High Speed Hybrid Detector for TCSPC
GaAs cathode: Excellent detection efficiency
Sensitive up to 900 nm
Instrument response function 130 ps FWHM
Clean response, no tails or secondary peaks
No afterpulsing background
Excellent dynamic range of TCSPC measurements
Internal generators for PMT operating voltages
Power supply and control via bh DCC-100 card
Overload shutdown
Direct interfacing to all bh TCSPC systems
The HPM-100-50 module combines a Hamamatsu R10467-50 GaAs hybrid detector tube with the preamplifier
and the generators for the tube operating voltages in one compact housing. The principle of the hybrid detector
in combination with the GaAs cathode yields excellent timing resolution, a clean TCSPC instrument response
function, high detection quantum efficiency up to NIR wavelengths, and extremely low afterpulsing probability.
The absence of afterpulsing results in a substantially increased dynamic range of TCSPC measurements. The
HPM-100-50 is therefore an excellent detector for NIR fluorescence decay measurements and time-domain
diffuse optical tompgraphy.
The HPM-100-50 module is operated via the bh DCC-100 detector controller of the bh TCSPC systems. The
DCC-100 provides for power supply, gain control, and overload shutdown. The HPM-100 interfaces directly to
all bh SPC or Simple Tau TCSPC systems. It is available with standard C-mount adapters, adapters for the bh
DCS-120 confocal scanning FLIM system, and adapters for the NDD ports of the Zeiss LSM 710 NLO
multiphoton laser scanning microscopes.
Instrument response function. Left linear scale, right logarithmic scale. FWHM is 130 ps.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
http://www.becker-hickl.com
email: info@becker-hickl.com
US Representative:
tcspc@boselec.com
www.boselec.com
dbhpm-50-04.doc
March 2010
UK Representative:
sales@psplc.com
www.psplc.com
HPM-100-50
Absence of afterpulsing improves dynamic range of TCSPC measurement
Photon migration curves (red) and IRF (black) recorded with conventional PMT (left) and HPM-100-50 (right). The background signal of the
conventional NIR PMT is dominated by afterpulsing. Late photons are lost in the background. Right: The HPM-100-50 is free of afterpulsing. The
only background is the thermal emission of the photocathode. The dynamic range is substantially higher than for the conventional PMT.
Dark count rate vs. temperature
Typical values and range of variation
Detection quantum efficiency vs. wavelength
1.0
Dark count
rate, 1/s
Quantum
Efficiency
2600
2400
2200
0.1
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
0.01
1000
800
600
400
200
0
10
15
20
30
25
300
400
500
600
700
Wavelength (nm)
800
Specifications, typical values
Wavelength Range
Detector Quantum efficiency, at 600 nm
Dark Count rate, Tcase = 22°C
Cathode Diameter
TCSPC IRF width (Transit Time Spread)
Output Polarity
Output Impedance
Max. Count Rate (Continuous)
Overload shutdown at
Optical Adapters
400 nm to 900 nm
15 %
500 to 3000 s-1
3 mm
130 ps, FWHM
850 ps, FWHM
50 mV, Vapd 95% of Vmax
negative
50 Ω
> 10 MHz
>15 MHz
SMA
+ 12 V, +5 V, -12V
60 mm x 90 mm x 170 mm
C-Mount, DCS-120, LSM 710 NDD port
Related products: HPM-100-40 hybrid detector module, 300 to 700 nm, 45% quantum efficiency
Literature: [1] The HPM-100-50 hybrid detector module: Increased dynamic range for DOT. Application note, www.becker-hickl.com
[2] The HPM-100-40 hybrid detector. Application note, www.becker-hickl.com
dbhpm-50-04.doc
March 2010
900
Application Note
The HPM-100-40 Hybrid Detector
The bh HPM-100 module combines a Hamamatsu R10467-40 GaAsP hybrid PMT tube
with the preamplifier and the generators for the PMT operating voltages in one compact
housing. The principle of the hybrid PMT in combination with the GaAsP cathode of
the R10467-40 yields excellent timing resolution, a clean TCSPC instrument response
function, high detection quantum efficiency, and extremely low afterpulsing probability.
The virtual absence of afterpulsing results in a substantially increased dynamic range for
fluorescence decay recordings. FCS curves down to 100 ns correlation time can be
obtained from a single detector, without the need of cross-correlation. The HPM-100
module is operated via the bh DCC-100 detector controller of the bh TCSPC systems.
Principle
The basic principle of a hybrid PMT is shown in Fig. 1. The photoelectrons emitted by a
photocathode are accelerated by a strong electrical field and injected directly into a silicon
avalanche diode [4, 8].
Photocathode
Photoelectrons
Avalanche
Diode
Diode Bias
200 to 300 V
Output
-5000 to -10,000 V
Fig. 1: Principle of a hybrid PMT
When an accelerated photoelectron hits the avalanche diode it generates a large number of electronhole pairs in the silicon. These carriers are further amplified by the linear gain of the avalanche
diode. The principle of the hybrid PMT has a number of advantages over other detector principles.
An obvious advantage of the hybrid PMT is that a large part of the gain is obtained in a single step.
Hybrid PMTs therefore deliver single-photon pulses with a narrow amplitude distribution. The
devices can thus be used to distinguish between one, two, or even more photons detected
simultaneously [8]. In TCSPC applications the low amplitude fluctuation virtually eliminates the
influence of the CFD circuitry on the timing jitter.
More important for TCSPC, the high acceleration voltage between the photocathode and the APD
results in low transit time spread [4]. With an acceleration voltage of 8 kV the transit-time spread of
the electron time-of-flight is only 50 ps [4, 5]. Moreover, the TCSPC instrument response of a
hybrid PMP is very clean, without significant tails, bumps, or secondary peaks.
Compared to a conventional PMT, the hybrid PMT has also an advantage in terms of counting
efficiency. In a conventional PMT, a fraction of the photoelectrons is lost on the first dynode of the
hpm-appnote02 doc
1
Application Note
electron multiplication system [1]. Instead of being multiplied electrons may also get absorbed or
reflected. There are no such losses in the hybrid PMT: A photoelectron accelerated to an energy of
8 keV is almost certain to generate a signal in the avalanche diode. With a high-efficiency GaAsP
cathode a hybrid photomultiplier reaches the efficiency of a single-photon APD (SPAD), but with a
cathode area several orders of magnitude larger.
The perhaps most significant advantage of the hybrid PMT has been recognised only recently: The
hybrid PMT is virtually free of afterpulsing [2]. Afterpulsing is the major source of counting
background in high-repetition-rate TCSPC applications, and a known problem in fluorescence
correlation measurements. Background has a detrimental effect on the accuracy of fluorescence
lifetime determination [6]. Afterpulsing in FCS results in a false peak at correlation times shorter
than a few µs. So far, the afterpulsing peak could only be suppressed by splitting the light and
recording cross-correlation between two detectors.
The absence of afterpulsing in a hybrid PMT is inherent to its design principle. In conventional
PMTs afterpulsing is caused by ionisation of residual gas molecules by the electron cloud in the
dynode system. In single-photon avalanche photodiodes afterpulsing results from trapped carriers of
the previous avalanche breakdown. Both effects do not exist in the hybrid PMT: Ionisation is
negligible because only single electrons are travelling in the vacuum, and there is no avalanche
breakdown in the APD.
On the downside, there are also a few disadvantages of the hybrid PMT. The extremely high
cathode voltage is difficult to handle. It can be a problem especially in clinical biomedical
applications. The APD reverse voltage must be very stable, and be correctly adjusted. The most
significant problem is the low gain of the hybrid PMTs. Earlier devices reached a gain on the order
of only 104. At a gain this low, the single-photon pulse amplitude is in the µV range. Therefore
electronic noise from the termination resistor and from the preamplifier impaired the time resolution
of single photon detection. Until recently, hybrid PMTs were therefore not routinely used for
TCSPC experiments. The situation changed with the introduction of the R10467 hybrid PMTs of
Hamamatsu [5]. The devices reach a total gain on the order of 105. The single-photon pulse
amplitude is on the order of several 100 µV, the pulse width about 800 ps. A high bandwidth, lownoise preamplifier is able to amplify the pulses into an amplitude range where they are detected by
the constant-fraction discriminator of a bh TCSPC module. Initial tests have shown the superior
performance of the R10467 compared to previously existing detectors [2]. However, in practice RF
noise pickup from the environment, noise from the high voltage power supplies, and low-frequency
currents flowing through ground loops make the bare R10467 tube difficult to use in TCSPC
experiments.
The bh HPM-100 Hybrid Detector Module
To make the R10467 applicable to standard TCSPC experiments bh have integrated the R10467
tube, the power supply for the cathode voltage, the power supply for the APD voltage, and the
preamplifier in a compact, carefully shielded detector module. The device is shown in Fig. 2.
2
hpm-appnote02 doc
Application Note
Fig. 2: bh HPM-100 hybrid PMT module. The module contains the Hamamatsu R10467 hybrid PMT tube, the
generators for the cathode voltage and the APD reverse voltage, and the preamplifier. The module is operated via the
DCC-100 card of the bh TCSPC systems (right)
The housing has separate compartments for the voltage generators, the R10467 tube, and the
preamplifier. These are shielded and decoupled against each other and the environment. The
complete module is operated via the bh DCC-100 detector controller card. The DCC-100 provides
for power supply, control of the APD reverse voltage, and overload shutdown. One DCC-100 card
can control two HPM-100 hybrid PMT modules.
Instrument response function
The instrument response function of an HPM-100-40 with an R10467-40 tube is shown in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3: Instrument response function of the HPM-100-40. Left: linear scale. Right: Logarithmic scale. BDL-445 SMC
picosecond diode laser, bh SPC-830 TCSPC module.
The recorded instrument response function (IRF) width is 130 ps. Corrected for the laser pulse
width of 60 ps the IRF width is about 120 ps. The response function is remarkably clean, as can be
seen in the logarithmic plot on the right. It should be noted that the transit time spread and thus the
IRF width of the R10467-40 is dominated by the internal time constants of its GaAsP cathode. The
R10467-06 tube (with a conventional bialkali cathode) is faster, with an IRF width of about 50 ps.
Afterpulsing
The afterpulsing is characterised best by the autocorrelation function of the photons of a continuous
light signal detected at a known count rate [1, 2]. Fig. 4 compares the autocorrelation function of an
HPM-100-40 at 10 kHz count rate with that obtained by a Hamamatsu H5773-1 photosensor
hpm-appnote02 doc
3
Application Note
module. The autocorrelation for the HPM is flat down to the dead time of the SPC-830 module
used. Comparable performance has been achieved so far only for NbN superconducting detectors.
These detectors have active areas with µm extensions and need to be operated in a liquid-He
cryostat [9].
Fig. 4: Autocorrelation function of a continuous light signal of 10 kHz count rate. Left: HPM-100-40. Right: H5773-1.
The autocorrelation function measured with the HPM is flat down to 125 ns, indicating that no afterpulses are detected.
Fig. 5 shows an FCS curve measured for a solution of fluorescein in water. The data were recorded
by an HPM-100-40 connected to the bh DCS-120 confocal scanning FLIM system [3]. Because
there is no afterpulsing peak diffusion and triplet times are obtained by autocorrelation of the
photons detected in a single detector.
Fig. 5: Fluorescence correlation function of fluorescein molecules in water. Recorded with HPM-100-40, connected to
bh DCS-120 confocal scanning FLIM system
The low afterpulsing results in a significantly improved dynamic range of fluorescence decay
measurements. An example is shown in Fig. 6. It shows the fluorescence decay of fluorescein
recorded at a laser repetition rate of 20 MHz. The signal was detected by a HPM-100-40 (left) and a
H5773-1 photosensor module (right). Both detectors have approximately the same dark count rates.
For the HPM-100, the dark count rate is the only source of background. Because the dark count rate
is only a few 100 counts per second an extraordinarily high dynamic range is obtained. For the
H5773-1 the background is dominated by afterpulsing. The background is substantially higher, and
the dynamic range is far smaller than for the HPM-100.
4
hpm-appnote02 doc
Application Note
Fig. 6: Fluorescence decay curves for fluorescein recorded at a laser repetition rate of 20 MHz. Left: HPM-100-40.
Right: H5773-01
Sensitivity
We had no possibility to verify the detection quantum efficiency of the R10467-40 quantitatively.
The curve of cathode quantum efficiency versus wavelength shown in Fig. 7, left, was therefore
copied from the specifications of Hamamatsu [5]. What we could verify, however, is that the
detection efficiency surpasses the efficiency for the Hamamatsu H7422P-40. The H7422P-40 has
the same cathode type but uses a conventional PMT design. Until now, the H7422P-40 was the
ultimate in sensitivity for visible-range PMTs. The HPM reaches at least the same efficiency, but at
a far better time resolution and without any afterpulsing.
Dark count
rate, 1/s
1200
Quantum
Efficiency
1.0
1100
1000
900
800
0.1
700
600
500
400
0.01
300
200
100
200
300
400
500
Wavelength
600
700 nm
0
10
15
20
25
30
Fig. 7: Left: Detection quantum efficiency according to Hamamatsu specification. Right: Dark count rate. Black curve
average of 4 detectors. Yellow area: Range of variation for 7 detectors, measured over several days.
For low-level light detection the limiting parameter is often not only the efficiency but also the dark
count rate. Typical curves of the dark count rate versus temperature are shown in Fig. 7, right. The
values we found are a bit lower than the numbers in the Hamamatsu test sheets, and significantly
lower that the numbers given in [7]. The reasons are not clear. It should be noted that low dark
count rates are only obtained if (a) the reverse voltage of the avalanche diode is selected below the
breakdown level and (b) the tube has been kept in darkness for several hours after any exposure to
daylight.
hpm-appnote02 doc
5
Application Note
The advantage of large active area
In most applications it is difficult or even impossible to concentrate the light to be detected on an
extremely small area. A typical case is multiphoton microscopy. Multiphoton microscopy is used to
obtain images from image planes deep in a sample. The fluorescence photons from these layers are
scattered on the way out of the sample and emerge from a large area of the sample surface.
Although these photons can be transferred to a detector by ‘non-descanned detection’ they cannot be
concentrated on an area smaller than a few mm in diameter [1, 2].
A similar situation can exist even in a confocal microscope. Confocal detection uses a pinhole in a
plane conjugate with the image plane in the sample [3]. One would expect that the light from the
pinhole is easy to focus an a small detector, such as a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD).
Unfortunately, in practice this is often not the case. Normally scan heads of laser scanning
microscopes have additional magnification built in so that the physical pinhole size in on the order
of millimeters. Demagnifying the pinhole to the size of a SPAD by a single lens can be impossible.
This is especially the case when larger pinholes, on the order of tens of Airy Units, are used.
An example is shown in Fig. 8. Both lifetime images were recorded at a pinhole size of 3 Airy
Units. Data recorded with the HPM-100 are shown left, data recorded with an id-100-50 SPAD
right. Despite of the fact that the quantum efficiencies of the detectors do not differ substantially the
image recorded with the HPM contains about twice the number of photons as the image recorded
with the SPAD.
Fig. 8: Fluorescence lifetime images recorded with an HPM-100 (left) and with an id-100-50 SPAD (right). Images and
decay functions at selected cursor position.
Controlling the HPM-100-40
The HPM-100 is operated and controlled via the DCC-100 card of the bh TCSPC systems [2]. The
DCC control panel is shown in Fig. 9.
For safety reasons, the DCC-100 comes up with all outputs disabled, see Fig. 9, left. Both the
acceleration voltage and the reverse voltage of the avalanche diode (AD) are turned off. The panel is
shown for one detector and for two detectors.
Once the outputs are enabled (‘Enable’ button) and the +12V operating voltage is turned on (+12V
button) the internal high-voltage generator applies the 8 kV acceleration voltage to the R10467 tube
and turns on the reverse voltage of the avalanche diode. The +5V and the -5V must also be turned
on, they are used in the preamplifier. The AD reverse voltage is controlled via the ‘Gain’ sliders.
6
hpm-appnote02 doc
Application Note
Fig. 9: DCC-100 control panel, for one detector and for two detectors. Left: After software start, the detectors are
disabled. Right: Detectors enabled. The ‘Gain’ sliders control the AD voltages.
The correct selection of the operating parameters is critical to the operation of the HPM. The
recommended CFD threshold of the SPC module is -30 mV. The AD reverse voltage must be
selected to operate the AD close to the maximum stable gain, but not in the breakdown region.
The selection of the AD voltage is demonstrated in Fig. 10. The gain of the AD increases steeply
with the voltage, see Fig. 10, left. Consequently, photon counting is obtained in a relatively narrow
interval of the reverse voltage, or DCC ‘Gain’. The gain-voltage characteristics vary for different
detectors. Different detectors therefore need different values of the DCC gain. The correct DCC
gain can easily be found by slowly increasing the DCC gain and observing the count rate displayed
by the TCSPC module. Typical curves of the count rate versus DCC Gain are shown in Fig. 10,
right. At low DCC gain no counts are obtained. At a specific DCC gain the count rate rises steeply.
Then it remains almost constant over an interval of 5 to 10 % of DCC Gain. Beyound this interval
the count rate rises steeply. The APD is driven in the breakdown region, the APD current becomes
unstable, and eventually the DCC-100 shuts the HPM-100 down. The correct operating point is in
the middle of the flat part of the curve, as indicated in Fig. 10, right.
AD
Gain
Instability
Count rate
10 6
Photon counting
range
Gain too low
0
AD reverse voltage
50
60
70
80
90
100%
DCC 'Gain'
Fig. 10: Left: General dependence of the AD gain on the AD reverse voltage. Right: Dependence of the count rate on the
DCC Gain for different detectors. The correct operating point is in the flat part of the curve.
If the AD current becomes too high, either because the ‘Gain’ was pulled too far up or the light
intensity is too high, the DCC-100 shuts down the HPM-100. The acceleration voltage is turned off,
and the APD reverse voltage is reduced down to zero. This brings the detector in a safe state. After
the reason of the overload has been removed, the detector can be brought back to operation by
clicking on the ‘Reset’ button. The DCC-100 panel in the overload state is shown in Fig. 11.
hpm-appnote02 doc
7
Application Note
Fig. 11: DCC-100 panel after overload shutdown. Left one detector. Right: Two detectors, both detectors shut down.
Summary
With the bh HPM-100 module, there is, for the first time, a detector that combines high speed, clean
response, high efficiency, large active area, absence of afterpulsing, and ease of use. Combined with
the bh TCSPC systems, it detects fluorescence decay functions with unprecedented dynamic range,
has the sensitivity to efficiently acquire FCS data, and delivers FCS without the need of crosscorrelation. The main area of application of the HPM-100 is time-resolved microscopy which
demands for exactly the combination of parameters the HPM-100 provides. However, the HPM-100
may be used for any TCSPC experiments that require high precision, high sensitivity, and wide
dynamic range.
References
1. W. Becker, Advanced time-correlated single-photon counting techniques. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York,
2005
2. W. Becker, The bh TCSPC handbook. 3rd edition, Becker & Hickl GmbH (2008), available on www.beckerhickl.com
3. Becker & Hickl GmbH, DCS-120 Confocal Scanning FLIM Systems, user handbook. www.becker-hickl.com
4. A. Fukasawa, J. Haba, A. Kageyama, H. Nakazawa and M. Suyama, High Speed HPD for Photon Counting, 2006
Nuclear Science Symposium, Medical Imaging Conference, San Diego, CA (2006)
5. Hamamatsu Photonics, R10467 hybrid PMTs, data sheet.
6. M. Köllner, J. Wolfrum, How many photons are necessary for fluorescence-lifetime measurements?, Phys. Chem.
Lett. 200, 199-204 (1992)
7. X. Michalet, A. Cheng, J. Antelman, Motohiro Suyama, Katsuhiro Arisaka, Shimon Weiss, Hybrid photodetector for
single-molecule spectroscopy and microscopy. Proc. SPIE 6862 (2007)
8. R.A. La Rue, K.A. Costello, G.A. Davis, J.P. Edgecumbe, V.W. Aebi, Photon Counting III-V Hybrid
Photomultipliers Using Transmission Mode Photocathodes. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices 44, 672-678
(1997)
9. M. Stevens, R.H. Hadfield, R.E. Schwall, S.W. Nam, R.P. Mirin, Time-correlated single-photon counting with
superconducting detectors. Proc. of SPIE 6372, 63720U-1 to -10
8
hpm-appnote02 doc
Detectors for High-Speed Photon Counting
Wolfgang Becker, Axel Bergmann
Becker & Hickl GmbH, Berlin, becker@becker-hickl.com, bergmann@becker-hickl.com
Detectors for photon counting must have sufficient gain to deliver a useful output pulse for a
single detected photon. The output pulse must be short enough to resolve the individual photons
at high count rate, and the transit time jitter in the detector should be small to achieve a good
time resolution. A wide variety of commercially available photomultipliers and a few avalanche
photodiode detectors meet these general requirements. We discuss the applicability of different
detectors to time-correlated photon counting (TCSPC), steady-state photon counting,
multichannel-scaling, and fluorescence correlation measurements (FCS).
Photon Counting Techniques
In a detector with a gain of the order of 106 to 108 and a pulse response width of the order of
1 ns each detected photon yields an output current pulse of some mA peak amplitude. The
output signal for a low level signal is then a train of random pulses the density of which
represents the light intensity. Therefore, counting the detector pulses within defined time
intervals - i.e. photon counting - is the most efficient way to record the light intensity with a
high gain detector [1].
Steady State Photon Counting
Simple intensity measurement of slow signals can easily be accomplished by a high-gain
detector, a discriminator, and a counter that is read in equidistant time intervals. Simple
photon counting heads that are connected to a PC via an RS232 interface can be used to
collect light signals with photon rates up to a few 106 / s within time intervals from a few ms
to minutes or hours.
Gated Photon Counting
Gated Photon Counters use a fast gate in front of the counter. The gate is used to count the
photons only within defined, usually short time intervals. Gating in conjunction with pulsed
light sources can be used to reduce the effective background count rate or to distinguish
between different signal components [2,3]. Several parallel counters with different gates can
be used to obtain information about the fluorescence lifetime. This technique is used for
lifetime imaging in conjunction with laser scanning microscopes [4,5]. The count rate within
the short gating interval can be very high, therefore gated photon counters can have maximum
count rates of 800 MHz [2].
Multichannel Scalers
Multichannel scalers - or ‘multiscalers’ count the
photons within subsequent time intervals and store the
results in subsequent memory locations of a fast data
memory. The general principle is shown in fig. 1.
Each sequence - or sweep - is started by a trigger pulse.
Therefore the waveform of repetitive signals can be
accumulated over many signal periods. Two versions of
multiscalers with different accumulation technique exist.
The photons can either be directly counted and
accumulated in a large and fast data memory, or the
Photon pulses from detector
Period 1
Period 2
direct accumulation
in high speed memory
Result
Fig. 1: Multichannel Scaler
1
detection times of the individual photons are stored in a FIFO memory and the waveform is
reconstructed when the measurement is finished. The direct accumulation achieves higher
continuous count rates and higher sweep rates, with the FIFO principle it is easier to obtain a
short time channel width. Multiscalers for direct accumulation are available with 1ns channel
width and 1 GHz continuous count rates [6]. Multiscalers with FIFO principle are available
for 500 ps channel width [7]. Unfortunately this is not fast enough for the measurements of
fluorescence lifetimes of most organic dyes. However, multiscalers can be an excellent
solution for phosphorescence, delayed fluorescence, and luminescence lifetime measurements
of inorganic samples. Furthermore, multiscalers are used for LIDAR applications.
The benefits of the multiscaler technique are
- Multiscalers have a near-perfect counting efficiency and therefore achieve optimum signalto-noise ratio for a given number of detected photons
- Multiscalers are able to record several photons per signal period
- Multiscalers can exploit extremely high detector count rates
- Multiscalers cover extremely long time intervals with high resolution in one sweep
Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting
Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting - or TCSPC - is based on the detection of single
photons of a periodical light signal, the measurement of the detection times of the individual
photons and the reconstruction of the waveform from the individual time measurements [8,9].
The method makes use of the fact that for low
level, high repetition rate signals the light
intensity is usually so low that the probability
to detect one photon in one signal period is
much less than one. Therefore, the detection of
several photons can be neglected and the
principle shown in fig. 2 right be used:
The detector signal consists of a train of
randomly distributed pulses due to the
detection of the individual photons. There are
many signal periods without photons, other
signal periods contain one photon pulse.
Periods with more than one photons are very
unlikely.
Original Waveform
Detector
Signal:
Time
Period 1
Period 2
Period 3
Period 4
Period 5
Period 6
Period 7
Period 8
Period 9
Period 10
Period N
Result
When a photon is detected, the time of the
after many
Photons
corresponding detector pulse is measured. The
events are collected in a memory by adding a
‘1’ in a memory location with an address
proportional to the detection time. After many
Fig. 2: Principle of the TCSPC technique
photons, in the memory the histogram of the
detection times, i.e. the waveform of the optical pulse builds up. Although this principle looks
complicated at first glance, it has a number of striking benefits:
- The time resolution of TCSPC is limited by the transit time spread, not by the width of the
output pulse of the detector. With fast MCP PMTs an instrument response width of less than
30 ps is achieved [14,27].
2
- TCSPC has a near-perfect counting efficiency and therefore achieves optimum signal-tonoise ratio for a given number of detected photons [10,11]
- TCSPC is able to record the signals from several detectors simultaneously [9,12-15]
- TCSPC can be combined with a fast scanning technique and therefore be used as a high
resolution, high efficiency lifetime imaging (FLIM) technique in confocal and two-photon
laser scanning microscopes [9,15,16,18 ]
- TCSPC is able to acquire fluorescence lifetime and fluorescence correlation data
simultaneously [9,17]
- State-of-the-art TCSPC devices achieve count rates in the MHz range and acquisition times
down to a few milliseconds [9, 18]
Multi-Detector TCSPC
TCSPC multi-detector operation makes use of
the fact that the simultaneous detection of
photons in several detector channels is
unlikely. Therefore, the single photon pulses
from several detector channels - either
individual detectors or the anodes of a multianode PMT - can be combined in a common
timing pulse line. If a photon is detected in
one of the channels the pulse is sent through
the normal time-measurement circuitry of a
single TCSPC channel. In the meantime an
array of discriminators connected to the
detector outputs generates a data word that
indicates in which of the channels the photon
was detected. This information is used to
store the photons of the individual detector
channels in separate blocks of the data
memory [9,12-15] (fig. 3).
Optical Waveforms
Detector 2
Detector 1
Time
Detector
Signal:
Period 1
Period 2
'channel 1'
Period 3
Period 4
Period 5
'channel 2'
'channel 2'
Period 6
Period 7
Period 8
Period 9
'channel 1'
Period 10
Period N
'channel 2'
Result
Detector 1
Result
Detector 2
Multi-detector TCSPC can be used to
simultaneously obtain time- and wavelength
Fig. 3: Multi-detector TCSPC
resolution [15], or to record photons from
different locations of a sample [14]. It should be noted that multi-detector TCSPC does not
involve any multiplexing or scanning process. Therefore the counting efficiency for each
detector channel is still close to one, which means that the efficiency of a multi-detector
TCSPC system can be considerably higher of single channel TCSPC device.
3
Photon Counting for Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) exploits
intensity fluctuations in the emission of a small number
of chromophore molecules in a femtoliter sample
volume [19,20]. The fluorescence correlation spectrum
is the autocorrelation function of the intensity
fluctuation. FCS yields information about diffusion
processes, conformational changes of chromophore protein complexes and intramolecular dynamics.
Fluorescence correlation spectra can be obtained
directly by hardware correlators or by recording the
detection times of the individual photons and
calculating the FCS curves by software. The second
technique can be combined with TCSPC to obtain FCS
and lifetime data simultaneously. Moreover, the
multidetector capability of TCSPC can be used to
detect photons in different wavelength intervals or of
different polarisation simultaneously [17,21].
ps time from TAC / ADC
Laser
Detector
Channel
Laser
Photon
micro time
macro time
resolution 25 ps
FIFO
Buffer
time from start of experiment
Start
of
experiment Photons
resolution 50 ns
micro time
Det. No
macro time
micro time
Det. No
macro time
.
.
.
.
.
.
micro time
Det. No
macro time
micro time
Det. No
macro time
Readout
Histogram of
micro time
Hard disk
Autocorrelation of
macro time
Fluorescence
decay
curves
Fluorescence
correlation
spectra
picoseconds
ns to seconds
The data structure for combined lifetime / FCS data
acquisition in the an SPC-830 module [9] is shown in
Fig. 4: Simultaneous FCS / lifetime data
acquisition
fig. 4. For each detector an individual correlation
spectrum and a fluorescence decay curve can be
calculated. If several detectors are used to record the photons from different chromophores,
the signals of these chromophores can be cross-correlated. The fluorescence cross-correlation
spectrum shows whether the molecules of both chromophores and the associated protein
structures are linked or diffuse independently.
Detector Principles
The most common detectors for low level detection of
light are photomultiplier tubes. A conventional
photomultiplier tube (PMT) is a vacuum device which
contains a photocathode, a number of dynodes
(amplifying stages) and an anode which delivers the
output signal [1,22].
D2
PhotoCathode
D1
D3
D4
D6
D5
D7
D8
Anode
Fig 5 Conventional PMT
The operating voltage builds up an electrical field that accelerates the electrons from the
cathode to the first dynode D1, further to the next dynodes, and from D8 to the anode. When a
photoelectron emitted by the photocathode hits D1 it releases several secondary electrons. The
same happens for the electrons emitted by D1 when they hit D2. The overall gain reaches
values of 106 to 108. The secondary emission at the dynodes is very fast, therefore the
secondary electrons resulting from one photoelectron arrive at the anode within a few ns or
less. Due to the high gain and the short response a single photoelectron yields a easily
detectable current pulse at the anode.
A wide variety of dynode geometries has been developed [1]. Of special interest for photon
counting are the ‘linear focused’ type dynodes which yield a fast single electron response, and
the ‘fine mesh’ and ‘metal channel’ type which offer position-sensitivity when used with an
array of anodes.
4
A similar gain effect as in the conventional PMTs is
achieved in the Channel PMT (fig 6) and in the
Microchannel PMT (Fig. 7, MCP). These detectors use
channels with a conductive coating the walls of which
work as secondary emission targets [1]. Microchannel
PMTs are the fastest photon counting detectors
currently available. Moreover, the microchannel plate
technique allows to build position-sensitive detectors
and image intensifiers.
To obtain position sensitivity, the single anode can be
replaced with an array of individual anode elements
(fig. 8). By individually detecting the pulses from the
anode elements the position of the corresponding
photon on the photocathode can be determined. Multianode PMTs are particularly interesting in conjunction
with time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC)
because this technique is able to process the photon
pulses from several detector channels in only one
time-measurement channel [9,12-15].
-HV
Anode
Cathode
Fig. 6 Channel PMT
Channel
Plate
Channel Plate
Anode
Electrical Field
Cathode
Fig. 7 Microchannel PMT
Microchannel plates
or fine-mesh dynodes
A1
A2
Cathode
The gain systems used in photomultipliers can also be
used to detect electrons or ions. These ‘Electron
Multipliers’ are operated in the vacuum, and the
particles are fed directly into the dynode system, the
multiplier channel or onto the multichannel plate
(fig. 9).
Cooled avalanche photodiodes can be used to detect
single optical photons if they are operated close to or
slightly above the breakdown voltage [23-26] (fig. 10).
The generated electron-hole pairs initiate an avalanche
breakdown in the diode. Active or passive quenching
circuits must be used to restore normal operation after
each photon. Single-photon avalanche photodiodes
(SPADs) have a high quantum efficiency in the visible
and near-infrared range.
Photo
Electron
Electrons
to
Anode
A3
Array
of
A4
Anodes
A5
Fig. 8 Multianode PMT
Channel
Plate
Channel Plate
Electrons
Anode
or
Ions
Electron
Electrons
to
Anode
Electrical Field
Fig 9 Electron Multiplier with MCP
Quenching Circuit
200V
Photon
X ray photons can be detected by PIN diodes. A single
Avalanche
Output
high energy X ray photon generates so many electronhole pairs in the diode so that the resulting charge
Fig 10: Single Photon Avalanche Photodiode (SPAD)
pulse can be detected by an ultra-sensitive charge
amplifier. However, due to the limited speed of the
amplifier these detectors have a time resolution in the
us range and do not reach high count rates. They can, however, distinguish photons of
different energy by the amount of charge generated.
Detector Parameters
Single Electron Response
The output pulse of a detector for a single photoelectron is called the ‘Single Electron
Response’ or ‘SER’. Some typical SER shapes for PMTs are shown in fig. 11.
5
Iout
1ns/div
Standard PMT
1ns/div
Fast PMT (R5600, H5783)
1ns/div
MCP-PMT
Fig. 11: Single electron response (SER) of different photomultipliers
Due to the random nature of the detector gain, the pulse amplitude
varies from pulse to pulse. The pulse height distribution can be
very broad, up to 1:5 to 1:10. Fig. 12 shows the SER pulses of an
R5600 PMT recorded by a 400 MHz oscilloscope.
The following considerations are made with G being the average
gain, and ISER being the average peak current of the SER pulses.
The peak current of the SER is approximately
.
ISER =
G e
----------FWHM
.
-19
( G = PMT Gain, e=1.6 10 As, FWHM= SER pulse width,
full width at half maximum)
The table below shows some typical values. ISER is the average Fig. 12: Amplitude jitter of SER
pulses
SER peak current and VSER the average SER peak voltage when the
output is terminated with 50 Ω. Imax is the maximum permitted continuous output current of
the PMT.
PMT
Standard
Fast PMT
MCP PMT
PMT Gain
107
107
106
FWHM
5 ns
1.5 ns
0.36 ns
ISER
0.32 mA
1 mA
0.5mA
VSER (50 Ω)
16 mV
50 mV
25 mV
Imax (cont)
100uA
100uA
0.1uA
There is one significant conclusion from this table: If the PMT is operated near its full gain
the peak current ISER from a single photon is much greater than the maximum continuous
output current. Consequently, for steady state operation the PMT delivers a train of random
pulses rather than a continuous signal. Because each pulse represents the detection of an
individual photon the pulse density - not the pulse amplitude - is a measure of the light
intensity at the cathode of the PMT [1,2,3,6].
Obviously, the pulse density is measured best by counting the PMT pulses within subsequent
time intervals. Therefore, photon counting is a logical consequence of the high gain and the
high speed of photomultipliers.
6
Transit Time Spread and Timing Jitter
The delay between the absorption of a photon at the photocathode and the output pulse from
the anode of a PMT varies from photon to photon. The effect is called ‘transit time spread’, or
TTS. There are tree major TTS components in conventional PMTs and MCP PMTs - the
emission at the photocathode, the multiplication process in the dynode system or
microchannel plate, and the timing jitter of the subsequent electronics.
The time constant of the photoelectron emission at a
traditional photocathodes is small compared to the
2nd. Dynode
other TTS components and usually does not
noticeably contribute to the transit time spread.
Electron
However, high efficiency semiconductor-type
Photons Trajecories
photocathodes (GaAs, GaAsP, InGaAs) are much
slower and can introduce a transit time spread of the
1st. Dynode
Photoorder of 100 to 150 ps. Moreover, photoelectrons are
cathode
Focusing Electrode
emitted at the photocathode of a photomultiplier at
random locations, with random velocities and in
random directions. Therefore, the time they need to
Fig. 13: Different electron trajectories cause
reach the first dynode or the channel plate is slightly
different transit times in a PMT
different for each photoelectron (fig. 13). Since the
average initial velocity of a photoelectron increases with decreasing wavelength of the
absorbed photon the transit-time spread is wavelength-dependent.
As the photoelectrons at the cathode, the secondary electrons emitted at the first dynodes of a
PMT or in the channel plate of and MCP PMT have a wide range of start velocities and start
in any direction. The variable time they need to reach the next dynode adds to the transit time
spread of the PMT.
Another source of timing uncertainty is the timing jitter in the discriminator at the input of a
photon counter. The amplitude of the single electron pulses at the output of a PMT varies,
which causes a variable delay in the trigger circuitry. Although timing jitter due to amplitude
fluctuations can be minimised by constant fraction discriminators it cannot be absolutely
avoided. Electronic timing jitter is not actually a property of the detector, but usually cannot
be distinguished from the detector TTS.
TTS does exist also in single-photon avalanche photodiodes. The reason of TTS in SPADs is
the different depth in which the photons are absorbed. This results in different conditions for
the build-up of the carrier avalanche and in different avalanche transit times. Consequently the
TTS depends on the wavelength. Moreover, if a passive quenching circuit is used, the reverse
voltage may not have completely recovered from the breakdown of the previous photon. The
result is an increase or shift of the TTS with the count rate.
The TTS of a PMT is usually much shorter that the SER pulse width. In linear applications
where the time resolution is limited by the SER pulse width the TTS is not important. The
resolution of photon counting, however, is not limited by the SER pulse width. Therefore, the
TTS is the limiting parameter for the time resolution of photon counting.
Cathode Efficiency
The efficiency, i.e. the probability that a particular photon causes a pulse at the output of the
PMT, depends on the efficiency of the photocathode. Unfortunately the sensitivity S of a
7
photocathode is usually not given in units of quantum efficiency but in mA of photocurrent
per Watt incident power. The quantum efficiency QE is
hc
S
QE = S ---- = ---λ
eλ
1.24 106
Wm
---A
The efficiency for the commonly used
photocathodes is shown in fig. 14. The QE
of the conventional bialkali and multialkali
cathodes reaches 20 to 25 % between 400
and 500 nm. The recently developed
GaAsP cathode reaches 45 %. The GaAs
cathode has an improved red sensitivity
and is a good replacement for the
multialkali cathode above 600 nm.
Sensitivity
1000
mA/W
QE=0.5
GaAsP
100
GaAs
QE=0.2
QE=0.1
bialkali
multialkali
10
Generally, there is no significant
difference between the efficiency of
similar photocathodes in different PMTs
1
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
and from different manufacturers. The
nm
Wavelength
differences are of the same order as the
Fig. 14: Sensitivity of different photocathodes [1]
variation between different tube of the
same type. Reflection type cathodes are a
bit more efficient than transmission type photocathodes. However, reflection type
photocathodes have non-uniform photoelectron transit times to the dynode system and
therefore cannot be used in ultra-fast PMTs. A good overview about the characteristics of
PMTs is given in [1].
Efficiency
The typical efficiency of the Perkin Elmer
SPCM-AQR single photon avalanche photodiode
(SPAD) modules is shown in the figure right (after
[24]). The wavelength dependence follows the
typical curve of a silicon photodiode and reaches
more than 70% at 700nm. However, the active area
of the SPCM-AQR is only 0.18 mm wide, and
diodes with much smaller areas have been
manufactured [23]. Therefore the high efficiency of
an SPAPD can only be exploited if the light can be
concentrated to such a small area.
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000 nm
wavelength
Fig. 15: Quantum efficiency vs. wavelength for
SPAD. Perkin-Elmer SPCM-AQR module [24]
Pulse Height Distribution
The single photon pulses obtained from PMTs and MCPs have a considerable amplitude jitter.
A typical pulse amplitude distribution of a PMT is shown in fig. 16. The amplitude spectrum
shows a more or less pronounced peak for the photon pulses and a continuous increase of the
background at low amplitudes. The background originates from thermal emission of electrons
in the dynode systems, from noise of preamplifiers, and from noise pickup from the
environment. The amplitude of the single photon pulses can vary by a factor of 10 and more.
8
Probability
Discriminator
Threshold
Typical PMT pulse amplitude distribution
Signal Pulses
Background
Discriminator
Threshold
Pulse Amplitude
Fig 16: Pulse height distribution of a PMT and discriminator threshold for optimum counting performance
In good PMTs and MCPs the single photon pulse amplitudes should be clearly distinguished
from the background noise. Then, by appropriate setting the discriminator threshold of the
photon counter, the background can be effectively suppressed. If the photon pulses and the
background are not clearly distinguished either the background cannot be efficiently
suppresses or a large fraction of the photon pulses is lost. Therefore, next to a high QE of the
cathode, a good pulse height distribution is essential to get a high counting efficiency.
The pulse height distribution has also noticeable influence on the time resolution obtained in
TCSPC applications. Of course, a low timing jitter can only be achieved if the amplitude of
single photon pulses is clearly above the background noise level.
The pulse height distribution of the same PMT type can differ considerably for different
cathode versions. The bialkali versions are usually the best, multialkali is mediocre and
extended multialkali (S25) can be disastrous. The reason might be that during the cathode
formation cathode material is spilled into the dynode system or that the cathode material is
also used for coating the dynodes.
Dark Count Rate
The dark count rate of a PMT
depends on the cathode type, the
cathode area, and the temperature.
The dark count rate is highest for
cathodes with high sensitivity at
long wavelengths. Depending on
the cathode type, there is an
increase of a factor of 3 to 10 for
a 10 °C increase in temperature.
Therefore, additional heating, i.e.
by the voltage divider resistors,
amplifiers connected to the Fig.17: Decrease of dark count rate (counts per second) of a H5773P-01 after
output, or by the coils of shutters exposing the cathode to room light. The device was cooled to 5°C. The peaks
should be avoided. The most are caused by scintillation effects.
efficient way to keep the dark count rate low is thermoelectric cooling. Exposing the cathode
of a switched-off PMT to daylight increases the dark count rate considerably. For the
traditional cathodes the effect is reversible, but full recovery takes several hours, see fig. 17.
Semiconductor cathodes should not be exposed to full daylight at all.
9
After extreme overload, e.g. daylight on the cathode of an operating PMT, the dark count rate
is permanently increased by several orders of magnitude. The tube is then damaged and does
not recover.
Many PMTs produce random single pulses of extremely high amplitude or bursts of pulses
with extremely high count rate. Such bursts are responsible for the peaks in fig. 17. The pulses
can originate from scintillation effects by radioactive decay in the vicinity of the tube, in the
tube structure itself, by cosmic ray particles or from tiny electrical discharges in the cathode
region. Therefore not only the tube, but also the materials in the cathode region must be
suspected to be the source of the effect. Generally, there should be some mm clearance around
the cathode region of the tube.
Afterpulses
Most detectors have an increased probability
to produce a dark count pulse in a time
interval of some 100 ns to some µs after the
detection of a photon. Afterpulses can be
caused by ion feedback, or by luminescence
of the dynode material and the glass of the
tube. They are detectable in almost any
conventional PMT. Afterpulsing of an R5600
tube is shown in fig. 18.
Fig. 18: Afterpulsing in an R5600 PMT tube. TCSPC
measurement with Becker & Hickl SPC-630. The peak is the
laser pulse, afterpulses cause a bump 200 ns later
Afterpulsing can be a problem in high
repetition rate TCSPC applications, particularly with titanium-sapphire lasers or diode lasers,
and in fluorescence correlation experiments. At high repetition rate the afterpulses from many
signal periods accumulate and cause an appreciable signal-dependent background. Correlation
spectra can be severely distorted by afterpulsing.
Afterpulsing shows up most clearly in histograms
of the time differences between subsequent
photons or in correlation spectra. For classic
light, i.e. from an incandescent lamp, the
histogram of the time differences drops
exponentially with the time difference. Any
deviation from the exponential drop indicates
correlation between the detection events, i.e. nonideal behaviour of the detector. Afterpulses show
up as a peak centred at the average time
difference of primary pulses and afterpulses.
A correlation spectrum is the autocorrelation
function of the photon density versus time.
Classic light delivers a constant background of
random coincidences of the detection events. As
in the histogram of time differences, afterpulses
show up as a peak centred at the average time
difference of primary pulses and afterpulses.
Typical curves for a traditional R932 PMT are
shown in fig. 19.
10
Fig. 19: Histogram of times between photons (top) and
correlation spectrum (bottom) for classic light. The peak
at short times is due to afterpulsing.
Photon Counting Performance of Selected Detectors
R3809U MCP-PMT
The TCSPC system response for a Hamamatsu R3809U-50 MCP [27] is shown in fig. 20.
The MCP was illuminated with a femtosecond Ti:Sa laser, the response was measured with an
SPC-630 TCSPC module. A HFAC-26-01 preamplifier was used in front of the SPC-630
CFD input. At an operating voltage of -3 kV the FWHM (full width at half maximum) of the
response is 28 ps.
Fig. 20: R38909U, TCSPC instrument response. Operating voltage-3kV, preamplifier gain 20dB,
discriminator threshold - 80mV
The response has a shoulder of some 400 ps
duration and about 1% of the peak amplitude. This
shoulder seems to be a general property of all MCPs
and appears in all of these devices.
The width of the response can be reduced to 25 ps
by increasing the operating voltage to the maximum
permitted value of -3.4 kV. However, for most
applications this is not recommended for the
following reason:
Threshold
mV
2
100
Count
Rate
MHz
90
1.5
80
70
60
1
50
40
0.5
30
20
As all MCP-PMTs, the R3809U allows only a very
10
small maximum output current. This sets a limit to
0
2750
2800
2850
2900
2950
3000
3050
MCP Supply Voltage, V
the maximum count rate that can be obtained from
the device. The maximum count rate depends on the Fig. 21: R3809U, count rate for 100 nA anode
MCP gain, i.e. of the supply voltage. The count rate current and optimum discriminator threshold vs.
for the maximum output current of 100 nA as a supply voltage. HFAC-26-01 (20dB) preamplifier
function of the supply voltage is shown in fig. 21.
To keep the counting efficiency constant the CFD threshold was adjusted to get a constant
count rate at a reference intensity that gave 20,000 counts per second. Fig. 21 shows that count
rates in excess of 2 MHz can be reached.
The R3809U tubes have a relatively good SER pulse height distribution which seems to be
independent of the cathode type - possibly a result of the independent manufacturing of the
channel plate and the cathode. Therefore a good counting efficiency can be achieved.
11
Fig. 22 shows the histogram of the time intervals
between the recorded photons. The count rate was
about 10,000 photons per second, the data were
obtained with an SPC-830 in the ‘FIFO’ mode.
Interestingly, the R3809U is free of afterpulsing.
Due to the short TCSPC response and the absence
of afterpulses the R3809U is an ideal detector for
TCSPC fluorescence lifetime measurements, for
TCSPC lifetime imaging, and for combined
Fig. 22: R3809U, histogram of times between
lifetime / FCS or other correlation experiments. photons. No afterpulses are detected.
Recently Hamamatsu announced the R3809U MCP
with GaAs, GaAsP, and infrared cathodes for up to 1700 nm. Although these MCPs are not as
fast as the versions with conventional cathodes they might be the ultimate detectors for
combined FCS / lifetime experiments.
The flipside is that MCPs are expensive and can easily be damaged by overload. Therefore the
R3809U should be operated with a preamplifier that monitors the output current. If overload
conditions are to be expected, i.e. by the halogen or mercury lamp of a scanning microscope,
electronically driven shutters should be used and high voltage shutdown should be
accomplished to protect the detector.
H7422
The H7422 incorporates a GaAs or GaAsP cathode PMT, a thermoelectric cooler, and the
high voltage power supply [28]. Hamamatsu delivers a small OEM power supply to drive the
cooler. However, we could not use this power supply because it generated so much noise that
photon counting with the H7422 was not possible. Furthermore, we found that the H7422
shuts down if the gain control voltage is changed faster that about 0.1V / s. Apparently fast
changes activate an internal overload shutdown. Unfortunately the device can only be reanimated by cycling the +12 V power supply.
Therefore we use the Becker & Hickl DCC-100 detector controller. It drives the cooler and
supplies the +12 V and a software-controlled gain control voltage to the H7422. Furthermore,
the DCC in conjunction with a HFAC-26-1 preamplifier can be connected to shut down the
gain of the H7422 on overload. If the H7422 shuts down internally for any reason, cycling the
+12 V is only a mouse click into the DCC-100 operating panel.
The TCSPC system response of an H7422-40 is shown in Fig. 23.
Fig. 23: H7422-40, TCSPC Instrument response function. Gain control voltage 0.9V (maximum gain), preamplifier 20dB,
discriminator threshold -200mV, -300mV, -400mV and -500mV
12
The FWHM of the system response is about 300 ps. There is a weak secondary peak about
2.5 ns after the main peak, and a peak prior to the main peak can appear at low discriminator
thresholds. The width of the response does not depend appreciably of the discriminator
threshold. This is an indication that the response is limited by the intrinsic speed of the
semiconductor photocathode.
The afterpulsing probability of the H7422-40 can be seen from the histogram of the time
intervals of the photon (fig. 24). For maximum gain the afterpulse probability in the first
1.5 µs is very high (fig. 24, red curve, control voltage 0.9V). If the gain is reduced the
afterpulse probability decreases considerably (fig. 24, blue curve, 0.63V). The timing
resolution does not decrease appreciably at the reduced gain, fig. 25.
Fig. 24: H7422-40, histogram of times between photons.
Gain control voltage 0.9V (red) and 0.63V (blue).
Afterpulse probability increases with gain.
Fig. 25, H7422-40, TCSPC Instrument response function. Gain
control voltage 0.63V, preamplifier 20dB, discriminator
threshold -30mV, -50mV, -70mV
The H7422 is a good detector for TCSPC applications when sensitivity has a higher priority
than time resolution. A typical application is TCSPC imaging with laser scanning microscopes
[18,29]. The high quantum efficiency helps to reduce photobleaching which is the biggest
enemy of lifetime imaging in scanning microscopes.
The H7422 can also be used to investigate diffusion processes in cells or conformational
changes of dye / protein complexes by combined FCS / lifetime spectroscopy. Although the
accuracy in the time range below 1.5 µs is impaired by afterpulsing, processes at longer time
scales can be efficiently recorded.
Another application of the H7422 is optical tomography with pulses NIR lasers. Because the
measurements are run in-vivo it is essential to acquire a large number of photons in a short
measurement time. Particularly in the wavelength range above 800 nm the efficiency of
H7422-50 and -60 yields a considerable improvement compared to PMTs with conventional
cathodes.
H7421
The Hamamatsu H7421 is similar to the H7422 in that it contains a GaAs or GaAsP cathode
PMT, a thermoelectric cooler, and the high voltage power supply. However, the output of the
PMT is connected to a discriminator that delivers TTL pulses. The output of the PMT is not
directly available, and the PMT gain and the discriminator threshold cannot be changed. The
module is therefore easy to use. However, because the discriminator is not of the constant
fraction type, the TCSPC timing performance is by far not as good as for the H7422, see
figure 26.
13
Fig. 26: H7422-50, TCSPC response function for a count rate of 30 kHz (blue) and 600 kHz (red)
The FWHM is only 600 ps. Moreover, it increases for count rates above some 100 kHz.
Interestingly no such count rate dependence was found for the H7422. Obviously the H7422 is
a better solution if high time resolution and high peak count rate is an issue.
H5783 and H5773 Photosensor Modules, PMH-100
The H5783 and H5773 photosensor modules contain a small (TO9 size) PMT and the high
voltage power supply [30]. They come in different cathode and window versions. A ‘P’
version selected for good pulse height distribution is available for the bialkali and multialkali
tubes. The typical TCSPC response of a H5773P-0 is shown in fig. 27. The device was tested
with a 650 nm diode laser of 80 ps pulse width. A HFAC-26-10 preamplifier was used, and
the response was recorded with an SPC-730 TCSPC module.
The response function has a pre-peak about 1 ns before the main peak and an secondary peak
2 ns after. The pre-peak is caused by low amplitude pulses, probably from photoemission at
the first dynode. It can be suppressed by properly adjusting the discriminator threshold. The
secondary peak is independent of the discriminator threshold.
Fig: 27: H5773P-0, TCSPC instrument response. Maximum gain, preamplifier gain 20dB, discriminator threshold -100mV,
-300mV and -500mV
The Becker & Hickl PMH-100 module contains a H5773P module, a 20 dB preamplifier, and
an overload indicator. The response is the same as for the H5773P and a HFAC-26 amplifier.
However, because the PMT and the preamplifier are in the same housing, the PMH-100 has a
superior noise immunity. This results in an exceptionally low differential nonlinearity in
TCSPC measurements.
14
A histogram of the times between the photon pulses for the H5773 is shown in fig. 28. The
devices show relatively strong afterpulsing, particularly the multialkali (-1) tubes.
Dark
Counts
900
1/s
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
10
Fig. 28: Histogram of times between photons for H5773P-0
(blue) and H5773P-1 (red). The afterpulse probability is
higher for the -1 version
15
20
25
30°C Temperature
Fig. 29: Dark count rate for different H5773P-01 modules
Fig. 29 shows the dark count rate for different H5773P-1 modules as a function of ambient
temperature. Taking into regards the small cathode area of the devices the dark count rates are
relatively high. Selected devices with lower dark count rate are available.
The H5783, the H5773 and particularly the PMH-100 are easy to use, rugged and fast
detectors that can be used for TCSPC, multiscalers and gated photon counting as well. In
multiscaler applications the detectors reach peak count rates of more that 150 MHz for a few
100 ns. The detectors are not suitable for FCS or similar correlation experiments on the time
scale below 1 us.
R7400 and R5600 TO-8 PMTs
The R7400 and the older R5600 are bare tubes similar to that used in the H5783 and H5773.
There is actually no reason to use the bare tubes instead of the complete photosensor module.
However, for the bare tube the voltage divider can be optimised for smaller TTS or improved
linearity at high count rate. The TTS width decreases with the square root of the voltage
between the cathode and the first dynode. It is unknown how far the voltage can be increased
without damage. A test tube worked stable at 1 kV overall voltage with a three-fold increase
of the cathode-dynode voltage. The decrease of the response width is shown in fig. 30.
Fig. 30: R5900P-1, -1kV supply voltage: TCSPC response
for different voltage between cathode and first dynode.
Blue, green and red: 1, 2 and 3 times nominal voltage
Fig. 31: H5773P-1, -1kV : Histogram of times between
photons.
The afterpulse probability is the same as for the H5783 and H5773 photosensor modules
(fig. 31).
15
It is questionable whether the benefit of a slightly shorter response compensates for the
inconvenience of building a voltage divider and using a high voltage power supply. However,
if a large number of tubes has to be used, i.e. in an optical tomography setup, using the R5600
or R7400 can be reasonable.
R5900-L16 Multichannel PMT and PML-16 Multichannel Detector Head
The Hamamatsu R5900-L16 is a multi-anode PMT with 16 channels in a linear arrangement.
In conjunction with a polychromator the detector can be used for multi-wavelength detection.
If the R5900-L16 is used with steady-state and gated photon counters or with multiscalers 16
parallel recording channels, e.g. two parallel Becker & Hickl PMM-328 modules are required.
For TCSPC application the multi-detector technique described in [9] and [12-15] can be used.
TCSPC multi-detector operation is achieved by combining the photon pulses of all detector
channels into one common timing pulse line and generating a ‘channel’ signal which indicates
in which of the PMT channels a photon was detected. The Becker & Hickl PML-16 detector
head [13] contains the R5900-L16 tube and all the required electronics.
The R5900-L16 has also been used with a separate routing device [12,31]. However, in a
setup like this noise pick-up from the environment and noise from matching resistors and
preamplifiers adds up so that the timing performance is sub-optimal.
The TCSPC response of two selected channels of the PML-16 detector head is shown in
fig. 32. The response of a single channel of different R5900-L16 is between 150 ps and 220 ps
FWHM.
Fig. 32: System response of two selected channels of the PML-16 detector head
The response is slightly different for the individual channels. Fig. 33 shows the response for
the 16 channels as sequence of curves and as a colour-intensity plot. There is a systematic
wobble in the delay of response with the channel number. That means, for the analysis of
fluorescence lifetime measurements the instrument response function (IRF) must be measured
for all channels, and each channel must be de-convoluted with its individual IRF.
Fig. 33: System response of the PML-16 / R5900-L16 channels. Left curve plot, right colour-intensity plot
16
The data sheet of the R5900-L16 gives a channel crosstalk of only 3%. There is certainly no
reason to doubt about this value. However, in real setup it is almost impossible to reach such a
small crosstalk. If crosstalk is an issue the solution is to use only each second channel of the
R5900-L16 [31]. If the PML-16 is used with only 8 channels, the data of the unused channels
should simply remain unused. If the R5900-L16 is used outside the PML-16 the unused
anodes should be terminated into ground with 50 Ω.
A histogram of the times between the photon
pulses is shown in fig. 34. No afterpulsing was
found in the R5900-L16. It appears unlikely
that the absence of afterpulses was a special
feature of the tested device. The result is
surprising because afterpulsing is detectable in
all PMTs of conventional design. It seems that
the ‘metal channel’ design of the R5900 is
really different from any conventional dynode
structure. That means, the R5900-L16 and the Fig. 34: R5900-L16, histogram of times between photons.
PML-16 detector head are exceptionally No afterpulsing was found.
suitable for combined multi-wavelength
fluorescence lifetime and FCS experiments. The absence of afterpulses can be a benefit also in
high repetition rate TCSPC measurements in that there is no signal-dependent background. A
R5900-L16 with a GaAs or GaAsP cathode - although not announced yet - would be a great
detector.
Side Window PMTs
Side window PMTs are rugged, inexpensive, and often have somewhat higher cathode
efficiency than front window PMTs. The broad TTS and the long SER pulses make them less
useful for TCSPC application or for multiscaling or gated photon counting with high peak
count rates. However, side-window PMTs are used in many fluorescence spectrometers, in
femtosecond correlators and in laser scanning microscopes. If an instrument like these has to
be upgraded with a photon counting device it can be difficult to replace the detector.
Therefore, some typical results for side window PMTs are given below.
The width and the shape of the TCSPC system response depend on the size and the location of
the illuminated spot on the photocathode. The response for the R931 - a traditional 28 mm
diameter PMT - for a spot diameter of 3 mm is shown in Fig. 35.
Fig. 35: R931, TCSPC system response for different spots on the photocathode. Spot diameter 3mm
17
By carefully selecting the spot on the
photocathode an acceptable response can be
achieved [31,32]. A TCSPC response width
down to 112 ps FWHM has been reported [32].
This short value was obtained by using single
electron pulses in an extremely narrow
amplitude interval and illuminating a small spot
near the edge of the cathode.
The afterpulse probability for an R931 is shown
in Fig. 36. The afterpulse probability depends Fig. 36: R931, histogram of times between photons.
Red -900V, blue -1000V. The afterpulse probability
on the operating voltage, and the afterpulses increases with voltage
occur within a time interval of about 3 µs. The
high afterpulse probability does not only exclude correlation measurements on the time scale
below 3 µs, it can also result in a considerable signal-dependent background in high repetition
rate TCSPC applications.
Surprisingly, modern 13 mm diameter side window tubes are not faster than the traditional
28 mm tubes. The TCSPC response for a Hamamatsu R6350 is shown in fig. 37.
Fig. 37: R6350, TCSPC system response for illumination of full cathode area
13 mm tubes are often used in the scanning heads of laser scanning microscopes. It is difficult,
if not impossible to replace the side-window PMTs with faster detectors in these instruments.
Therefore it is often unavoidable to use the 13 mm side-on tube for TCSPC lifetime imaging.
Depending on the size and the location of the illuminated spot an FWHM of 300 to 600 ps can
be expected. Although this is sufficient to determine the lifetimes of typical high quantum
yield chromophores, accurate FRET and fluorescence quenching experiments require a higher
time resolution.
CP 944 Channel Photomultiplier
The channel photomultipliers of Perkin Elmer offer high gain and low dark count rates at a
reasonable cost. Unfortunately the devices have an extremely broad TTS. The TCSPC system
response to a 650nm diode laser is shown in fig. 38. The FWHM of the response is of the
order of 1.4 to 1.9 ns which is insufficient for typical TCSPC applications.
18
Fig. 38: CP 944 channel photomultiplier, TCSPC response. 650 nm, count rate 1.5.105, high voltage -2.8 kV (red) and
-2.9 kV (blue). Full cathode illuminated
However, the Perkin Elmer channel PMTs have high gain, a low dark count rate and a
surprisingly narrow pulse height distribution. This makes them exceptionally useful for low
intensity steady state photon counting or multichannel scaling.
SPCM-AQR Single Photon Avalanche Photodiode Module
The Perkin Elmer SPCM-AQR single photon avalanche photodiode modules are well-known
for their high quantum efficiency in the near-infrared. Unfortunately the modules have a very
poor timing performance. The TCSPC response for a SPCM-AQR-12 (dark count class
<250 cps) is shown in fig. 39.
Fig. 39: SPCM-AQR-12, TCSPC response. Left: 405nm, red 50 kHz, blue 500 kHz count rate. Right: 650 nm, red 50 kHz,
blue 500 kHz count rate
The response was measured with a 405 nm BDL-405 and a 650 nm ps diode laser of
Becker & Hickl. The pulse width of the
lasers was 70 to 80 ps, i.e. much shorter that
the detector response. The measurements
show that the TTS is not only much wider
than specified, there is also a considerable
change with the wavelength, and, still
worse, with the count rate. Therefore the
SPCM-AQR
cannot
be
used
for
fluorescence lifetime measurements.
Fig. 40: SPCM-AQR-14, 650 nm, count rates 8 104 (green),
Interestingly, an older SPCM-AQR had a 5 105 (red) and 1 106 (blue)
smaller count-rate dependence. Fig. 40
shows the TCSPC response of an SPCM-AQR-14 (dark count class < 40 cps) manufactured in
1999. Although the shift with the count rate is still too large for fluorescence lifetime
experiments, it is much smaller than for the new device.
19
The afterpulse probability of the SPCMAQR is low enough for correlation
experiments down to a few 100 ns, fig. 41.
An inconvenience of the non-fibre version
of the SPCM-AQR is that it is almost
impossible to attach it to an optical system
without getting daylight into the optical
path. A standard optical adapter, e.g. a Cmount thread around the photodiode, would
simplify the optical setup considerably.
Fig. 419: SPCM-AQR-12, histogram of times between photons
The conclusion is that the SPCM-AQR is
an excellent detector for fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and high efficiency steady state
photon counting but not applicable to fluorescence lifetime measurements. This is
disappointing, particularly because state-of-the-art TCSPC techniques allow for simultaneous
FCS / lifetime measurements which are exceptionally useful to investigate conformational
changes in protein-dye complexes, single-molecule FRET and diffusion processes in living
cells. Currently the only solution for these applications is to use PMT detectors, i.e. the
R3809U MCP, the H7422 or the R5900 which, of course, means to sacrifice some efficiency.
Summary
There is no detector that meets all requirements of photon counting - high quantum efficiency,
low dark count rate, short transit time spread, narrow pulse height distribution, high peak
count rate, high continuous count rate, and low afterpulse probability. The detector with the
highest efficiency, the Perkin Elmer SPCM-AQR, has a broad and count-rate dependent
transit time spread. The R7400 miniature PMTs and the H5783 and H5773 photosensor
modules of Hamamatsu have a short transit-time spread and work well for TCSPC, steady
state photon counting, and multiscaler applications. However, they cannot be used for
correlation experiments below 1.5 us because of their high afterpulse probability. The H7422
modules offer high efficiency combined with acceptable transit time spread. The afterpulse
probability can be kept low if they are operated at reduced gain.
There are two really remarkable detectors - the Hamamatsu R3809U MCP and the R5900
multi-anode PMT. Both tubes are free of afterpulses. The R3809U achieves a TTS, i.e. a
TCSPC response below 30 ps FWHM while the R5900-L1 reaches < 200 ps in 16 parallel
channels. Only these detectors appear fully applicable for simultaneous fluorescence
correlation and lifetime experiments.
References
[1] Photomultiplier Tube, Hamamatsu Photonics, 1994
[2] PMS-400 Gated photon Counter and Multiscaler. 70 pages, Becker & Hickl GmbH, www.becker-hickl.com
[3] PMM-328 8 Channel Gated Photon Counter / Multiscaler. 62 pages, Becker & Hickl GmbH,
www.becker-hickl.com
[4] E.P. Buurman, R. Sanders, A. Draijer, H.C. Gerritsen, J.J.F. van Veen, P.M. Houpt, Y.K. Levine :
Fluorescence lifetime imaging using a confocal laser scanning microscope. Scanning 14, 155-159 (1992).
[5] J. Syrtsma, J.M. Vroom, C.J. de Grauw, H.C. Gerritsen, Time-gated fluorescence lifetime imaging and
microvolume spectroscopy using two-photon excitation. Journal of Microscopy, 191 (1998) 39-51
20
[6] MSA-200, MSA-300, MSA-1000 Ultrafast Photon Counters / Multiscalers. 65 pages, Becker & Hickl GmbH,
[7] Model P7886, P7886S, P7886E PCI based GHz Multiscaler. www fastcomtec.com
[8] D.V. O’Connor, D. Phillips, Time Correlated Single Photon Counting, Academic Press, London 1984
[9] SPC-134 through SPC-830 operating manual and TCSPC compendium. 186 pages, Becker & Hickl GmbH,
Jan. 2002, www.becker-hickl.com
[10] Ballew, R.M., Demas, J.N., An error analysis of the rapid lifetime determination method for the evaluation
of single exponential decays. Anal. Chem. 61 (1989) 30-33
[11] K. Carlsson, J.P. Philip, Theoretical Investigation of the Signal-to-Noise ratio for different fluorescence
lifetime imaging techniques. SPIE Conference 4622A, BIOS 2002, San Jose 2002
[12] Routing Modules for Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting, Becker & Hickl GmbH,
[13] PML-16 16 Channel Detector Head, Operating Manual. Becker & Hickl GmbH, www.becker-hickl.com
[14] W. Becker, A. Bergmann, H. Wabnitz, D. Grosenick, A. Liebert, High count rate multichannel TCSPC for
optical tomography. Proc. SPIE 4431, 249-254 (2001), ECBO2001, Munich
[15] Wolfgang Becker, Axel Bergmann, Christoph Biskup, Thomas Zimmer, Nikolaj Klöcker, Klaus Benndorf,
Multi-wavelength TCSPC lifetime imaging. Proc. SPIE 4620, BIOS 2002, San Jose
[16] Wolfgang Becker, Klaus Benndorf, Axel Bergmann, Christoph Biskup, Karsten König,
Uday Tirplapur, Thomas Zimmer, FRET Measurements by TCSPC Laser Scanning Microscopy, Proc. SPIE
4431, ECBO2001, Munich
[17] J. Schaffer, A. Volkmer, C. Eggeling, V. Subramaniam, C. A. M. Seidel, Identification of single molecules
in aqueous solution by time-resolved anisotropy. Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 103 (1999) 331-335
[18] TCSPC Laser Scanning Microscopy - Upgrading laser scanning microscopes with the SPC-830 and SPC730 TCSPC lifetime imaging modules. 36 pages, Becker&Hickl GmbH, www.becker-hickl.com
[19] K.M. Berland, P.T.C. So, E. Gratton, Two-photon fluorescence correlation spectroscopy: Method and
application to the intracellular environment. Biophys. J. 88 (1995) 694-701
[20] P. Schwille, S. Kummer, A.H. Heikal, W.E. Moerner, W.W. Webb, Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy
reveals fast optical excitation-driven intramolecular dynamics of yellow fluorescent proteins. PNAS 97
(2000) 151-156
[21] Michael Prummer, Christian Hübner, Beate Sick, Bert Hecht, Alois Renn, Urs P. Wild, Single-Molecule
Identification by Spectrally and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Detection. Anal. Chem. 2000, 72, 433-447
[22] W. Hartmann, F. Bernhard, Fotovervielfacher und ihre Anwendung in der Kernphysik. Akademie-Verlag
Berlin 1957
[23] S. Cova, S. Lacaiti, M.Ghioni, G. Ripamonti, T.A. Louis, 20-ps timing resolution with single-photon
avalanche photodiodes. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 60, 1989, 1104-1110
[24] S. Cova, A, Longoni, G. Ripamonti, Active-quenching and gating circuits for single-photon avalanche
diodes (SPADs). IEEE Trans. Nucl. Science, NS29 (1982) 599-601
[25] P.A. Ekstrom, Triggered-avalanche detection of optical photons. J. Appl. Phsy. 52 (1981) 6974-6979
[26] SPCM-AQR Series, www.perkin-elmer.com
[27] R3809U MCP-PMT, Hamamatsu data sheet. www.hamamatsu.com
[28] H7422 Photosensor modules. www.hamamatsu.com
[29] Wolfgang Becker, Axel Bergmann, Georg Weiss, Lifetime Imaging with the Zeiss LSM-510. Proc.
SPIE 4620, BIOS 2002, San Jose
[30] H5783 and H5773 photosensor modules. www.hamamatsu.com
[31] Rinaldo Cubeddu, Eleonora Giambattistelli, Antonio Pifferi, Paola Taroni, Alessandro Torricelli, Portable
8-channel time-resolved optical imager for functional studies of biological tissues, Proc. SPIE, 4431, 260-265
21
Boston Electronics
(800)347-5445 or boselec@boselec.com
REDEFINING PRECISION
id100 SERIES
SINGL E-PHOTON DETECTOR FOR VISIB L E L IGHT WITH
B EST-IN-CL A SS TIMING A CCURA CY
IDQ’s id100 series consists of compact and affordable single-photon detector modules with
best-in-class timing resolution and state-of-the-art dark count rate based on a reliable silicon
avalanche photodiode sensitive in the visible spectral range. The id100 series detectors
come as:
free-space modules, the id100-20 and id100-50 with a 20µm and respectively a 50µm
diameter photosensitive area,
a fiber-coupled module, the id100-MMF50, coming with a standard FC/PC optical input.
The modules are available in two dark count grades, with dark count rate as low as 2Hz.
With a timing resolution as low as 40ps and a remarkably short dead time of 45ns, these
modules outperform existing commercial detectors in all applications requiring single-photon
detection with high timing accuracy and stability up to count rates of at least 10MHz.
K EY FEATURES
A PPL ICATIONS
Best-in-class timing resolution (40ps)
Time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC)
Low dead time (45ns)
Fluorescence and luminescence detection
Small IRF shift at high count rates
Single molecule detection, DNA sequencing
Standard and Ultra-Low Noise grades
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy
Peak photon detection at λ = 500nm
Flow cytometry, spectrophotometry
Active area diameter of 20µm or 50µm
Quantum cryptography, quantum optics
Free-space or multimode fiber coupling
Laser scanning microscopy
Not damaged by strong illumination
Adaptive optics
ID Qu an t i q u e SA
1227 Carouge/Geneva
T +41 22 301 83 71
info@idquantique.com
om
Boston Electronics
SPECIFICATIONS
Par am et er
Mi n
Wavelength range
350
2
1
40
3
Single-photon detection probability (SPDE)
Un i t s
900
nm
70k
60
ps
60k
50k
at 400nm
15
18
%
at 500nm
30
35
%
at 600nm
20
25
%
at 700nm
15
18
%
at 800nm
5
7
%
at 900nm
3
4
%
3
%
9
10
15
ns
1.5
2
2.5
V
45
50
ns
Afterpulsing probability
5
Output pulse width
4
Deadtime
6
6
4
5
Output pulse amplitude
Maximum count rate (pulsed light)
Supply voltage
7
20
5.6
5
Supply current
Storage temperature
6
6.5
V
100
150
mA
70
°C
5
s
Cooling time
Dar k c o u n t r at e: IDQ´s modules are available in two grades: St an d ar d and Ul t r a-L o w
No i s e, depending on dark count rate specifications.
TE c o o l ed
St an d ar d
Ul t r a-L o w No i s e
i d 100-20
20 µm
m
y es
< 60Hz
< 2Hz
i d 100-50
50 µm
m
y es
3
y es
< 80Hz
< 20Hz
4 A f t er p u l s i n g
5 Ou t p u t Pu l s e
8
A u t o c o r r el at i o n Fu n c t i o n
7
6
5
3
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
Ti m e [ n s ]
2 IRF Sh i f t w i t h Ou t p u t Co u n t Rat e
70k
60k
50k
40k
30k
20k
10k
0
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
Ti m e [ n s ]
Extremely low shift of instrument response function with
output count rate (less than 70ps from 10kHz to 8MHz).
3 Ph o t o n Det ec t i o n Pr o b ab i l i t y v er s u s λ
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
500
600
700
800
900
Wav el en g t h [ n m ]
10n s
2
6 Dead Ti m e
1
0
0.1
20k
0
400
4
FWHM Ti m i n g Res o l u t i o n 40p s
30k
0
0.0
Ph o t o n Det ec t i o n Pr o b ab i l i t y [ %]
A c t i v e A r ea Di am et er
40k
10k
MHz
-40
i d 100-MMF50
Co u n t s [ Hz ]
1
1 Ti m i n g Res o l u t i o n
Max
Co u n t s [ Hz ]
Timing resolution [FWHM]
Ty p i c al
1
10
100
1000
Ti m e [ µs ]
Typical autocorrelation function of a constant laser
signal recorded at a count rate of 10kHz.
Typical pulse of 2V amplitude and 10ns width observed at the
output of an id100 terminated with 50Ω load. Recommended
trigger level: 1V. For timing applications, triggering on rising
edge is recommended to take full advantage of the detector´s
timing resolution.
1
Optimal timing resolution is obtained when incoming
photons are focused on the photosensitive area.
4
The detector output is designed to avoid distorsion
and ringing when driving a 50Ω load.
2
The id100 is free of indicating LEDs to maintain
complete darkness during measurements.
5
Universal network adapter provided (110/220V).
3
The id100-MMF50 comes with a 50/125µm multimode fiber optimized for visible spectral range with
0.22 numerical aperture. The coupling efficiency is
larger than 80%.
6
See on page 4 the A-PPI-D pulse shaper for
negative input equipment compatibility.
1227 Carouge/Geneva
T +41 22 301 83 71
h o l d -o f f t i m e
d ead t i m e
10n s
Measurement obtained with an oscilloscope in infinite
persistance mode: the dead time consists of the output
pulse width and the hold-off time during which the id100 is
kept insensitive.
DIMENSIONA L OUTL INE
7 Max i m u m Co u n t Rat e - Pu l s ed L i g h t
(i n m m )
i d 100-20 / i d 100-50 Fr o n t Vi ew
i d 100-MMF50 Fr o n t Vi ew
C-MOUNT:
O1inch-32threads/inch
C-MOUNT adapter
FC/PC connector
20n s
39.0 +/- 0.5
39.0 +/- 0.5
C-MOUNT
20µm or 50µm active area
61.0 +/- 0.5
61.0 +/- 0.5
87.0 +/- 0.5
The short dead time of the id100 allows
operation at very high repetition frequencies, up
to 20MHz.
87.0 +/- 0.5
i d 100-20 / i d 100-50 To p Vi ew
i d 100-MMF50 To p Vi ew
FC/PC connector
C-MOUNT adapter
79.0 +/- 0.5
MOUNTING OPTIONS
4.0 +/-0.5
4.0 +/-0.5
79.0 +/- 0.5
8.0 +/- 0.2
+
+
i d 100-20 / i d 100-50 B o t t o m Vi ew
PRINCIPL E OF OPERATION
The id100 consists of an avalanche
photodiode (APD) and an active quenching
circuit integrated on the same silicon chip.
The chip is mounted on a thermo-electric
cooler and packaged in a standard TO5
header with a transparent window cap. A
thermistor is used to measure temperature.
The APD is operated in Geiger mode, i.e.
biased above breakdown voltage. A high
voltage supply used to bias the diode is
provided by a DC/DC converter. The
quenching circuit is supplied with +5V. The
module output pulse indicates the arrival of
a photon with high timing resolution. The
pulse is shaped using a hold-off time circuit
and sent to a 50Ω output driver. All internal
settings are preset for optimal operation at
room temperature.
127.3 +/-0.5
57.0 +/-0.5
The id100 series comes with different
mounting options:
Use mounting brackets supplied with the
module using screws with diameters up
to 4mm.
Use a standard optical post holder (not
supplied)using the M4 thread located on
the bottom side of the id100-20 & id10050 detectors.
Use the C-MOUNT adapter to add optical
elements in front of the detector (id10020 & id100-50 only).
80.0 +/- 0.5
8.0 +/- 0.2
+
+
M4
+
+
UNIT: m i l l i m et er s
B L OCK DIA GRA M
+6V
Input Filter
&
Linear
Regulator
TO5 header
+5V
R(T)
DC
DC
SMB jack
(female)
2V
10ns
50W
Output
Driver
Hold-off
Time
Circuit
Temperature
Controller
TEC
Quenching
Circuit
APD
High Voltage Supply
In the fiber-coupled version, a fiber pigtail
with FC/PC connector is coupled to the
detector.
151.1 +/- 0.5
Boston Electronics
1227 Carouge/Geneva
T +41 22 301 83 71
Chip
Detection
Boston Electronics
A CCESSORY - OPTIONA L PUL SE SHA PER
IDQ provides as an option a pulse shaper
(A-PPI-D) which can be used with
equipments requiring negative input pulses.
The id100 output pulse leading edge is
converted in a sharp negative pulse of
typical amplitudes 1.4V in 50Ω load and 2.5V
in high impedance load. The pulse shaper is
delivered with two SMA/BNC adapters.
Typical output pulse of an id100 equipped
with a A-PPI-D pulse shaper in 50Ω load.
Typical output pulse of an id100 equipped with a
A-PPI-D pulse shaper in high impedance load.
i d 101 SERIES - THE WORL D´S SMA L L EST PHOTON COUNTER
For large-volume OEM applications, IDQ offers the id101 series, consisting of a standard
TO5 - 8pins optoelectronic package with a CMOS silicon chip (single photon avalanche
diode and fast active quenching circuit) mounted on top of a thermoelectric cooler. A
thermistor is available for temperature monitoring and control. An evaluation board is
available upon request. When properly biased, the performance is comparable with that of
the id100-50. IDQ's engineering team offers technical support to simplify integration. A fiber
coupled version, the id101-MMF50, is also available. See the id101 datasheet for more
information.
OTHER PRODUCTS
id101
id150
id201
id300
id400
Quantis
Clavis2
Cerberis
Centauris
Miniature single-photon detector for the visible spectral range (see above)
Monolithic linear array of single-photon detectors for the visible range
Single-photon detector for telecom wavelenghts
Short pulse laser source
Single photon counting module for the 900-1150nm spectral range
Quantum Random Number Generator
Quantum Key Distribution System for R&D
Layer 2 encryptor with Quantum Key Distribution
Layer 2 encryptor
fiber-coupled version:
id100-MMF50
SUPPL IED A CCESSORIES
Mounting brackets (4x)
C-Mount adapter (except for id100-MMF50)
Coaxial cable (1m, BNC-SMB)
Power supply with universal input plugs
Operating guide
Angled 2.5mm hexagonal key to remove C-Mount adapter
Angled T10 Torx key to remove mounting brackets
C-MOUNT
ORDERING INFORMATION
id100-20-XXX
id100-50-XXX
id100-MMF50-XXX
Single-photon detector with 20µm active area.
Single-photon detector with 50µm active area.
Single-photon detector with multimode fiber pigtail
(50/125µm, FC/PC connector).
Select dark count grade: XXX = STD for Standard, XXX = ULN for Ultra-Low Noise.
free-space version:
id100-20 & id100-50
Di s c l ai m er
The information and specification set forth in this document are subject to change at any time by ID Quantique without prior notice.
Copyright© 2005-2010 ID Quantique SA - All rights reserved - id100 v3.1 - Specifications as of March 2010
1227 Carouge/Geneva
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Boston Electronics
id101 SERIES
MINIATURE PHOTON COUNTER FOR OEM A PPL ICATIONS
Intended for large-volume OEM applications, the id101 is the smallest, most reliable and most
efficient single photon detector on the market. It consists of a CMOS (Complementary Metal
Oxide Semiconductor) silicon chip packaged in a standard TO5-8pin header with a transparent
window cap. The chip combines either a 20µm (id101-20) or a 50µm diameter (id101-50) singlephoton avalanche diode and a fast active quenching circuit, which guarantees a dead time of less
than 50ns. The chip is mounted on top of a single-stage thermoelectric cooler (TEC). A fibercoupled version, the id101-MMF50, is also available. The maximum photon detection probability
is measured in the blue spectral range (35% at 500nm). An outstanding timing resolution of less
than 60ps allows high accuracy measurements. The performance of the id101 detectors is
comparable to that of the id100-20 and id100-50 modules.
The id101 can be mounted on a printed circuit board and integrated in apparatuses such as
spectrometers or microscopes. The module is used in biological/chemical instrumentation,
quantum optics, aerospace and defense applications.
Contrary to legacy photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and other silicon-based counters manufactured
tor is fabricated using a qualified commercial
with non-standard custom process, the id101 detector
CMOS process, which guarantees high reliability.
K EY FEATURES
A PPL ICATIONS
Low dead time (45ns)
Small IRF shift at high count rates
Active area diameter of 20µm or 50µm
Free-space or multimode fiber coupling
Quantum cryptography, quantum optics
Integrated thermoelectric cooler and thermistor
Adaptive optics
1227 Carouge/Geneva
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Boston Electronics
B L OCK DIA GRA M
The id101 is based on a 0.8x0.8mm CMOS silicon chip
containing a 20µm or 50µm diameter avalanche diode and
its active quenching circuit. To operate in the Geiger mode,
the diode anode is biased with a negative voltage Vop. The
cathode is linked to VDD through a polysilicon resistor Rq.
Before the photon arrival, the switch is open (nonconducting) and the cathode is at VDD. When a photon
strikes the diode, the voltage drop induced on the cathode is
sensed by the sensing circuit. The output pin OUT switches
to VDD. The feedback circuit closes the switch: the diode is
biased below its breakdown voltage resulting in the
avalanche quenching. The diode is then kept below
breakdown and the recharge takes place with the opening of
the switch. The full cycle is defined as the sensor dead time.
In any single photon avalanche diode, thermally generated
carriers induce false counts, called dark counts. A singlestage thermoelectric cooler (TEC) allows to cool the device
to reduce the dark count rate. Furthermore, the photon
detection probability in a single photon avalanche diode is
dependent on the excess bias voltage above breakdown.
The breakdown voltage being temperature dependent, it is
often crucial to keep the sensor at a constant temperature.
The thermistor included in the id101 allows one to
implement a temperature control circuit.
2
DIMENSIONA L OUTL INE (i n m m ) A ND PINOUT
VDD
Rq
sensing
circuit
output
driver
OUT
G ND
VOP
TEC
TEC(-)
TEC(+)
R(T)
THERM(2)
t h er m i s t o r
s i n g l e-s t ag e TEC
THERM(1)
silicon chip including
t h e s i n g l e p h o t o n av al an c h e
p h o t o d i o d e an d t h e ac t i v e
q u en c h i n g c i r c u i t
∅ 20.0
+/-0.5
i d 101-MMF50 f i b er -c o u p l ed v er s i o n
feedback
circuit
TO5 - 8 p i n s h ead er
50.0
FC/PC
c o n n ec t o r
- Window material: glass
- Pin material: gold plated
- The 20µm or 50µm active area is aligned with the centre
of the glass window. The positioning accuracy is +/100microns.
1227 Carouge/Geneva
+/-0.1
1.9
6.6
c o n n ec t i o n
VOP
VDD
t h er m i s t o r
t h er m i s t o r
GND
OUT
TEC(-)
TEC(+)
+/-0.1
+/-0.2
pin #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
∅ 9.1
∅ 8.33
+/-0.2
m u l t i m o d e f i b er
t y p .l en g t h =150m m
0.6 +/-0.1
TO5 f i b er p i g t ai l
∅ 0.43
+/-0.05
T +41 22 301 83 71
UNIT: millimeters
Boston Electronics
SPECIFICATIONS
Par am et er
Wavelength range
Active area diameter
Mi n
350
Ty p i c al
Max
900
Un i t s
nm
70k
60k
1
15
30
20
15
5
3
20
µm
50k
50
40
µm
ps
40k
18
35
25
18
7
4
%
%
%
%
%
%
Hz
Hz
%
40
50
ns
ns
V
mA
35
45
VDD
4
10k
0
0.0
0.5
30
40
4.8
0.25
-24
35
45
40
50
ns
ns
5.0
28
22
5.2
2.2
-26
MHz
MHz
V
mA
V
100
µA
70
°C
1.5
2.0
Un i t
Val u e (c o n d i t i o n s )
Ω
3.56 +/- 0.16 (at Tr=300K)
Maximum Current Imax
A
0.4 +/- 0.02 (at ∆Tmax)
Maximum Voltage Drop Umax
V
1.35 +/- 0.07 (at ∆Tmax)
Maximum Delta-T ∆tmax
K
67.0 +/- 2.0 (Vacuum, Q=0, Tr=300K)
Maximum Cooling Capacity Qmax
W
0.29 +/- 0.01 (at ∆T=0)
THERMOSENSOR SPECIFICATIONS
3.0
2 Ph o t o n Det ec t i o n Pr o b ab i l i t y v er s u s λ
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
400
500
600
700
800
900
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0.1
1
10
100
MOUNTING DETA IL S
TEC mounting
Resistance R0
kΩ
2.2 +/- 0.16 at 293K
Thermosensor mounting
Beta Constant β
K
2918.9 +/- 5%
Wire mounting
soldering, 117°C
epoxy glue
soldering, 183°C
The thermistor resistance can be calculated by:
RT = R293K*exp(β(293-T)/(293*T))
1227 Carouge/Geneva
1000
Typical autocorrelation function of a
constant laser signal, recorded at a
count rate of 10kHz.
Un i t
2.5
Ti m e [ n s ]
Ti m e [ µs ]
THERMOEL ECTRIC COOL ER SPECIFICATIONS
-1
1.0
Wav el en g t h [ n m ]
1 The id101-MMF50 comes with a 50/125µm multimode fiber pigtail
with a 0.22 numerical aperture. The overall coupling efficiency
exceeds 80%.
Par am et er
20k
Ph o t o n Det ec t i o n Pr o b ab i l i t y [ %]
4b
30
40
50
300
3
-40
Resistance ACR
30k
35
15
100
Current on VOP
Storage temperature
60
id101-50
Timing resolution [FWHM] 1
Single-photon detection probability (SPDE) 2
at 400nm
at 500nm
at 600nm
at 700nm
at 800nm
at 900nm
Dark count rate (DCR)
id101-20
id101-50
Afterpulsing probability 3
Output pulse width
id101-20
4a 5a
id101-50 and id101-MMF50 4b 5b
Output pulse amplitude (in high impedance) 4a
Output driver capability
Deadtime
id101-20
id101-50 and id101-MMF50
Maximum count rate (pulsed light)
id101-20
6a
id101-50 and id101-MMF50 6b
VDD supply voltage
Current on VDD
VOP supply voltage
Co u n t s [ Hz ]
id101-20
Par am et er
T +41 22 301 83 71
Boston Electronics
10n s
1V
10n s
10n s
1V
4a
5a
6a
1V
10n s
1V
10n s
10n s
1V
4b
5b
Typical pulses observed at the id101-20
(4a) and id101-50 or id101-MMF50 (4b)
outputs in high impedance.
6b
Extended pulses observed at the id101-20
(5a) and id101-50 or id101-MMF50 (5b)
outputs at high illumination level. When an
avalanche is triggered during the recharge
process, the output remains high, giving
an extended pulse. This effect leads to a
decrease of the output count rate.
1V
The short dead time of the id101
allows operation at very high
repetition frequencies, up to 28MHz
for the id101-20 (6a) and 22MHz for
the id101-50 or id101-MMF50 (6b).
i d 101-EVA EVA L UATION B OA RD
An evaluation board has been developed for
preliminary optical and electrical testing of the
id101. The id101 under test can be plugged into a
socket intended for TO5 headers. The evaluation
board comes with a power supply with universal
range of input plugs and a 1m coaxial cable
ended with a BNC connector.
A PPL ICATION EXA MPL E - COMB INATION IN A RRAY
El ec t r o n i c Ci r c u i t s f o r :
-p o w er s u p p l y
-o u t p u t d r i v er
-t em p er at u r e c o n t r o l
Many industrial applications would greatly benefit
from a single photon detector array. When the
required array size is reasonably small (i.e. <
10x10), it is possible to assemble several closely
spaced TO5 headers to form an array. As
illustrated in the figure, opposite, for a 3x3 array,
several TO headers can be mounted on a printed
circuit board. The minimum center-to-center pitch
is 9.5 mm. Common electronic circuits for power
supply, output stage and temperature control can
be implemented on the PCB. If a high accuracy
for the distance from pixel to pixel is required or if
a large array is needed, IDQ offers a custom
design service for the design of an applicationspecific CMOS chip.
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T +41 22 301 83 71
Boston Electronics
TYPICA L A PPL ICATION CIRCUIT
Po w er St ag e
The id101 requires two power supplies, VDD and VOP. A standard inverting DC/DC converter can convert the +5V level
to the high negative voltage level VOP. The remaining electronic circuits on the PCB board can be supplied with the
same +5V power. Two 100nF capacitances must be added as close as possible to the output pins for decoupling
purpose.
Ou t p u t St ag e
The id101 output can be shaped for the back-end electronic circuits (e.g. counter, TDC, TAC) using the circuit shown
below. A D-type Flip-Flop with asynchroneous clear combined with a delay generator (RC for instance) and an inverter
with a Schmitt trigger input allows to set the pulse width and the dead time.
Tem p er at u r e Co n t r o l
For proper operation, it is highly recommended to implement a thermal stabilisation circuit on the final printed circuit
board, using the single-stage TEC and the 2.2kΩ thermistor provided. Integrated temperature controllers for Peltier
modules are commercially available.
VDD
+5V
Rq
inverting
DC/DC
converter
feedback
circuit
sensing
circuit
1
output
driver
C
CP
OUT
1
GND
D
Q
delay
OUT
VOP
TEC
TEC(-)
TEC(+)
+5V
THERM(2)
THERM(1)
R(T)
temperature
controller
A CCESSORY - OPTIONA L PUL SE SHA PER
IDQ provides as an option a pulse shaper (APPI-D) which can be used with equipments
requiring negative input pulses. The id100
output pulse leading edge is converted in a
sharp negative pulse of typical amplitudes
1.4V in 50Ω load and 2.5V in high impedance
load. The pulse shaper is delivered with two
SMA/BNC adapters.
Typical output pulse of an id100 equipped Typical output pulse of an id100 equipped with a
A-PPI-D pulse shaper in high impedance load.
with aA-PPI-D pulse shaper in 50Ω load.
1227 Carouge/Geneva
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W
E
N
Single Photon Counter Visible
AR
Y
Large active area 500um - High Quantum
Efficiency at 650nm and at 800nm
IDQ’s id100 series consists of compact and affordable single-photon detector modules based on a reliable
silicon avalanche photodiode sensitive in the visible spectral range. Up to now, the id100 series was limited to
detectors with high efficiency values in the green region (around 500nm). The two new detectors of id100
series have high efficiency values in the red region of the visible spectrum and ultra high active area. These
new detectors come as :
free-space module, passive quenching, maximal efficiency value around 650nm
free-space module, passive quenching, maximal efficiency value around 800nm
IN
Those two detection modules are highly versatile thanks to an USB connexion and a Labview interface
allowing the user to change the bias voltage and the temperature of the diode. The modules are equiped of a
dual universal output signal port which can be set through the software interface. The modules are compatible
with the C-mount, SM1 and cage technologies from Thorlabs. This allows an easy coupling of the light beam
onto the active area of the detectors.
IM
KEY FEATURES
One module optimized around 650nm
One module optimized around 800nm
EL
Tunable efficiency
Tunable temperature of the diode
Adjustable deadtime
Universal dual output
Labview interface
PR
C-mount, SM1, cage compatible
APPLICATIONS
Spectrophotometry
ID Quantique SA
Chemin de la Marbrerie 3
1227 Carouge/Geneva
Switzerland
T +41 22 301 83 71
F +41 22 301 83 79
www.idquantique.com
co
SPECIFICATIONS
The id120 is a versatile device allowing you to adjust the excess bias, the deadtime and the temperature. Please note that the
values in the specification table are dependent on the user-defined parameters. To have a fair overview of the specifications,
it is recommended to carefully review the curves «Efficiency vs excess bias» and «Dark count rate vs temperature».
ID120-500-800nm
ID120-500-650nm
Parameter
Min
Wavelength range
350
Active area
Typical
Max
Min
1000
350
Typical
Max
Units
1000
nm
500
500
um
at 650nm (at max. excess bias)
1
at 800nm (at max. excess bias)
Dark Count Rate
Down to
500
200
3000
200
1000
%
%
3
400
Hz
1000
1
NIM & LVTTL & Variable
2 id120-500-650nm:
Dark count rate versus temperature
1227 Carouge/Geneva
Switzerland
-40
70
ns
70
1 Efficiency versus Excess Bias @ 808nm
3 id210-500-800nm:
Dark count rate versus temperature
T +41 22 301 83 71
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co
ps
us
100
100
-40
1 Efficiency versus Excess Bias @ 655nm
ID Quantique SA
2
55
80
1
Output pulse width
Storage temperature
1
40
NIM & LVTTL & Variable
Deadtime
Output pulse
400
60
°C
Boston Electronics
id150 SERIES
MINIATURE 8-CHA NNEL PHOTON COUNTER
FOR OEM A PPL ICATIONS
The id150-1x8 is the only multichannel solid-state single photon detector on the market. It
consists of a CMOS silicon chip packaged in a standard TO8-16pin header with a transparent
window cap. The chip combines 8 in-line single photon avalanche diodes that can be accessed
simultaneously for parallel processing. The square diodes are 40x40µm in area with a center-tocenter pitch of 60µm . A fast active quenching circuit is integrated within each pixel in order to
operate each diode in photon counting regime. The chip is mounted on a printed circuit board on
top of a single-stage thermoelectric cooler (TEC). A thermistor can be used to measure the
temperature of the chip. Two power supplies (+5V and -25V) are sufficient for operation in photon
counting mode. The fast active quenching circuit leads to a dead time of less than 50ns per
channel. An outstanding timing resolution of less than 60ps allows high accuracy measurements.
The id150-1x8 can be mounted on a printed circuit board and integrated in apparatus such as
spectrometers or microscopes. The module is used in biological/chemical instrumentation,
quantum optics, aerospace and defense applications. The small detector size is ideal for portable
device applications.
Contrary to legacy photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and other silicon-based counters manufactured
with non-standard custom process, the id150-1x8 is fabricated using a qualified commercial
CMOS process, which guarantees high reliability.
K EY FEATURES
A PPL ICATIONS
1x8 linear array with independent outputs
High-throughput single molecule detection
Pixel active area of 40x40µm
Parallel DNA sequencing
2
Center-to-center pitch of 60µm
Multi-Channel TCSPC
Low dead time (45ns) and dark count rate
Decay and multiple decay time measurements
No crosstalk
Quantum optics
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Boston Electronics
L INEA R A RRAY PICTURE
The id150-1x8 is based on a 1.2x1.4mm CMOS silicon chip
containing 8 in-line independent single photon detectors.
Each pixel combines a square avalanche photodiode of
40x40µm2 area and its active quenching circuit. The pixel
center-to-center pitch is 60µm (fill factor exceeds 75%).
To operate in the Geiger mode, each diode anode is biased
with a negative voltage. In the id150-1x8, the cathode of
pixels 1, 3, 5 and 7 are connected together to Vop1 pad,
while the cathode of pixels 2, 4, 6 and 8 are connected to
Vop2 pad. Each cathode is linked to VDD through a
polysilicon resistor Rq. Prior to the detection of a photon on a
pixel, the switch is open (non-conducting) and the cathode is
at VDD. When a photon strikes the diode, the voltage drop
induced on the cathode is sensed by the active quenching
circuit. The corresponding output pin OUTi switches to VDD.
The feedback circuit closes the switch: the diode is biased
below its breakdown voltage resulting in the avalanche
quenching. The diode is then kept below breakdown and the
recharge takes place with the opening of the switch. The full
cycle is defined as the pixel dead time.
In any single photon avalanche diode, thermally generated
carriers induce false counts, called dark counts. A singlestage thermoelectric cooler (TEC) allows one to cool the
device to reduce the dark count rate. Furthermore, the
photon detection probability in a single photon avalanche
diode depends on the excess bias voltage.
2
ac t i v e q u en c h i n g c i r c u i t s
1x 8 SPA D ar r ay
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ac t i v e q u en c h i n g c i r c u i t s
The breakdown voltage being temperature
dependent, it is often crucial to keep the sensor at a
constant temperature. The thermistor included in the
id150-1x8 allows one to implement a temperature
control circuit. For efficient cooling, an additional
heat-sink combined with a air fan must be added by
the user. The heat-sink can either surround the TO8
header or be fixed using the UNC 4-40 thread.
B L OCK DIA GRA M
OUT1
OUT2
OUT3
OUT4
OUT5
OUT6
OUT7
OUT8
VDD
Rq
Rq
AQC
Rq
AQC
Rq
AQC
Rq
Rq
AQC
AQC
Rq
AQC
Rq
AQC
AQC
GND
VOP1
VOP2
TEC
TEC(-)
TEC(+)
R(T)
THERM(2)
1227 Carouge/Geneva
T +41 22 301 83 71
THERM(1)
Boston Electronics
SPECIFICATIONS
Wavelength range
350
Pixel active area
Ty p i c al
Un i t s
900
nm
70k
µm
60k
µm
ps
50k
40x40
Center-to-center pitch
1
60
40
2
60
at 400nm
15
18
%
at 500nm
30
35
%
at 600nm
20
25
%
at 700nm
15
18
%
at 800nm
5
7
%
at 900nm
3
4
%
Dark count rate (DCR)
1
DCR / channel
15
kHz
Mean DCR over the 8 channels
3.5
kHz
Afterpulsing probability
3
Output pulse width
40
Output pulse amplitude (in high impedance)
45
3
%
50
ns
VDD
Output driver capability
4
Deadtime
VDD supply voltage
VOP supply voltage
4.8
-24
Storage temperature
-40
5.0
Max
Co u n t s [ H z ]
Mi n
40k
20k
0
0.0
70
°C
2.0
2.5
3.0
60k
40k
V
V
1.5
70k
mA
5.2
-26
1.0
2 IRF Sh i f t w i t h Ou t p u t Co u n t Rat e
50k
ns
0.5
Ti m e [ n s ]
V
50
30k
10k
Co u n t s [ Hz]
Par am et er
30k
20k
10k
0
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
Ti m e [ n s ]
Measured at 273K with VOP = -25.5V
8
7
1
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0.1
1
10
100
1000
Ti m e [ µs ]
Typical autocorrelation function of a
constant laser signal, recorded at a
count rate of 10kHz.
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Boston Electronics
DIMENSIONA L OUTL INE (i n m m ) A ND PINOUT
TO8 - 16pins header
8
7
6
5
9
4
10
3
11
2
12
1
TOP VIEW
pin #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
silicon chip including
8 single photon avalanche diodes
and active quenching circuits
∅ 11.1
+/-0.2
∅ 15.3
+/-0.2
∅ 14.0
+/-0.2
printed circuit board
glued on top of a 1-stage TEC
- Window material: glass
- Pin material: gold plated
9.50 +/-0.25
1.50 +/-0.30
0.25 +/-0.15
0.88 +/-0.15
13 14 15 16
c o n n ec t i o n
TEC(-)
t h er m i s t o r
t h er m i s t o r
TEC(+)
OUT8
OUT6
OUT4
OUT2
VOP2
V DD
GND
VOP1
OUT1
OUT3
OUT5
OUT7
Rec o m m en d ed Fo o t p r i n t
∅ 0.43
1.90
6.50
> 3.0
9.50
0.70
THERMOEL ECTRIC COOL ER SPECIFICATIONS
Par am et er
3.50
UNC4-40
+/-0.05
Un i t
THERMOSENSOR SPECIFICATIONS
Par am et er
Un i t
Maximum Current Imax
A
1.15 +/- 0.02 (at ∆Tmax)
Resistance R0
kΩ
2.2 +/- 0.16 at 293K
Maximum Voltage Drop Umax
V
2.90 +/- 0.07 (at ∆Tmax)
Beta Constant β
K-1
2918.9 +/- 5%
Maximum Delta-T ∆tmax
K
69.0 +/- 2.0 (Vacuum, Q=0, Tr=300K)
Maximum Cooling Capacity Qmax
W
1.85 +/- 0.01 (at ∆T=0)
The thermistor resistance can be calculated by:
RT = R293K*exp(β(293-T)/(293*T)
MOUNTING DETA IL S
TEC mounting
Thermosensor mounting
Wire mounting
soldering, 117°C
epoxy glue
soldering, 183°C
1227 Carouge/Geneva
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A CCESSORIES
To accelerate integration of the id150-1x8 in an optical set-up, the following accessories are available.
id150-1x8-TM option:
The id150-1x8-TM consists of a id150-1x8 welded on a
47.8mmx36.8mm printed circuit board. Required decoupling
capacitances are mounted on the PCB bottom side, close to id150-1x8
pins. A heat sink is glued around the id150-1x8 TO8 package. Electrical
connections are provided by 4 straight pin headers. Each 4-poles header
consists of 0.63mmx0.63mm gold-plated pins with 2.54mm pitch. The
recommended footprint and pinout are given below.
unit: millimeters
47.8
45.3
27.7
25.2
22.6
20.1
9
8
7
6
5
13 14 15 16
1
36.8
34.3
22.3
19.7
Vo p 1
GND
VDD
Vo p 2
2
11
12
4
3
10
17.2
TEC(-)
t h er m i s t o r
t h er m i s t o r
TEC(+)
2.4
14.6
OUT7
OUT5
OUT3
OUT1
2.4
3.5
1.2 [16x]
OUT8
OUT6
OUT4
OUT2
i d 150-1x 8-TM
i d 150-1x 8-TM r ec o m m en d ed f o o t p r i n t
i d 150-1x 8-TM p i n o u t
The outputs are provided at SMB-type connectors. For Vop, GND, VDD,
OUT1
OUT3
OUT5
The id150-1x8-TM is provided with the id150-1x8-EVA evaluation board
of 66mmx107mm in size. The id150-1x8-TM is inserted on the id1501x8-EVA board using four 4-poles sockets. Assembly marks ensure a
proper insertion.
O UT 7
id150-1x8-EVA option:
TEC(-)
TEC(+), TEC(-) and thermistor, 4mm banana connectors are used.
t h er m i s t o r
The bias voltages Vop1 and Vop2 can be disconnected by removing the
t h er m i s t o r
Vop1&2
GND
VDD
TEC(+)
corresponding jumpers .
i d 150-1x 8-EVA
OUT2
OUT4
OUT6
OUT8
Vo p 1 & Vo p 2 j u m p er s
as s em b l y m ar k s
1227 Carouge/Geneva
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OTHER PRODUCTS
id101-20 and id101-50:
OEM single photon detection module with 20µm/50µm
active area for the visible spectral range
id101-MMF50:
OEM fiber-coupled single photon detection
module for the visible spectral range
id100-20 and id100-50:
Single photon detection module with 20µm/50µm
active area for the visible spectral range
id100-MMF50:
Single photon detection module with multimode
fiber input for the visible spectral range
id201:
Single photon counting module for the spectral
range between 900 and 1700 nm
id300:
Sub-nanosecond laser source at 1310 or 1550 nm
id400:
Single photon counting module for the spectral range
between 900 and 1150 nm (optimized for 1064nm)
Quantis:
Clavis2:
Quantum Key Distribution for R&D applications
Cerberis:
High speed layer-2 encryption with Quantum
Key Distribution technology
Centauris:
High speed multi-protocol layer 2 encryptors
id150-1x8:
id150-1x8-TM:
id150-1x8-EVA:
TO8 head including 8 independent single-photon detectors
with 40x40µm2 active area and 60µm center-to-center pitch.
id150-1x8 mounted on a printed circuit board including heatsink and decoupling capacitances.
id150-1x8-TM and evaluation electronic board with connectors.
Di s c l ai m er
1227 Carouge/Geneva
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id210
ADVANCED SYSTEM FOR SINGLE PHOTON DETECTION
The id210 brings a major breakthrough for single photon detection at telecom wavelengths. Its
performance in high-speed gating at internal or external frequencies up to 100MHz by far surpasses the
performance of existing detectors and of its predecessor, the id200-id201, that has been used by
researchers around the globe since first launched in 2002. Photons can be detected with probability up to
25% at 1550nm, while maintaining low dark count rate. A timing resolution lower than 200ps can be
achieved. The id210 provides adjustable delays, adjustable gate duration from 0.5ns to 25ns and adjustable
deadtime up to 100us. For applications requiring an asynchronous detection scheme, the id210 can operate
in free-running mode with detection probability up to 10%. Beside performance, a particular effort has been
made for providing a practical user interface, universal compatibility with scientific equipment, applicationoriented functionalities including statistics and coincidence counting. Built around an advanced embeddedPC and FPGA, the id210 allows remote control, connection of external screen and keyboard, data export on
USB key and setups saving.
KEY FEATURES
Up to 100MHz external / internal gating frequency
Asynchronous detection mode (free-running)
Free gating mode
Adjustable photon detection probability
Adjustable delays, gate width and deadtime
Universal Inputs/Outputs
Two-channel auxiliary event counter
APPLICATIONS
Auxiliary coincidence counter
Quantum optics, quantum cryptography
Setup storage in internal memory
Fiber optics characterization
Real time statistics, sound alarms
Single-photon source characterization
5.7" VGA TFT-LED color display
Failure analysis of electronic circuits
Data export through USB memory
Eye-safe Laser Ranging (LIDAR)
VGA HD15 output for external monitor / projector
Spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy
Ethernet remote control (or USB with adapter)
Stand alone application and Labview Vi
Photoluminescence
Singlet oxygen measurement
SMF or MMF optical input
Fluorescence, fluorescence life time
ID Quantique SA
1227 Carouge/Geneva
Switzerland
T +41 22 301 83 71
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1
Block Diagram
BLOCK DIAGRAM
Threshold
Trigger
Relay
Trigger
High Level
Clock
Internal Clock Generator
Comp.
Trigger
Coupling
Trigger
Slope/Logic
Trigger
Logic
Clock
Frequency
50W
Trigger
Input
HF Clock
Counter
Pulse Shaping
Trigger
Trigger
Delay
Load
Gate
Width
Mode
Trigger input block
HF Gate
Counter
Dead
Time
DC High / Free-running
DC Low / Disabled
Internal
Reset
Mode
Threshold
Clock output block
High Level
Gate
Reset/Enable
Comp.
R/E
Slope/Logic
Pulse ID
Reset
Mode
Reset/Enable input block
Pulse ID
Mode
Buffer
Gate
Gate
Output
50W
Low Level
Gate
HF Counter
Detection
Reset
Internal
Reset
Polarization
Reset/Enable
Logic
Gate
Reset/Enable
50W
Relay
Reset/Enable
Clock
Output
50W
Internal
Reset
Polarization
Trigger
Reset/Enable
Input
Buffer
Clock
Low Level
Clock
Load
System hardware
Gate output block
Threshold
Aux1
Comp.
Aux1
Relay
Aux1
Slope/Logic
Aux1
Pulse Shaping
Aux1
50W
Aux1
Input
HF Counter
Aux1
High Level
Detection1
Pulser
Electronics
Internal
Reset
Width
Detection1
Logic
Detection1
Buffer
Detection 1
Detection 1
Output
50W
Low Level
Detection1
Load
Pulse Shaping
Aux1&Aux2
Polarization
Aux1
HF Counter
Aux1&Aux2
Cooled
APD
Aux1 input block
Quenching
Electronics
Detection 1 output block
Internal
Reset
Threshold
Aux2
Comp.
Aux2
Relay
Aux2
Slope/Logic
Aux2
50W
Aux2
Input
Pulse Shaping
Aux2
HF Counter
Aux2
Capture
Electronics
Internal
Reset
APD bias control
Efficiency
Optical
Input
Polarization
Aux2
Aux2 input block
2-channel event counter / coincidence counter
cooled APD & associated electronic
HF Detection
Counter
HF Counter
Detection
Reset
High Level
Detection2
Width
Detection2
Logic
Detection2
Buffer
Detection2
Detection 2
Output
50W
Low Level
Detection2
Load
Detection 2 output block
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The id210 Advanced System for Single Photon Detection is built around the following blocks:
Trigger, Reset/Enable, Aux1 and Aux2 inputs blocks with SMA connectors on the id210 front panel.
Through the id210 user interface, each input can be set independently for receiving LVTTL-LVCMOS, NIM, NECL,
PECL3.3V or PECL5V signals. A VAR mode is also provided with a large input voltage range, an adjustable threshold
and slope/logic definition. AC/DC coupling selection is possible for the Trigger input. (see Inputs Specifications on
page 6 for more details).
Clock, Gate, Detection1 and Detection2 outputs blocks with SMA connectors on the id210 front panel.
Through the id210 user interface, each output can be set independently for providing LVTTL-LVCMOS, NIM, NECL,
PECL3.3V or PECL5V signals. The user can also switch to VAR mode in which the pulse width, the logic definition, the
high and low signal levels and the load can be adjusted. (see Outputs Specifications on page 6 for more details).
an avalanche photodiode and associated electronics.The key component at the heart of the id210 is a
cooled InGaAs fiber-coupled avalanche photodiode (APD). The fiber (single mode or multi-mode) is connectorized to a
FC/PC connector on the id210 front panel. The APD terminals are connected to:
- a DC high voltage controlled by the system to reach the efficiency set through the id210 interface,
- a Pulser Electronics that produces constant amplitude pulses for operation in single photon regime.
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2
The Capture Electronics detects the avalanche events (resulting from photon absorption or dark generation) and feeds
the Detection 1&2 outputs blocks and the HF (high frequency) detection counter. The Quenching Electronics inhibits
the pulser until avalanche quenching.
the System hardware
The system hardware allows the id210 operation in internal gated, external gated, free-running or free-gating modes.
Internal-gating mode:
The APD is biased above breakdown during gates of adjustable Width and Frequency. Internal gating is a synchronous
mode based on a clock provided by the internal clock generator. The 50% duty cycle clock signal is available at the
Clock Output and counted by the HF Clock Counter. A user-adjustable Trigger Delay can be set between the Clock and
the Gate signals. A gate of Width set by user is open on the rising edge of the delayed trigger. As consequence of an
avalanche event within the gate, the HF Detection Counter is incremented and a pulse of adjustable Width is outputted
at Detection1 and Detection2 connectors. The Quenching Electronics closes the gate and, if selected by the user, a
Dead Time is applied resulting in one or several blanked pulses after a detection.
The HF Gate Counter provides an exact count of the effective gates seen by the APD.
Internal gated mode
1/Internal Gating Frequency
Clock Output
Dead Time
Trigger Delay
ate
dg
nke
Gate Width
bla
Gate Output
Quenching
Width Detection 1&2
Detection 1&2 Outputs
+1
HF Clock Counter
+1
+1
HF Gate Counter
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
HF Detection Counter
External-gating mode:
The operation in external gating mode is very similar to the internal gating mode except that the clock is provided by the
user at the Trigger input.
External gated mode
Trigger Input
Dead Time
Trigger Delay
ate
dg
nke
Gate Width
bla
Gate Output
Quenching
Width Detection 1&2
HF Clock Counter
HF Gate Counter
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
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3
W
Free-running mode (asynchronous mode): NE
A DC control signal travels through multiplexers and the Dead Time stage and sets the Pulser Electronics to High. Until
photon absorption or dark count generation, the APD is biased above its breakdown voltage in Geiger mode. The Gate
Output that reflects the APD state (i.e. On:photosensitive or Off:blind) is at high level. When an avalanche takes place in
the APD, it is sensed by the Capture Electronics. A pulse of adjustable Width is produced on Detection1 and Detection2
outputs, the Detection HF Counter is incremented and the Quenching Electronics stops the avalanche. For limiting
afterpulsing, the APD is maintained below breakdown until the end of the Dead Time. In this mode, the HF Gate Counter
and HF Detection Counter rates are equal.
Free-running mode (asynchronous)
Dead Time
Gate Output
Quenching
Quenching
Quenching
Width Detection 1&2
+1
HF Gate Counter
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
W
Free-gating mode: NE
The user feeds an electrical signal at the Reset/Enable input. The signal, after transit in the input block, passes through
multiplexers and the Dead Time stage. When no avalanche occurs, the Gate Output that reflects the APD state (On/Off)
is identical to the Reset/Enable input signal. When an avalanche occurs during a gate, a pulse of adjustable Width is
produced at Detection1 and Detection2 outputs, the Detection HF Counter is incremented and the Quenching
Electronics stops the gate. When a Dead Time is applied for limiting the afterpulsing, the Gate signal remains at low
level whatever the Reset/Enable state. This results in blanked gate(s) or partially blanked gates. The HF Gate Counter
provides the effective gates rate applied to the APD.
Free-gating mode
Reset/Enable Input
Dead Time
e
d
nke
gat
bla
Gate Output
Quenching
ked
lan
yb
tiall
ar
te p
ga
Quenching
Quenching
Width Detection 1&2
HF Gate Counter
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
+1
A two-channel event counter and a coincidence counter as an auxiliary independent block.
The signals outputted by Aux1 and Aux2
inputs blocks feed HF Counter Aux1 and HF
Counter Aux2 after pulse shaping. The block
also performs a logic AND of the two inputs
that feeds a coincidence counter: HF Counter
Aux1&Aux2.
Aux1 Input
Aux2 Input
Aux1&Aux2
HF Counter Aux1
HF Counter Aux2
HF Counter Aux1&Aux2
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+1
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+1
+1
+1
+1
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+1
+1
+1
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4
SPECIFICATIONS
Parameter
Min
Wavelength range
900
Optical fiber type
Typical
Max
Units
1700
nm
1
SMF or MMF
Efficiency range (except free-running mode)
Efficiency range in free-running mode
5
1 1
4
3
25
2
2.5
%
%
Deadtime range
0.1
Deadtime step
100
us
200
ps
100
MHz
100
Timing resolution at max. efficiency (25%)
2
External trigger frequency
Internal trigger frequency
30
2.5
ns
1,2,5,10,20,50,100,200,500 kHz 1,2,5,10,20,50,100 MHz
Effective gate width range
0.5
Gate width resolution
25
ns
20
ns
10
Trigger delay range
Trigger delay resolution
+10
Dimensions LxWXH
Optical connector
0
900
kg
230
VAC
Cooling time
7
InGaAs/InP APD
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
Wavelength [nm]
mm
8.2
10%
5
FC/PC
110
10
°C
387x256x167
Power supply
15
ps
+30
Weight
20
ps
10
Operating temperature
25%
25
Efficiency [%]
Efficiency resolution (all modes)
10
Calibrated at l
=1550nm
1
Efficiency versus wavelength at 10% and 25% levels (l
=1550nm)
4
30% Quantum Efficiency at 1550 nm version available on request
(Dark Count Rate to be discussed)
min
Telcordia GR-468-CORE
2
A 20MHz trigger rate limited version is also available. The id210 can be later on remotely upgraded to 100MHz.
3
A version of the id210 without free-running mode is also available.
IDQ´s SMF modules are available in three grades: Standard (STD) and Ultra-Low Noise (ULN) and Ultra-Ultra Low Noise
(UULN), depending on dark count rate specifications.
Dark count rate for a 1ns effective gate width in gated mode:
Freq.=100kHz, no deadtime
Freq.=100MHz, deadtime=10m
s
10% efficiency
25% efficiency
id210-SMF-A
0.4Hz
2Hz
id210-SMF-B
1Hz
id210-SMF-C
id210-MMF
Model
10% efficiency
25% efficiency
0.4kHz
2kHz
5Hz
1kHz
5kHz
6Hz
30Hz
6kHz
30kHz
8Hz
40Hz
8kHz
40kHz
4
4
Dark count rate (maximum values) in free-running mode with 50m
s deadtime:
2.5% efficiency
5% efficiency
7.5% efficiency
10% efficiency
id210-SMF-A
1kHz
1.5kHz
2.2kHz
3kHz
id210-SMF-B
1kHz
1.5kHz
2.2kHz
3kHz
id210-SMF-C
6.5kHz
9kHz
11.5kHz
13.5kHz
id210-MMF
7.5kHz
10kHz
12.5kHz
14.5kHz
Model
ID Quantique SA
Chemin
1227 Carouge/Geneva
Switzerland
Note that the effective gate
width is evaluated by
measuring the full width at
half-maximum of the
histogram of time interval
between the gate signal (start) and the
detection signal (stop) in the dark. This
provides a true evaluation of the dark
count rate in contrast with dark count rate
assessment based on the gate electrical
signal. To take into account the electrical
signal width always leads to a huge
underestimation of the DCR.
Please contact IDQ for more details about
the assessment of the dark count rate in
gated mode.
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5
Block Diagram
INPUTS SPECIFICATIONS
Parameter
Min
Typical
Frequency (Aux1, Aux2)
Frequency (Reset/Enable, Trigger)
Pulse duration
500
Voltage range in VAR mode
-2.5
Max
Units
300
MHz
100
MHz
ps
+2.5
Impedance
V
50
Pulse amplitude
1
For NECL, PECL3.3V and PECL5V, the id210 input
provides standard termination scheme (NECL: 50W
to -2V,
PECL3.3V: 50W
to +1.3V, PECL5V: 50W
to +3V).
W
+0.1
+5
Coupling (Trigger)
2
The Inputs parameters or Predefined Standards are
included in setup files that can be saved on internal memory.
V
DC or AC
Coupling (Aux1, Aux2, Reset/Enable)
DC
Threshold voltage range in VAR mode
-2.5
+2.5
Threshold voltage resolution in VAR mode
1
Predefined standards
V
+10
2
mV
LVTTL/LVCMOS - NIM - NECL - PECL3.3V - PECL5V
Connectors
SMA
Protection
ESD
OUTPUTS SPECIFICATIONS
Parameter
Min
High level voltage range (high Z to ground)
High level voltage range (50W
to ground)
Low level voltage range (high Z to ground)
Low level voltage range (50W
to ground)
Voltage swing (high Z to ground)
Voltage swing (50W
to ground)
1
3
1
3
2
4
Typical
-2.0
Max
Units
+7.0
V
-1.0
+3.5
V
-3.0
+5.0
V
-1.5
+2.5
V
+0.1
+7.0
V
+3.5
V
+0.05
Logic
1
Starting with a Predefined Standard, all the parameters
can be modified by the user.
2
The Outputs parameters or Predefined Standards are
included in setup files that can be saved on internal memory.
+ or -
Short pulse width (Detection1, Detection2)
4.5
5
5.5
ns
Large pulse width (Detection1, Detection2)
90
100
110
ns
Rise/fall times at 5V swing (10%-90%)
1
Predefined standards
2.5
2
ns
LVTTL/LVCMOS - NIM - NECL - PECL3.3V - PECL5V
Connectors
SMA
Protection
ESD
High level [V]
+ 10
High Z to ground
+ 7
Max.
Voltage swing [V]
High level [V]
Voltage swing [V]
+ 4
High Z to ground
50W
to ground
Max.
+ 9
+ 6
+ 3
+ 8
+ 5
+ 5
50W
to ground
+ 4
+ 7
+ 4
+ 2
+ 6
+ 3
+ 3
+ 5
+ 1
+ 2
+ 2
+ 4
+ 1
+ 3
0
0
Min.
-2
-1
Min.
+ 1
-1
0
0
-2
-3
+ 1
Low level [V]
+ 2
Low level [V]
-1
0
+ 1
+ 2
+ 3
+ 4
+ 5
1
Low level and high level voltage ranges
when the output is loaded at high impedance
to ground.
ID Quantique SA
Chemin
-3
-2
2
-1
0
+ 1
+ 2
+ 3
+ 4
+ 5
Low level [V]
Minimum and maximum voltage swings
when the output is loaded at high impedance
to ground.
1227 Carouge/Geneva
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-2
-1
0
+ 1
+ 2
+ 3
-1
0
+ 1
+ 2
Low level [V]
3
Low level and high level voltage ranges
when the output is loaded at 50W
to ground.
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4
Minimum and maximum voltage swings
when the output is loaded at 50W
to ground.
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6
USER INTERFACE - DATA & SETUP RECOVERY
All the user parameters are intuitively adjustable with direct access buttons (Detector, Inputs/Outputs, Display, System,
Setups and Acquisition), submenus control buttons and the control wheel on the id210 front panel.
optical window for automatic
backlight intensity adjustement 5.7" VGA TFT-LED color display submenu control buttons
direct access buttons
control wheel
id210 - Advanced System for Single Photon Detection
Detector
Inputs/Outputs
Display
Help
System
Start/Stop
help
access
start/stop
button
Setups
FC/PC
optical fiber
input
Acquisition
USB
Power
Aux 1
Aux 2
Trigger
Reset/Enable
Clock
Inputs
ON/OFF power button
with status LED
Inputs/Outputs SMA connectors
and indicating LEDs
Gate
Detection 1 Detection 2
Outputs
USB connectors
(keyboard, storage key)
The bicolor indicating LEDs associated to SMA connectors inputs or outputs provide relevant informations such as valid
triggers, pulses traffic at the outputs or unused inputs/outputs in the selected mode. Two USB connectors on the front
panel can be used for connecting a keyboard or for data export on a storage key. The backlight intensity is adjusted
automatically. The id210 is equipped with a buzzer that can be optionally used for indicating, for instance, the end of the
cooling phase. On the rear panel, Ethernet and USB connectors can be used for remote control. A VGA HD-15
connector for external monitor/projector is accessible as well on the rear panel.
The id210 contains 6 HF counters providing the Detection, Clock, Gate, Aux1, Aux2 and Aux1&Aux2 coincidence rates.
The id210 displays indicators associated to counters. Up to 5 different views can be set, saved and restored. A view
defines the number of indicators displayed simultaneously (selected between 1 and 4) and the counter associated to
each indicator.
REMOTE CONTROL (OPTIONAL)
A stand-alone application allowing you to control your
id210, to plot graphics and to export measurements of
counters remotely is delivered. No additional program is
necessary to drive the id210.
The remote control "id210 Front panel" application, built
using Labview, is delivered with its Labview Vi file - thus,
you can modify the remote control application if you own a
Labview license from National Instruments.
Additionally, a command reference guide is provided,
enabling you to write your own remote control application
in any programming language such as C or C++.
ID Quantique SA
Chemin
1227 Carouge/Geneva
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7
id220-FR
COST-EFFECTIVE MODULE FOR ASYNCHRONOUS SINGLE
PHOTON DETECTION AT TELECOM WAVELENGTHS
The id220-FR brings a major breakthrough for single photon detection in free-running mode at telecom
wavelengths. It provides a cost-effective solution for applications in which asynchronous photon detection
is essential. The cooled InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode and associated electronics have been specially
designed for achieving low dark count and afterpulsing rates in free-running mode. The module can operate
at three detection probability levels of 10%, 15% and 20% with a deadtime that can be set between 1m
s and
25m
s. Arrival time of photons is reflected by a 100ns LVTTL pulse available at the SMA connector with a
timing resolution as low as 250ps at 20% efficiency. A simple USB interface allows the user to set the
efficiency level and the deadtime. A standard FC/PC connector followed by a single mode fiber is provided as
optical input. The id220-FR comes with a +12V 60W adapter .
le
v
NE
in
F
M
!M
t
pu
a
a
lso
b
aila
W
KEY FEATURES
APPLICATIONS
Asynchronous detection mode (free-running)
Quantum optics, quantum cryptography
10%-15%-20% photon detection probability levels
Fiber optics characterization
1m
s-25m
s adjustable deadtime
Single-photon source characterization
Timing resolution as low as 250ps
Failure analysis of electronic circuits
Low dark and afterpulsing rates
Eye-safe Laser Ranging (LIDAR)
SMF or MMF optical input
Spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy
100ns LVTTL output pulse at SMA connector
Photoluminescence
Singlet oxygen measurement
Fluorescence, fluorescence life time
ID Quantique SA
1227 Carouge/Geneva
Switzerland
T +41 22 301 83 71
F +41 22 301 83 79
www.idquantique.com
co
1
In contrast with usual gated operation of detectors based on InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiodes (APDs), the
id220-FR operates in free-running (asynchronous) mode. The APD is biased above its breakdown voltage in
the so-called Geiger mode. Upon photon absorption, the photon arrival time is reflected by the rising edge of
a 100ns width LVTTL pulse at the output.The id220-FR has been designed for providing a fast avalanche
quenching, thus limiting the afterpulsing rate. This allows the operation at reasonably short deadtimes of
values that can be optimized depending on the applications and the efficiency level.
Free-running mode (asynchronous)
Photon
arrival
Time [0 to ¥
s]
No detection !
Detector is OFF
Avalanche
Detection
Detection
100ns Detection
Output Pulse
100ns Detection
Output Pulse
Detection Output
Quenching
Quenching
ON
Dead Time [1 to 25m
s]
APD State
Dead Time [1 to 25m
s]
OFF
SPECIFICATIONS
Parameter
Min
Wavelength range
900
3
Optical fiber type
Efficiency range
Typical
1
Dark count rate (10us deadtime)
Max
Units
1700
nm
1
Calibrated at l
=1.55 µm.
2
SMF or MMF
10, 15 or 20
%
2
SMF 10% 15% 20% efficiency
1 / 2.5 / 5
kHz
MMF 10% 15% 20% efficiency
1.2 / 3 / 6
kHz
Timing resolution (FWHM)
10% 15% 20% efficiency
Deadtime range
400 / 300 / 250
1
25
Deadtime step
Weight
m
s
LVTTL / 100ns width
4
Output connector
m
s
1
Detection output pulse
Dimensions LxWXH
ps
Typical DCR versus Deadtime at 10%, 15% and
20% efficiencies.
SMA
+10
+30
°C
230x110x120
mm
2.5
Optical connector
kg
FC/PC
60W AC/DC +12V green power adapter
Input voltage
Frequency range
AC current
Cooling time
90~264 VAC - 135~370VDC
47~63 Hz
1.4A/115VAC 1A/230VAC
3
min
3 Single Mode Fibre SMF28, Numerical Aperture = 0.14
or
Multi Mode Fibre with a 62.5um core diameter, Numerical Aperture = 0.275
4 SMA Female connector: Male body (outside threads) with female inner hole.
ID Quantique SA
Chemin
1227 Carouge/Geneva
Switzerland
T +41 22 301 83 71
F +41 22 301 83 79
www.idquantique.com
com
2
SOFTWARE
The id220-FR comes with a software that allows
the user to set the efficiency level and the
deadtime through a simple USB interface.
The module can also operate disconnected from
the PC. The settings are reloaded upon each
power up.
ACCESSORY - OPTIONAL PULSE SHAPER
IDQ provides as an option a pulse shaper (A-PPID) which can be used with devices requiring
negative input pulses. The leading edge of the
id220 output pulse is converted into a sharp
negative pulse with typical amplitudes of 1.4V for
a 50W load and 2.5V for a high impedance load.
The pulse shaper comes with two SMA/BNC
adapters.
Ordering information:
idacc-A-PPI-D
Pulse shaper
Typical output pulse of an id220 Typical output pulse of an id220
equipped with a A-PPI-D pulse equipped with a A-PPI-D pulse shaper
shaper in 50W load.
in high impedance load.
ACCESSORY - OPTIONAL SMA ELECTRICAL CABLE
To connect your id220 to other devices, such as the pulse shaper
(A-PPI-D) or certain acquisition card (SPC-130 from Becker &
Hickl), IDQ recommends this SMA Male / SMA Male Cable. SMA
Male means Female body (inside threads) with male inner pin
(see picture)
idacc-SMA-SMA-1m
SMA Male to SMA Male electrical Cable
ACCESSORY - METALLIC OPTICAL FIBRE
The standard optical patchcord can be transparent. Unwanted
photons from the ambient environment can pass by the cladding
of the fiber and so perturbate your measurement.
The metallic jacket fiber is delivered with FC/PC connectors
idacc-SMF-Steel-2m
idacc-MMF-Steel-2m
ID Quantique SA
Chemin
1227 Carouge/Geneva
Switzerland
SMF28 fiber and length 2m.
core diameter 62.5um and length 2m.
T +41 22 301 83 71
F +41 22 301 83 79
www.idquantique.com
com
3
Boston Electronics
id400 SERIES
SINGL E-PHOTON DETECTOR FOR 1064NM
The id400 single photon detection module consists of a detection head and a control unit.
The detection head is built around a cooled InGaAsP/InP avalanche photodiode (APD)
optimized for 1064nm single-photon detection and a fast sensing and quenching electronic
circuit. Single-photon detection efficiency can be adjusted at three preset levels and the
detector can be operated both in free running or gated modes.
The control unit performs APD temperature control and regulation, power supply, gate
generation and dead time setting. It also includes BNC connectors for input-output signals
and a USB interface. The detector is controlled using a LabVIEW virtual instrument, which
offers intuitive menus and a graphical interface.
The id400 includes invaluable functions, such as an adjustable deadtime or electronic delay
lines, which allow the optimization of its performance and make it a simple tool to use.
K EY FEATURES
A PPL ICATIONS
Adjustable detection probability up to 30%
Free-space optical communications
Gated or free running modes
Satellite laser ranging
Internal or external gated modes
Atmospheric research and meteorology
Adjustable gate width from 500ps to 2µs
Laser range finder
Adjustable deadtime up to 100µs
Free-space quantum cryptography
Adjustable internal clock up to 4MHz
Quantum optics
Adjustable delays up to 1µs by steps of 50ps
Spectroscopy
Internal counters
1227 Carouge/Geneva
T +41 22 301 83 71
om
Boston Electronics
The id400 is a complete single photon counting system based on a cooled InGaAsP/InP avalanche photodiode
(APD) optimized for 1064nm. The APD temperature is set to -40°C upon assembly to optimize the id400 overall
performance. The id400 offers advanced functionalities, including:
Fr ee-r u n n i n g , i n t er n al g at i n g o r ex t er n al g at i n g m o d es :
In
n f r ee-r u n n i n g o r as y n c h r o n o u s m o d e, the APD is biased above the breakdown voltage in the so-called
Geiger mode. Upon a photon arrival (or a dark count generation), an avalanche takes place in the APD. The
avalanche is sensed by the id400 and reflected at Detection OUT by the rising edge of a TTL pulse. The id400 pulser
provides a fast avalanche quenching required to limit the afterpulsing rate. The operating voltage is then restored at
the end of the dead time and the id400 is ready to detect a subsequent photon.
In g at i n g o r s y n c h r o n o u s m o d e, a voltage pulse is applied to raise the bias above APD breakdown voltage
upon triggering. The gating can be either internal or external. The APD is only active during gates. The gating mode
is used in applications where the arrival time of the photon is known. It allows a reduction of the dark count rate.
A d j u s t ab l e s i n g l e p h o t o n d et ec t i o n p r o b ab i l i t y l ev el . In any avalanche photodiode, the single photon detection
probability increases with the excess bias voltage (difference between operating and breakdown voltages). The
timing resolution is also improved at high excess bias voltages. On the other hand, the dark count and afterpulsing
rates increase with the excess bias voltage. The id400 provides three levels of single photon detection probability
(7.5 %, 15% and 30%, measured at 1064nm).
A d j u s t ab l e d ead t i m e. At high gating frequencies or when operated in free-running mode, afterpulsing may
significantly deteriorate performances. To suppress detrimental afterpulsing effects, the id400 includes a deadtime
(1µs to100µs by step of 1µs). In deadtime mode, the id400 monitors the effective gate rate.
Gat e g en er at o r (for internal gating mode) with adjustable gate duration (500ps to 2µs by step of 10ps) and
frequency (1Hz to 4MHz).
El ec t r o n i c d el ay s (for internal gating mode) between Reference OUT(clock signal) and Gate OUT and between
Reference OUT(clock signal) and the actual detector gate for simple detector synchronization.
In t er n al c o u n t er s , whose results are displayed on the Labview Virtual Instrument monitor detection and effective
gate rates. For each detection, the module also produces a TTL pulse available on the id400 control unit front panel
BNC connector.
All the user-adjustable parameters can be easily set using the Labview Virtual Instrument. They can also be stored
by the control unit for operation without PC.
B L OCK DIA GRA M
i d 400 c o n t r o l u n i t
+12V
Tem p er at u r e
Co n t r o l
Mi c r o
c o n t r o l l er
U SB
Det .Pr o b a.
7.5/15/30 %
FPGA
Co u n t er
Mo d e
f r ee-r u n n i n g
i n t . g at i n g
ex t . g at i n g
Dead Ti m e
1/100u s
s t ep 1u s
Gat e
Wi d t h
500p s /2u s
s t ep 10p s
In t er n al
Gat e
Fr eq u en c y
Del ay s
Ref -Gat e OUT
Ref -A c t u al Gat e
Po w er /Co n t r o l DB 9 c ab l e
Gat e Co m m an d
i d 400 d et ec t i o n h ead
Pu l s er
TE C
A PD
Gat e OUT
Ref er en c e OUT
Det ec t i o n OUT
Det ec t i o n
Ex t er n al Tr i g g er IN
1227 Carouge/Geneva
T +41 22 301 83 71
Boston Electronics
SPECIFICATIONS
Par am et er
Co n d i t i o n s
Wavelength range
Mi n
Ty p i c al
Max
900
Effective optical diameter
Un i t s
1150
80
7.5, 15, 30
1
In t er n al
Ex t er n al
Fr ee
Gat i n g
Gat i n g
Ru n n i n g
nm
üüü
µm
%
üüü
üüü
Timing resolution at 7.5% SPDE 2
ps
üüü
Timing resolution at 15% SPDE 2
Timing resolution at 30% SPDE 2
ps
üüü
ps
üüü
Dark count rate at 7.5% SPDE
with 20µs deadtime
150
Hz
ü
Dark count rate at 15% SPDE
with 20µs deadtime
400
Hz
ü
Dark count rate at 30% SPDE
with 20µs deadtime
1500
Hz
ü
100
µs
üüü
Adjustable deadtime range
1
Adjustable deadtime step
Internal gating frequency (fint gating) 3
1
4
5
1
Gate width (tgate out) 4
4x10
6
5
Gate adjustment step
∆tref out/gate out adjustable delay range
2000
10
3
3
0
∆tref out/actual gate adjustable delay range
Adjustable delay step
0
50
Reference OUT pulse width
µs
üüü
Hz
ü
ns
ü
ps
ps
ü
ü
ps
ps
ü
ü
8
10
ns
ü
Reference OUT pulse amplitude (50Ω)
2.3
3.3
V
ü
Detection OUT pulse width
100
130
ns
üü
Detection OUT pulse width
90
6
ns
Detection OUT pulse amplitude (50Ω)
2.3
3.3
V
üüü
Gate OUT pulse amplitude (50Ω)
2.3
3.3
V
ü
7
ns
ü
4x106
10
Hz
ns
ps
ü
ü
ü
V
ü
Trigger IN pulse width
Trigger IN frequency 7
∆ext trigger/actual gate adjustable delay range
Adjustable delay step
1
0
50
External Trigger IN amplitude
1.6
External Trigger IN load
3.8
50
Cooling time
Ω
at 25°C room temperature
5
Electronic connectors
min
BNC
Detection head dimensions LxWxH
Control unit dimensions LxWxH
ü
ü
ü
üüü
üüü
97x90x36
mm
üüü
225x170x50
mm
üüü
Detection head weight
290
g
üüü
Control unit weight
1180
g
üüü
0
25
°C
üüü
Storage temperature
0
40
°C
üüü
1
Calibrated at 1064nm.
2
Contact IDQ for more information.
5
Uncertainty on internal frequency
2
8
given by (fint gating) / 1.2x10 .
For a frequency of 1MHz,
uncertainty amounts to 8.333kHz.
6
In internal gating mode, output
pulse width depends on photon
arrival time, but is less than the
gating period 1 / fint gating.
7
3
Maximum delay values versus
internal gating frequency
4
Maximum gate width versus internal
gating frequency
Duty cycle (ton / ton + toff) of external
gating signal must be less than
70%.
1227 Carouge/Geneva
T +41 22 301 83 71
Boston Electronics
L ab VIEW A PPL ICATION
DETECTION HEA D DIMENSIONA L OUTL INE
Supported Operating Systems:
Wi n d o w s XP, Wi n d o w s Vi s t a 32 b i t s
(i n m m )
97.0
The id400 detector comes with a id400.exe LabVIEW
application operating in two different modes:
SMB
m o u n t i n g p l at e
63.5
A PD
St an d ar d m o d e: adjustment of parameters, display
of count rate and effective gate rate.
DB 9
SMB
A PD
Or d er i n g i n f o r m at i o n an d s al es c o n t ac t
One M4 hole for mounting on
standard post assemblies,
36.0
30.0
A PD
The id400 detection head includes a
mounting plate with:
4 holes (∅ 6.5mm) with “metric”
spacing (75mm and 50mm) for
mounting on standard plates or
translation stages,
4 holes with “US” spacing (3 and 2
inches) for mounting on standard
plates or translation stages.
90.0
M4
37.5
38.1
A PD
37.5
20.0
30.4
38.1
79.0
30.0
20.4
A c q u i s i t i o n m o d e: plot of the mean detector count
rate over the specified integration time.
OTHER PRODUCTS
id100
id201
id300
Quantis
Clavis2
Cerberis
Centauris
Single photon counting module for the visible spectral range
Single photon counting module for the 1100-1700nm spectral range
Short pulse laser source
Quantum Key Distribution System for R&D
Layer 2 encryptor with Quantum Key Distribution
Layer 2 encryptor
SUPPL IED A CCESSORIES
id400-80-1064
Detector module including:
1 x APD detection head with mounting plate
(effective active diameter: 80µm)
1 x Control Unit
Composite cable (2m): 2x BNC-SMB, 1x DB9-DB9
USB cable (4.5m)
Power supply (12V/2.5A)
CD-Rom with User Guide, LabVIEW Run-time
Engine Version 7.0, LabVIEW application installer
Di s c l ai m er
1227 Carouge/Geneva
T +41 22 301 83 71
SPAD-8
8-Channel SPAD Module
8-channel SPAD detector module
bh multi-dimensional TCSPC technique
Interfaces directly to all bh TCSPC systems
Simultaneous measurement in all 8 channels
1 x 8 arrangement of detector channels
Instrument response width 70 ps FWHM
Max. count rate > 5 MHz
Thermo-electrically cooled
Power supply and control via bh DCC-100 detector controller card
The SPAD-8 module contains eight actively quenched SPAD pixels on a single silicon chip. The signals of
the SPADs are recorded by a single bh TCSPC module. The module uses bh’s multi-dimensional TCSPC
technique. For each photon, the SPAD-8 delivers a timing pulse and the number of the SPAD pixel that
detected the photon. The TCSPC module builds up a photon distribution versus time and pixel number, or
stores the individual events as time-tag data. The technique avoids any time gating or detector multiplexing
and thus achieves a near-ideal counting efficiency. Power supply, SPAD excess-voltage control, an current
for the TE cooler are provided by a bh DCC-100 detector controller card.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
email info@becker-hickl.com
id Quantique
sales@idquantique.com
www@idquantique.com
dpspad-8-01.doc Jan. 2010
tcspc@boselec.com
www.boselec.com
SPAD-8
Specifications
Number of pixels
Pixel arrangement
Active area (each pixel)
Pixel pitch, centre-centre
Optical adapter
Spectral response
Peak quantum efficiency, 500 nm
Channel uniformity
Dark count rate, per channel
8
1 by 8
40 x 40 µm
60 µm
C mount
350 to 900 nm
35 %
5%
< 1000, TE cooler current 0.5A
IRF width, fwhm
Time skew between Channels
Dead time
70 ps (typical value)
< 150 ps
50 ns
Timing Output
Routing Signal
Power Supply
Dimensions
SMA, 50Ω, negative pulse
3 bit + Error Signal, TTL/CMOS
From bh DCC-100 card
40 mm ⋅ 40 mm ⋅ 72 mm
60 um
40 um
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
40 um
Pixel arrangement
5
C mount
25.4
72
10
40
SMA
pulse out
Mechanical outline
Related Products
SPC-130 EM TCSPC modules
SPC-150 TCSPC modules
40
Dimensions in mm
Simple-Tau 130 compact TCSPC systems
FLIM systems for laser scanning microscopy
DCC-100 detector controller
PML-SPEC and MW-FLIM multi-wavelength detectors
id-100 SPAD detector modules
BDL-SMC and BHLP picosecond diode lasers
Related Literature
W. Becker, Advanced time-correlated single photon counting techniques. Springer 2005.
W. Becker, The bh TCSPC Handbook, 466 pages, 503 references. Available on www.becker-hickl.com
Please see also www.becker-hickl.com, ‘Literature’, ‘Application notes’
More than 15 years experience in multi-dimensional TCSPC. More than 700 TCSPC systems worldwide.
dpspad-8-01.doc Jan. 2010
PMC-100
Cooled High Speed PMT Detector Head for Photon Counting
Applicable to Time-Correlated, Steady State and Gated Photon Counting
Non-descanned Detector for TCSPC Imaging
Excellent TCSPC Instrument Response: < 200 ps FWHM
Internal Cooler: Low Dark Count Rate
Internal GHz Preamplifier: High Output Amplitude
No High Voltage Power Supply Required
Excellent Noise Immunity
Overload Indicator and TTL / CMOS Overload Output
Cooling Control and Overload Shutdown via bh DCC-100 module
Direct Interfacing to all bh Photon Counting Devices
Standard C Mount Adapter
The PMC-100 is a cooled detector head for photon counting applications. It contains a fast miniature PMT along
with a Peltier cooler, a high voltage generator, a GHz pulse amplifier and a current sensing circuit. Due to the
high gain and bandwidth of the device a single photon yields an output pulse with an amplitude in the range of
50 to 200 mV and a pulse width of 1.5 ns. Due to the high gain and the efficient shielding noise pickup or
crosstalk of start and stop signals in time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) experiments is minimised.
Therefore the PMC-100 yields an excellent time resolution, a high counting efficiency and an exceptionally low
differential nonlinearity. The instrument response function in TCSPC applications has a width of less than
200 ps. Overload conditions are detected by sensing the PMT output current and indicated by a LED, an
acaustic signal, and a logical overload signal. The PMC-100 is operated by the bh DCC-100 detecor controller
card which delivers the current for the Peltier cooler, controls the detector gain, and shuts down the PMT on
overload.
TCSPC instrument response function. Gain control
voltage 0.9V, PMC-100-0, SPC-630 TCSPC module
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
Decrease of dark count rate after switch-on of cooler.
PMC-100-1with DCC-100 detector controller, cooling
current 0.7 A
Note:
To avoide restriction of the wavelength range the PMC-100 has no
hermetically sealed window. Please make sure that moisture is kept
off the photomultiplier cathode by filters, lenses or other window
elements inserted directly in front of the device.
PMC-100
PMC-100-3
Wavelength Range (nm)
185 to 650
Dark Counts (Icool=0.7A, Tamb = 22 C, typ. value)
20
Cathode Diameter
Transit Time Spread / TCSPC IRF width
Output Polarity
Count Rate (Continuous)
Count Rate (Peak, < 100 ns)
Overload Indicator
Overload Signal
Output Impedance
Optical Adapter
Fibre Coupling
Simple fluorescence lifetime experiment:
Trigger
Out
The arrangement uses a BDL-405 blue
picosecond diode laser, a PMC-100 detector
module an SPC-630, -730 or -830 time
correlated single photon counting module
and a DCC-100 detector controller card.
(Please see individual data sheets). The
instrument response width is typically
<180 ps FWHM. Fluorescence lifetimes
down to 20 ps can be determined by
deconvolution.
+12V
PMC-100-6
PMC-100-0
185 to 650
20
300 to 650
20
PMC-100-4
PMC-100-1
PMC-100-20
185 to 820
300 to 820
40
40
8 mm
180 ps, FWHM, typ. value
1.5 ns, FWHM, typ. value
50 to 200 mV, Vgain=0.9V
negative
> 5 MHz
> 100 MHz
LED and acoustic signal
TTL / CMOS, active low
SMA
50 Ω
+ 12 V, -12V (fan only), Peltier Current 0.5 to 1A
76 mm x 111 mm x 56 mm
C-Mount female
SMA 905, on request
Sample
405nm
50 MHz
BDL-405
Laser
SYNC
Lens
Filter
CFD
Detector
PMC100
B&H
Time-Correlated Single
Photon Counting Module
SPC-630 or -730
B&H
DCC-100
Detector Controller
100
mA/W
Fan
10
300 to 900
200 to 500
-20
-6
-1
-4
C Mount
female
1
93
-3
-0
10
76
48
Photocathode 20mm
behind front edge
of C mount adapter
0.1
PMC-100
Cathode Radiant Sensitivity
Outlines
in millimeters
Sub D
34
0.01
200
SMA
50
57
76
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
300
400
500
600
700
800
900nm
Pin Assignment of 15 pin sub-d-hd connector
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
not used
Peltier +
Peltier +
Peltier +
GND
not used
Peltier Peltier -
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
A cable is delivered with the PMC-100
Peltier +12V
-12 (Fan)
not used
Gain Control, 0 to +0.9V
/OVLD
GND
PMH-100
High Speed PMT Detector Head for Photon Counting
Applicable for Time-Correlated, Steady State and Gated Photon Counting
Non-descanned Detector for TCSPC Imaging
Excellent Time Resolution for TCSPC: < 220 ps FWHM
Internal GHz Preamplifier: High Output Amplitude
PMT Overload Indicator
Simple + 12 V Power Supply
Direct Interfacing to all bh Photon Counting Devices
The PMH-100 is a complete detector head for photon
counting applications. It contains a fast PMT, a high voltage
generator, a GHz pulse amplifier and a current sensing
circuit. Due to the high gain and bandwidth of the device a
single photon yields an output pulse with an average
amplitude up to 300 mV and a pulse width of 1.5 ns.
Therefore, noise pickup or crosstalk of start and stop signals
in time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) are
reduced and the PMH-100 yields an excellent time
resolution, a high count efficiency and a low differential
nonlinearity. Overload conditions are detected by sensing
the PMT output current and indicated by a LED.
PMH-100
Response measured by TimeCorrelated Single Photon
Counting
150 ps
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
PMH-100
PMH-100-3
Transit Time Spread (FWHM, typ. value)
Wavelength Range (nm)
185 to 650
Dark Counts (20°C, typ value)
80
Detector Area Diameter
Single Electron Response Width (FWHM, typ. value)
Single Electron Response Amplitude (average)
Output Polarity
Count Rate (Continuous)
Count Rate (Peak, < 100 ns)
Overload Indicator
Output Connector
Output Impedance
Power Supply
Dimensions
Optical Connection
Simple fluorescence lifetime
measurement:
The arrangement uses a diode
laser (BHL-100), the PMH-100
detector module and the SPC330 time correlated single
photon counting module (please
see individual data sheets). The
instrument response is <180 ps
FWHM. Fluorescence lifetimes
down to 20 ps can
be
determined by deconvolution.
PMH-100-6
PMH-100-0
180 ps
300 to 650
185 to 820
80
400
8 mm
1.5 ns
300 mV
negative
> 5 MHz
> 100 MHz
LED
SMA
50 Ω
+ 12 V, 100 mA
92 mm x 38 mm x 31 mm
C-Mount female
185 to 650
80
Laser
50 MHz
BHL-100
PMH-100-1
300 to 820
400
Sample
CFD
Trigger
Out
PMH-100-4
Lens
Filter
Detector
PMH100
SYNC
100
B&H
SPC-330 trough -730
35
C mount female
6
10
4
3
0
1
useful
cathode
diameter
39
8
1
72
92
0.1
PMH-100
37
Relative Spectral Response
PMT Cathode
0.01
200
300
400
500
600
700
800nm
7 .. 9
55
PMH-100 Outline (mm)
GND
+12V
Power Supply Connector Pin Assignment
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
PML-16-C
16-Channel Photomultiplier Head
16- channel photomultiplier head for bh time-correlated single photon counting modules
1 x 16 arrangement of detector channels
Simultaneous measurement in all 16 channels
Instrument response width 150 ps FWHM
Max. count rate > 5 MHz
Gain control and overload shutdown via bh DCC-100 card
No external high voltage required
The PML-16-C is based on bh’s proprietary multi-dimensional timecorrelated single photon counting technique. The detector records 16 signals
simultaneously into a single TCSPC channel. For each photon, the PML-16C delivers a timing pulse and the number of the PMT channel in which the
photon was detected. These signals are fed into the TCSPC module, which
builds up the photon distribution versus the time and the channel number.
The technique avoids any time gating or channel multiplexing and thus
achieves a near-ideal counting efficiency. The PML-16C detector is part of
the bh MW-FLIM multi-wavelength FLIM systems and the PML-SPEC
multi-wavelength detection systems. Unlike its predecessor, the PML-16,
the PML16-C generates the operating voltage of the PMT internally. Power
supply, gain control, and overload shutdown are provided by the bh DCC100 detector controller card.
Applications:
Autofluorescence of biological tissue
Time-resolved multi-wavelength laser-scanning microscopy
Diffuse optical tomography
Autofluorescence of skin
FWHM = 150 ps
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
http //www.becker-hickl com
Covered by patent DE 43 39 787
PML-16-C
Specification
Number of Channels
Arrangement
Active Area (each channel)
Channel Pitch
Spectral response
16
Linear (1 by 16), optional quadratic4x4
Linear 0.8 × 16 mm, quadratic 4 by 4
1 mm
PML-16-C-0: 300 to 600 nm (bi-alkaline)
PML-16-C-1:300 to 850 nm (multi-alkaline)
Other cathode versions: contact bh
negative
40 mV
150 ps (typical value)
< 40 ps rms
SMA, 50Ω
4 bit + Error Signal, TTL/CMOS
15 pin Sub-D / HD
± 5V and +12V from DCC-100 card
52 mm × 52 mm × 145 mm
Timing Output Polarity
Average Timing Pulse Amplitude
Time Resolution (FWHM)
Time Skew between Channels
Timing Output Connector
Routing Signal
Routing Signal Connector
Power Supply
Dimensions
Photocathode Outline
1x16 channels
Distance 1mm
Width 0.8 mm
16
mm
16 mm
4x4 channels
4mm
4
mm
Applications
BDL-375
Picosecond
Polychromator
PML-16
Diode Laser
Photon Pulse
Time- and wavelengthresolved tissue
fluorescence
spectrometer
Detector Channel
to TCSPC Module
Sample
800nm
Scan
Head
TiSa Laser
150 fs, 80 MHz
Reference
Polychromator
Multi-spectral timeresolved two-photon
laser scanning
microscope
PML-16
Lens
Microscope
Scan
Control
Unit of
Microscope
Pixel Clock
Line Clock
Frame Clock
TCSPC Module
in ’Scan SYNC’ mode
Please see also:
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
http://www becker-hickl com
SPC-134 through SPC-830 time-correlated single photon counting modules
PML-Spec Multi-spectral fluorescence lifetime detection system
MW-FLIM Multi-spectral FLIM systems
BDL-375-SM, BDL-405-SM, BDL-473-SM picosecond diode lasers
PML-Spec
Multi-Wavelength Lifetime Detection
Multi-wavelength detection of fluorescence decay functions
16 wavelength channels recording simultaneously
Spectral range 300-850 nm
High time resolution: 180 ps fwhm IRF width
Useful count rate > 2 MHz
Ultra-high sensitivity
Short acquisition times
Greatly reduced pile-up
Works with any bh TCSPC module
Biomedical fluorescence
Autofluorescence of tissue
Time-resolved laser scanning microscopy
Multi-spectral lifetime imaging
Recording of chlorophyll transients
Stopped flow fluorescence experiments
The PML-SPEC uses bh’s proprietary multi-dimensional TCSPC technique. The light is split into its spectrum by a
polychromator. The spectrum is detected by a 16-channel multi-anode PMT. The single photons detected in the
PMT channels are recorded in a bh TCSPC module. The TCSPC module builds up a photon distribution over the
time in the fluorescence decay and the wavelength. The technique does not use any time gating, detector channel
multiplexing, or wavelength scanning and therefore reaches a near-ideal counting efficiency.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin, Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
US Representative:
tcspc@boselec.com
www.boselec.com
UK Representative:
sales@psplc.com
www.psplc.com
dbpmlspec1 Dec. 2005
PML-Spec
Optical System
Type of grating, lines/mm
Recorded interval1, nm
Wavelength channel width, nm
Spectral range of grating2, nm
F number
Input slit width, mm
Input slit height, mm
Optical Input Versions
Multi-Wavelength Lifetime Detection
400
320
20
300-6002 300-8503
600
1200
208
106
13
6.65
300-6002 300-8503
300-6002 300-8503
F / 3.7
0.6
7.5
Fibre bundle, fibre probe with 1 excitation fibre and 6 detection fibres, or SMA-905 connector
Fiber Bundle
for 2-Photon Microscopy
Input
Output
200 fibres
D=3.5mm
l x w = 7.5mm x 1mm
SMA-905 Input for
Fibre Probe for Spectroscopy
Multi-Mode Fibre
1 Excitation Fibre
6 Detection Fibres
Input
Output
Excitation
Detection
D=3.5mm
l x w = 7.5mm x 1mm
D = 0.1 to 1 mm
1
any interval within spectral range of grating
Detector with bi-alkali cathode
3
Detector with multi-alkali cathode
2
Detector4
Cathode spectral response
Typical dark count rate, s-1
Number of spectral channels
Timing output polarity of detector
Average timing pulse amplitude
Time resolution (FWHM)
Time skew between channels
Timing output connector
Routing signal
Routing signal connector
Power supply (PML-16)
Power supply (PML-16C)
4
bi-alkali, 300 to 600 nm
multi-alkali, 300 to 850 nm
200
800
16
negative
40 mV
150 to 200 ps
< 40 ps
SMA, 50Ω
4 bit + Count Disable Signal, TTL/CMOS
15 pin Sub-D / HD
± 5V from SPC module, -800...-900V / 0.35 mA from external HV power supply
± 5V, +12V from DCC-100 detector controller. Internal HV generator
please see data sheet and manual of PML-16 and PML-16C multichannel PMT heads
Applications
Multi-Wavelength Fluorescence Decay Measurement
BDL-405
ps Diode Laser
Multi-Wavelength Picosecond Laser Scanning Microscope
750 nm to 900 nm
Scan
head
Ti Sa Laser
Filter
Fibre or
Sample
fibre bundle
SPC-830
TCSPC Module
Lens
Shutter
Microscope
Polychromator
Fibre bundle
Cross
section
of bundle
PML-16TCSPC Module
Grating
Scan Clock
Related Products and Accessories: SPC-134 through SPC-830 TCSPC boards, ps diode lasers, FLIM upgrade kits for scanning microscopes. Please see
www.becker-hickl.com or call for individual data sheets.
Supplementary Literature: W. Becker, Advanced time-correlated single-photon counting techniques. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 2005
W. Becker, The bh TCSPC Handbook, Becker & Hickl GmbH, 2005
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32 Fax +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
iwww.becker-hickl.com info@becker-hickl.com
dbpmlspec1 Dec. 2005
91 Boylston Street, Brookline.
Massachusetts 02445 USA
Tel: (800) 347 5445 or (617) 566 3821, Fax:
(617) 731 0935
b l
b l
Metal Package PMT with Cooler
Photosensor Modules H7422 Series
Heatsink with fan (A7423) sold separately
The H7422 series are PMT modules with an internal high-voltage power supply
and a cooler installed to the metal package photomultiplier tube. Efficient cooling
was achieved by placing the cooler near the photomultiplier tube to reduce
thermal noise emitted from the photocathode and a high S/N ratio can be
obtained even at extremely low light levels.
The H7422-40 has high sensitivity in the 300 nm to 720 nm wavelength. The
H7422-50 is sensitive along a wide spectral range from 380 nm to 890 nm. The
H7422-01 and H7422-02 have a maximum rated current value of 100 µA and so
are extremely effective when measurements are needed over a wide dynamic
range. The photomultiplier tube is maintained at a constant temperature by
monitoring the output from a thermistor installed near the photomultiplier and
then regulating the current to the cooler.
Product Variations
Type No.
H7422-40
H7422P-40
H7422-50
H7422P-50
H7422-01
H7422-02
Spectral Response
Features
Max. Rated Output
300 nm to 720 nm
GaAsP photocathode, QE 40 % at peak wavelength, high gain (P type)
2 µA
GaAs photocathode, QE 12 % at 800 nm, high gain (P type)
380 nm to 890 nm
300 nm to 850 nm
300 nm to 880 nm
Multialkali photocathode
Infrared-extended multialkali photocathode
100 µA
Specifications
Standard
Type
P Type
Anode
Cathode
Parameter
Suffix
Input Voltage
Max. Input Voltage for Main Unit
Max. Input Current for Main Unit
Max. Input Voltage for Peltier Element
Max. Input Current for Peltier Element
Max. Output Signal Current *1
Max. Control Voltage
Recommended Control Voltage Adjustment Range
Effective Photocathode Size
Sensitivity Adjustment Range
Peak Sensitivity Wavelength
420 nm
550 nm
Radiant Sensitivity
800 nm
Radiant Sensitivity *1 *4 550 nm
Typ.
Dark Current *1 *4
Max.
Radiant Sensitivity *1 *4 550 nm
Typ.
Dark Count *1 *4
Max.
Rise Time *1 *4
Ripple Noise (Max.) *2
Settling Time *3
Operating Temperature Range
Storage Temperature Range
Weight
H7422 Series
-40
-50
-01
-02
+11.5 to +15.5
+18
30
2.6
2.2
2
100
+0.9 (Input impedance 100 kΩ)
+0.50 to +0.80
+0.25 to +0.80
5
7
1: 104 (H7422-01/-02)
500
550
800
400
40
108
15
56
56
176
50
36
6.4
—
90
1.2
2.8 × 104
8.8 × 104
2.5 × 104
1.8 × 104
0.4
0.5
0.03
0.08
1.0
1.3
0.08
0.2
1.8 × 105
5.0 × 104
—
—
—
—
100
125
—
—
300
375
1.00
0.78
0.6
0.2
+5 to +35
-20 to +50
Approx. 400
*1: Control voltage = +0.8 V
*2: load resistance = 1 MΩ, load capacitance = 22 pF
*3: The time required for the output to reach a stable level following a change in the control voltage from +1.0 V to +0.5 V.
*4: When used with C8137-02 and A7423 Plateau voltage: PMT temperature setting value 0 °C
14
Unit
—
V
V
mA
V
A
µA
V
V
mm
—
nm
mA/W
A/W
nA
A/W
s-1
ns
mV
s
°C
°C
g
Cooling Specifications
H7422/H7422P
Thermoelectric cooling
35
Approx. 5
2.0
Parameter
Cooling Method
Max. Cooling Temperature (∆T)
Cooling Time
Peltier Element Input Current
Unit
—
°C
min.
A
Characteristics (Cathode radiant sensitivity, Gain)
TPMOB0135EA
108
1000
108
TPMOB0137EA
H7422-50
107
107
100
H7422P 40/-50
106
106
H7422-01/-02
H7422-01
10
GAIN
H7422-40/-50
GAIN
105
105
H7422-02
104
104
103
103
1
400
600
1000
800
102
0.25 0.3
0.5
WAVELENGTH (nm)
1.0
1.5
102
0.25 0.3
2.0
CONTROL VOLTAGE (V)
Block Diagram
POWER INPUT
TAJIMI PRC03-23A10-7M
8-M3 DEPTH: 2
THERMISTOR
1.5
2.0
18.5 ± 0.2
HV POWER SUPPLY
VOLTAGE DIVIDER
CIRCUIT
O-RING GROOVE
(S-28 O-RING INCLUDED)
Top View
9 5 ± 0.1
44.0 ± 0.2
4.0 ± 0.1
SIGNAL OUTPUT
BNC-R
6.4 ± 0.2
7.4 ± 0.2
14.8 ± 0.2
5
Cross Section
8-M3
20.0 ± 0.2
TPMOC0144EA
PMT
A
PHOTOCATHODE
4-M3
CONTROL VOLTAGE
INPUT: 0 V to +0.9 V
53.6 ± 0.2
20 ± 0.2
4-M2
25.4 ± 0.2
PHOTOCATHODE
5
7.2
15.0 ± 0.2 26.0 ± 0.2
SIGNAL OUTPUT
(POWER INPUT)
GND
1.0
Cross Section
WINDOW
PMT
Vcc
0.7
Dimensional Outlines (Unit: mm)
36.0 ± 0.3
PELTIER
ELEMENT
0.5
CONTROL VOLTAGE (V)
22.2 ± 0.2
POWER INPUT
FOR PELTIER
ELEMENT
0.7
10.2
0.1
200
M25.4 P=1/32"
C-MOUNT
CATHODE RADIANT SENSITIVITY (mA/W)
H7422-40
TPMOB0136EA
M25.4 P = 1/32"
C-MOUNT
65±02
M3
L = 4 0 Max
Cross Section
20
±02
M3
L = 4 0 Max
GUIDE MARK
A
19.0 ± 0.2 25.0 ± 0.2
104 ± 1
56.0 ± 0.3
Side View
Front View
A
A: Thermistor 1
B: Thermistor 2
C: Peltier element +
E G
B
D: Peltier element –
D
C
E: VCC (+15 V)
F: Control voltage input
G: GND
TAJIMI PRC03-23A10-7M
F
H7422-40/-50 H7422-01/-02
15.3 ± 0.3
16.3 ± 0.2
A
TPHOA0023EA
15
Photosensor Modules H7422 Series
Options (Unit: mm)
1 Heatsink with fan A7423
4 C-mount adapter A7413
22
30
M25.4 P=1/32" C-MOUNT
52.0 ± 0.5
16.5± 0.3 22.2 ± 0.2
M25.4 P=1/32" C-MOUNT
8
LEAD LENGTH: 50 ± 10 mm
4
Top View
14
TACCA0191EA
40 ± 1
24.5 ± 0.5
4-M3 (Supplied)
5 Power Supply Unit with Temperature Control C8137-02
POWER SWITCH
PHOTOSENSOR
SWITCH
19.2 ± 0.3
53.6 ± 0.3
CONTROL VOLTAGE
ADJUSTMENT DIAL
JST XMR-02V
92.0 ± 0.5
ON
ON
Side View
160.0 ± 0.5
TACCA0188EC
CONTORL VOLTAGE DISPLAY
8
2 Signal cable E1168-05
42
46.0 ± 0.5
Front View
212 ± 1
12.5
Side View
+50
0
BNC-P
BNC-P
1500 -
MODULE OUTPUT
AC INPUT
TACCA0148EA
FAN OUTPUT
FUSE
Rear View
3 Optical fiber adapter (FC type) A7412
Power Cable
4- 2.2
4 TAPERED DEPTH: 1.5
+50
1500 -0
2.5
M8 P=0.75
Fan Cable
+50
1500 -0
9.5
15
Front View
30
4-M2 L =3
5.5 3
9
LIGHT-SHIELD SHEET
(THICKNESS: 0.5)
AC Cable
1800 to 2000
Side View
TACCA0238EA
TACCA0190EA
17
Metal Package PMT with Cooler
H7422 Series option
1
3
Optical Fiber
Adapter
A7412
Optical Fiber
Option
Heatsink with Fan
5
Cables
(Supplied with C8137-02)
Direct Input
C-mount Lens
Power Input
100 V ac to 240 V ac
N
N
4
Sample
Power Supply Unit
with Temperature Control
C8137-02
C-Mount
Adapter
A7413
Photosensor Module
H7422 Series
2
Signal Cable
E1168-05
Signal Output
TPMOC0145EA
● Heatsink with Fan A7423
● Power Supply Unit with Temperature Control C8137-02
The temperature of the H7422 outer case rises due to the
Peltier element housed in the case. The A7423 heatsink
efficiently radiates away this heat to maintain the case
temperature within 40 °C. The A7423 can be easily installed
onto the H7422 with four M3 screws. Apply a coat of heat
conductive grease onto the joint surface shared by the H7422
and A7423.
The C8137-02 is a power supply unit with a temperature
control function. Just connecting to an AC source of 100 to
240 V generates the output voltages for the Peltier element
and the A7423 fan, needed for operating the H7422. The
photomultiplier tube temperature can be maintained to 0 °C
by monitoring the thermistor and regulating the output
current from the Peltier element. Control voltage can be
varied by a knob on the front panel.
Parameter
Input Voltage
during lock
Input Current
during operation
Operating Voltage
Weight
Value
12
140
90
10.2 to 13.8
120
Unit
V
mA
mA
V
g
● Signal Cable E1168-05
This signal cable is terminated with a BNC connector for
easily connecting the H7422 to external equipment.
● Optical Fiber Adapter (FC type) A7412
The A7412 is an FC type optical fiber connector that attaches
to the light input window of the H7422. The A7412 can easily
be secured in place with four M2 screws.
● C-Mount Adapter A7413
The A7413 mount adapter is used when a C-mount lens
protruding 4 mm or more from the flange-back must be
installed onto the H7422.
16
Parameter
Max. Cooling Temperature
Setting Cooling Temperature
(preset at factory)
Input Voltage
Input Voltage Frequency
Power Consumption
Main Circuit Output Voltage
Max. Peltier Element Current
Output Voltage for Fan
Control Voltage Adjustment Range
Weight
Value
35
Unit
°C
0
°C
100 to 240
50/60
30
+15
2.2
12
0 to +0.9
1.1
V
Hz
VA
V
A
V
V
kg
MICROCHANNEL PLATEPHOTOMULTIPLIER TUBE
(MCP-PMTs)
R3809U-50 SERIES
Compact MCP-PMT Series Featuring
Variety of Spectral Response with Fast Time Response
FEATURES
High Speed
Rise Time: 150ps
T.T.S. (Transit Time Spread)1): 25ps(FWHM)
Low Noise
Compact Profile
Useful Photocathode: 11mm diameter
(Overall length: 70.2mm Outer diameter: 45.0mm)
APPLICATIONS
Molecular Science
Analysis of Molecular Structure
Medical Science
Optical Computer Tomography
Biochemistry
Fast Gene Sequencing
Material Engineering
Semiconductor Analysis
Crystal Research
Figure 2: Transit Time Spread
104
TPMHB0178EB
FWHM 25 0ps
103
COUNTS
FWTM 65 0ps
PMT
SUPPLY VOLTAGE
LASER PULSE
WAVELENGTH
102
: R3809U-50
: –3000V
: 5ps (FWHM)
: 596nm
101
PHOTOCATHODE RADIANT SENSITIVITY (mA/W)
Figure 1: Spectral Response Characteristics
103
102
TPMHB0177EB
–200
-58
-50
-52
-57 -53
QE=20%
-51
10–1
C F.D.
600
800
WAVELENGTH (nm)
1000
PULSE
COMPRESSOR
MONOCHROMETER
AMP.
400
800
MODE LOCKED Nd-YAG LASER
MIRROR
QE=0.1%
200
600
MIRROR
R3809U-50
10–2
400
Figure 3: Block Diagram of T.T.S. Mesuring System
QE=1%
-59
100
200
TIME (ps)
QE=10%
QE=5%
101
0
1200
DYE
JET
LASER PULSE WIDTH: 5ps (FWHM)
FILTER
BS
CAVITY
DUMPER
POWER
SUPPLY
HAMAMATSU
C3360
HAMAMATSU
C5594
ORTEC 457
STOP
START
T A.C.
M.C A.
TRIGGER
CIRCUIT HAMAMATSU
PD S5973
DELAY
C.F.D.
TENNELEC
TC454
COMPUTER
TPMHC0078EC
Subject to local technical requirements and regulations, availability of products included in this promotional material may vary. Please consult with our sales office.
lnformation furnished by HA MAM ATS U is believed to be reliabIe. However, no responsibility is assumed for possibIe inaccuracies or ommissions. Specifications are
subject to change without notice. No patent right are granted to any of the circuits described herein. © 1997 Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
MCP-PMT R3809U-50 SERIES
SPECIFICATIONS
PHOTOCATHODE SELECTION GUIDE
Spectral Response(nm)
Suffix Number
Range
Peek Wavelength
Photocathode Material
Window Material
50
160 to 850
430
Multialkali(S-20)
Synthetic Silica
51
160 to 910
600
Extended Multi. (S-25)
Synthetic Silica
52
160 to 650
400
Bialkali
Synthetic Silica
53
160 to 320
230
Cs-Te
Synthetic Silica
57
115 to 320
230
Cs-Te
MgF 2
58
115 to 850
430
Multia kali (S-20)
MgF 2
59
400 to 1200
800
Ag-O-Cs (S-1)
Borosilicate
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Parameter
Description/Value
Unit
Photocathode Useful Area in Diameter
11
mm
MCP Channel Diameter
6
m
2 - Stage Filmed MCP
Dynode Structure 2)
Capacitance between Anode and MCP out
3
pF
Weight
98
g
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTlCS (R3809U-50 ) at 25
Parameter
Min.
Typ.
100
150
A/lm
50
mA/W
Luminous4)
Cathode Sensitivity
3)
Radiant at 430nm
1
Gain at –3000V
105
Anode Dark Counts at –3000V
2
Unit
105
200
cps
75
Voltage Divider Current at –3000V
Time Response
Max.
A
Rise Time5)
150
ps
Fall Time6)
360
ps
I.R.F. (FWHM)7)
458)
T.T.S. (FWHM)
ps
259)
ps
MAXIMUM RATINGS (Absolute Maximum Values)
Parameter
Supply Voltage
Value
Unit
–3400
Vdc
Average Anode Current
100
nA
Pulsed Peak Current10)
350
mA
Ambient Temperature11)
–50 to +50
NOTES
1) Transit-time spread (TTS) is the fluctuation in transit time between individual pulse and specified as an FWHM (full wid h at half maximum) with the incident light
having a single photoelectron state.
2) Two microchannel plates (MCP) are incorporated as a standard but we can provide it with either one or three MCPs as an option depending upon your request.
3) This data is based on R3809U-50. All other types (suffix number 51 through 59) have different characteristics on cathode sensitivity and anode dark counts.
4) The light source used to measure the luminous sensitivity is a tungsten filament lamp operated at a distribution temperature of 2856K. The incident light intensity is
10–4 lumen and 100 volts is applied between the photocathode and all other electrodes connected as an anode.
5) This is the mean time difference between the 10 and 90% amplitude points on the output waveform for full cathode illumination.
6) This is the mean time difference between the 90 and 10% amplitude points on the tailing edge of the output waveform for full cathode illumination.
7) I.R.F. stands for Instrument Response Function which is a convolution of the pulse function (H(t)) of he measuring system and the excitation function (E(t)) of a
8)
9)
10)
11)
laser. The I.R.F. is given by the following formula:
I.R.F. = H(t) E(t)
We specify the I.R.F. as an FWHM of the time distribution taken by using he measuring system in Figure 13 that is Hamamatsu standard I.R.F. measurement. It can
be temporary estimated by the following equation:
(I.R.F. (FWHM))2 = (T.T.S.)2 + (Tw)2 + (Tj)2
where Tw is the pulse width of the laser used and Tj is the time jitter of all equipments used. An I.R.F. data is provided with the tube purchased as a standard.
T.T.S. stands for Transit Time Spread (see1) above). Assuming that a laser pulse width (Tw) and time jitter of all equipments (Tj) used in Figure 3 are negligible,
I.R.F. can be estimated as equal to T.T.S.(see8)) above. Therefore, T.T.S. can be estimated to be 25 picoseconds or less.
This is specified under the operating conditions that he repetition rate of light input is 100 hertz or below and its pulse width is 70 picoseconds.
This is specified under either operation or storage.
TECHNICAL REFERENCE DATA
Figure 4: Typical DC Gain
107
Figure 5: Variation of Dark Counts Depending
on Ambient Temperature
TPMHB0179EA
105
TPMHB0180EB
R3809U-50 SERIES
S-1
104
DARK COUNT (cps)
106
GAIN
105
104
103
S-25
103
S-20
102
101
100
102
–2.0
–2.2
–2.4
–2.6
–2.8
–3.0
–3.2
10–1
–3.4
–40
SUPPLY VOLTAGE (kV)
0
–20
20
40
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE (°C)
Figure 6: Typical Output Deviation as a Function
of Anode DC Current
Figure 7: Typical Output Deviation as a Function
of Anode Count Rate
TPMHB0181EA
TPMHB0182EA
OVERALL SUPPLY VOLTAGE : –3000V
MCP RESISTANCE
: 200M
MCP STR P CURRENT
: 8.15 A
SUPPLY VOLTAGE : –3000V
MCP RESISTANCE : 200M
MCP STRIP CURRENT : 8.15 A
50
DEVIATION (%)
DEVIATION (%)
50
–50
-50
-100
101
102
103
104
–100
106
107
108
COUNT RATE (cps.)
ANODE CURRENT (nA)
Figure 8: Typical Output Waveform
TPMHB0183EA
OUTPUT VOLTAGE (20mV/div)
105
Figure 9: Block Diagram of Output Waveform Measuring
System
ND FILTER
PICOSECOND
LIGHT
PULSER
SUPPLY VOLTAGE : –3000V
RISE T ME
: 150ps
FALL TIME
: 360ps
PULSE WIDTH : 300ps
R3809U-50
HAMAMATSU
MODEL#PLP-01
WAVELENGTH: 410nm
PULSE WIDTH: 35ps
TEKTRONIX
11802
HAMAMATSU
C3360
Digital
Sampling
Osciloscope
H.V.
Power
Supply
50
COMPUTER
TIME (0 2ns/div)
PLOTTER
TPMHC0079EB
Figure 10: Typical Pulse Height Distribution (PHD)
Figure 11: Block Diagram of PHD Measuring System
TPMHB0080EA
SUPPLY VOLTAGE
: –3000V
WAVELENGTH
: 410nm
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE : 25°C
DARK COUNTS
: 200cps. (typ.)
PMT
: R3809U-50
PEAK
: 200ch.
DISCRI.LEVEL
: 50ch.
10
COUNTS (1 10)
ND FILTER
HALOGEN
LAMP
8
6
R3809U-50
HAMAMATSU
C3360
A-D
CONVERTER
SIGNAL + DARK COUNTS
PREAMP.
L NEAR
AMP.
NAIG E-511A
NAIG E-522
4
HIGH VOLTAGE
POWER
SUPPLY
CANBERRA 2005
Discriminater: 50 ch.
2
0
50
200
400
COMPUTER
M.C A.
DARK COUNTS
NAIG E-563A/E-562
600
800
NEC PC9801
1000
TPMHC0080EB
PULSE HEIGHT (CHANNEL NUMBER)
Figure 12: Typical Instrument Response Function (IRF)
Figure 13: Block Diagram of IRF Measuring System
TPMHB0083EA
FWHM: 45ps
104
COUNTS (cps.)
HAMAMATSU
MODEL#PLP-01
WAVELENGTH: 410nm
FWHM: 35ps
PICOSECOND
LIGHT
PULSER
TRIGGER
SIGNAL
OUT
HAMAMATSU
C3360
103
102
ND FILTER
LIGHT OUT
R3809U-50
HIGH VOLTAGE
POWER
SUPPLY
HAMAMATSU
C5594
101
DELAY
100
MIRROR
START
ORTEC 457
T.A.C.
STOP
ORTEC 425A
AMP.
C F D.
TENNELEC TC-454
M.C.A.
COMPUTER
NAIG
NEC PC9801
T ME (0 2ns/Div.)
TPMHC0081EB
Figure 14: Dimensional Outline (Unit: mm)
52.5 0.1
WINDOW
FACE PLATE
3.0 0.2
–H.V INPUT
SHV-R CONNECTOR
13.7 0.1
70.2 0.3
11MIN.
45.0 0.1
EFFECTIVE
PHOTOCATHODE
DIAMETER
11.0MIN.
3.2 0.1
7.0 0.2
PHOTOCATHODE
ANODE OUTPUT
SMA-R CONNECTOR
TPMHA0352EB
APM - 400
High Speed Avalanche Photodiode Module
•
Active Area from 0.03 mm2 to 7 mm2
•
High Speed: Down to 150 ps Pulse Rise Time / 320 ps FWHM
•
Single +12V supply
•
Internal Temperature Compensation
•
Spectral Range from 330 nm to 1100 nm
The APM-400 is a high speed avalanche
photodiode module for the detection of pulsed
light signals and for trigger applications. It includes
the bias voltage supply for the avalanche
photodiode
along
with
a
temperature
compensation circuit for the diode gain. Due to its
single +12V supply the device can be powered
directly from the bh Sampling / Boxcar Module
PCS-150, the bh Time-Correlated Single Photon
Counting Modules or from a conventional +12V
power supply.
0.5
A/W
0.4
APM
0.042 mm2
0.3
500 ps/div
0.2
APM Spectral Response
Rescaled to Gain = 1
0.1
200
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. 030 / 787 56 32
Fax. 030 / 787 57 34
http://www.becker-hickl.de
email: info@becker-hickl.de
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
nm
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
APM - 400
Specification
Active Area (please specify)
FWHM (630nm, 50 Ohm)
Pulse Rise Time
Gain (Adjustable by Trimpot)
Output Polarity
Spectral Range
Peak Sensitivity Wavelength
Quantum Efficiency (630 nm)
Dimensions
Signal Connector
0.042 0.19 0.78 1.77 7.0
mm2
0.32 0.4
0.5
2.3
3
ns
0.16 0.2
0.25 1.1
1.2
ns
1 to > 100
positive (APM-400 P) or negative (APM-400 N)
330 to 1050
nm
750
nm
75
%
91 mm x 38 mm x 30 mm
SMA
0.03
0.45
0.15
Applications:
Laser induced Fluorescence
Excitation with N2 Laser,
Recording of Fluorescence and
Excitation Signal by Sampling /
Boxcar Technique
Sample
Laser
OCF-400
optical
constant
fraction
Trigger
APM400
B&H
APMSampling / Boxcar Module
400
PCS-150
TRG
A B
fluorescence
excitation
trigger
Triggering of Time-Correlated
Single Photon Counting
Experiments
Sample
Laser
APM400
PMT
B&H
SPC-300
CFD
SYNC
Maximum Ratings
Supply Voltage
DC Output Current
Light Pulse Power
Average Light Power
Operating Temperature
-0.3 V ... +13 V
0.5 mA
100 kW (Duration < 2 ns)
100 mW
0°C ... +70°C
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. 030 / 787 56 32
Fax. 030 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
PHD-400
High Speed Photodiode Module
•
200 ps pulse rise time
•
400 ps FWHM
•
Detector Area 0.25 mm2
•
Single +5V or +12V supply
•
Current indicator
A/W
0.5
Spectral Response
0.4
0.3
PHD-400
Impulse
Response
1ns / div
100 mV / div
0.2
0.1
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000 nm
The PHD-400 is used for the detection of light signals and for trigger applications. It
contains a Si pin Photodiode with an active area of 0.25 mm2 - a reasonable
compromise between speed and sensitivity. For applications at high repetition rates
the built in current indicator provides a convenient means for adjusting and focusing.
Due to its single +5V or +12V supply the device can be powered directly from the
Sampling / Boxcar Module PCS-150, from the Single Photon Counting Module
SPC-300 or from a conventional 5V or12V power supply.
Also available: Detector areas 3.6 mm2 and 11.9 mm2, UV versions, modules without current indicator,
high sensitivity integrating photodiode modules, avalanche photodiode modules, preamplifiers. Please
call for individual data sheets.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
Applications:
Sample
Laser
Recording of Fluorescence
and Excitation Signal by
Sampling / Boxcar Technique
Experiments
Steady State Fluorescence:
Gating off Detector
Background Signal
B&H
PHDSampling / Boxcar Module
400
PCS-150
TRG
A B
PHD400
OCF-400
optical
constant
fraction
Trigger
fluorescence
excitation
trigger
Sample
Laser
PHD400
B&H
SPC-300
PMT
CFD
SYNC
Sample
Laser
PHD400
PMT
B&H
Module
PHC-322
Inp /Gate
Maximum Ratings
Supply Voltage (5V version)
Supply Voltage (12V version)
Light Pulse Power
Average Light Power
-0.3 V ... +6.5 V
-0.3 V ... +13.5V
< 100 kW (Duration < 2 ns)
< 200 mW
0°C ... +70°C
GND
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
+12V or +5V
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
PDM-400
High Speed Photodiode Module
•
200 ps pulse rise time
•
400 ps FWHM
•
Detector Area 0.25 mm2
•
Single +5V or +12V supply
A/W
0.5
Spectral Response
0.4
0.3
PDM-400
Impulse
Response
1ns / div
100 mV / div
0.2
0.1
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000 nm
The PDM-400 is used for the detection of light signals and for trigger applications. It
contains a Si pin Photodiode with an active area of 0.25 mm2 - a reasonable
compromise between speed and sensitivity. Due to its single +5V or +12V supply the
device can be powered directly from the Sampling / Boxcar Module PCS-150, from
the Single Photon Counting Module SPC-300 or from a conventional 5V or 12V
power supply.
Also available: Detector areas 3.6 mm2 and 11.9 mm2, UV versions, modules with current indicator,
high sensitivity integrating photodiode modules, avalanche photodiode modules. Please call for
individual data sheets.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
Applications:
Sample
Laser
Recording of Fluorescence
and Excitation Signal by
Sampling / Boxcar Technique
B&H
PDMSampling / Boxcar Module
400
PCS-150
TRG
A B
PDM400
OCF-400
optical
constant
fraction
Trigger
fluorescence
excitation
trigger
Sample
Experiments
Steady State Fluorescence:
Gating off Detector
Background Signal
Laser
PDM400
B&H
SPC-300
PMT
CFD
SYNC
Sample
Laser
PDM400
PMT
B&H
Module
PHC-322
Inp /Gate
Maximum Ratings
Supply Voltage (5 V Version)
Supply Voltage (12 V Version)
Light Pulse Power
Average Light Power
-0.3 V ... + 6.5 V
-0.3 V ... + 15 V
< 200 mW
0°C ... +70°C
GND
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
+5V or +12V
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
PDI-400
Integrating Photodiode Module
•
Pulse Energy Measurement
•
Low Noise
•
High Dynamic Range
•
Sensitivity in the fJ Range
0.7
A/W
3
0.6
0.5
1
0.
2
0.3
0.2
3
2
0.1
200
300
1: Standard Si
00
500
600
2: UV enhanced Si
700
800
900
3: IR enhanced Si
1000
1100
nm
The PDI-400 is an integrating detector for pulsed light signals. The PDI-400 includes a high
performance photodiode, a low noise charge sensitive amplifier and an active high pass filter. Due to
filtering, most of the amplifier noise and low frequency background signals are rejected and the PDI400 is insensitive to roomlight. Its high sensitivity, low noise and wide dynamic range makes it
extremely useful in all applications where accurate and reproducable measurements of light pulse
energies are essential. When used in conjunction with our Boxcar devices PCS-150, PCI-200 or BCI150 the PDI-400 does not require a special power supply.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Kolonnenstr. 29
10829 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
email info@becker-hickl.de
http://www/becker-hickl.de
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
PDI-400
Specification
(typical values, Si standard versions)
PDI-400/0.25
PDI-400/1.0
PDI-400-7.5
0.25
1.0
7.5
mm2
Output Voltage Range
10
10
10
V
Output Impedance
50
50
50
Ω
Output Noise (mV, rms, typ.)
0.2
0.5
10
mV
2
5
100
fJ
100
100
100
mV
Active Area
(Rl=1kΩ, Vsuppl = ±15V)
Noise Limited Sensitivity
Output Voltage at 1pJ, 650nm (typ.)
Supply Voltages
±5 to ±15
V
Also available: Special versions with other detector areas, UV enhanced and IR enhanced versions, UV versions
with SiC photodiode, negative output versions. To record the signals of the PDI detectors we recommend our
Boxcar devices PCI-200. Please contact Becker & Hickl.
Application: Measurement of Nonlinear Optical Absorption
Pulsed Laser
Sample Cell
optical
Attenuator
Filter
PDI-400
PDI-400
Fast Photodiode
Reference Cell
PDM-400
Transmission
vs. Intensity
Trigger
Boxcar Module
PCI-200
Signal B
Signal A
Maximum Ratings
Power Supply Voltage
Light Pulse Power
Average Light Power
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Kolonnenstr. 29
10829 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
email info@becker-hickl.de
http://www/becker-hickl.de
Vccmin = -0.3V, Vccmax = +16V
Veemin = -16V, Veemax = +0.3V
< 100 mW
0°C ... +70°C
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HRT - 41
4 Channel TCSPC Router for PMTs
•
Connects up to four separate detectors to one bh time-correlated single
photon counting module
•
Simultaneous measurement in all detector channels
•
Applicable with most PMTs and MCPs
•
Time Resolution 30 ps with R3809U MCP
•
Count Rate > 1 MHz
The HRT-81 module is used to connect up to
four individual detectors to one bh SPC-3,
SPC-4, SPC-5, SPC-6 or SPC-7 timecorrelated single photon counting module.
The photons from the individual detectors
are routed into different curves in the SPC
memory. Thus the measurement yields a
separate decay function for each of the
detectors.
Typical
applications
are
fluorescence depolarisation measurements
or simultaneous decay measurements at
different waveleghts.
Detector 1
Charge
sensitive
Amplifiers
Comparators
SPC-400
f (t,x,y) mode
Encoder
R0
R1
Detector 2
Routing
Signal
to
SPC
Module
Detector 3
Detector 4
Error
Treshold
Adjust
Timing Pulse to
SPC CFD
Summing Amplifier
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. 030 / 787 56 32
Fax. 030 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HRT - 41
Specification
Input Polarity
Input Connectors
Input Pulse Charge for best Routing
Delay Difference between Channels
Gain of Timing Pulse Output
Routing-Signal
Recommended SPC ‘Latch Delay’
Power Supply
Dimensions
negative
50 Ohm, SMA
0.2 ... 2 pAs
negative
60 ps per Channel
50 Ohm, SMA
6
TTL 2 bit + Error Signal
20 ns
15 pin Sub-D/HD
+5V, -5V, +12V via Sub-D Connector from
SPC Module
110mm × 60mm × 31mm
Applications
Fluorescence Anisotropy
Measurement
Excitation
Polarizer
Detector
Polarizer
Detector
Sample
HRT-41
SPC Module
Filters Detectors
Multi Wavelength Decay
Measurement
HRT-41
Routing
Timing
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. 030 / 787 56 32
Fax. 030 / 787 57 34
SPC Module
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HRT-81
8 Channel TCSPC Router for PMTs
•
Connects up to eight separate detectors to one bh time-correlated single
photon counting module
•
•
Applicable with most conventional PMTs and MCPs
•
Time Resolution 30 ps with R3809U MCP
•
Count Rate > 1 MHz
The HRT-81 module is used to connect up to eight individual detectors to one of the bh time-correlated
single photon counting modules SPC-xx0. The photons from the individual detectors are routed into
different curves in the SPC memory. Thus the measurement yields a separate decay function for each
of the detectors. Typical applications are fluorescence depolarisation measurements or simultaneous
decay measurements at different waveleghts.
Detector 1
Charge
sensitive
Amplifiers
Comparators
R0
R1
R2
Detector 2
.
.
.
Detector 8
Encoder
.
.
.
.
.
.
SPC-430
f(xyt) mode
Routing
Signal
to
SPC Module
Error
Threshold
Adjust
Summing
Amplifier
Timing Pulse to
SPC Module
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HRT-81
Specification
Input Polarity
Input Connectors
Input Pulse Charge for best Routing
Gain of Timing Pulse Output
Routing-Signal
Power Supply
negative
50 Ohm, SMA
0.2 ... 2 pAs
negative
60 ps per Channel
50 Ohm, SMA
4
15 pin Sub-D/HD
+5V, -5V, +12V via Sub-D Connector
from SPC Module
120mm × 95mm × 34mm
Dimensions
Applications
Fluorescence Anisotropy
Measurement
Excitation
Polarizer
Detector
Polarizer
Detector
Sample
HRT-8
Filters
bh SPC Module
Detectors
Multi Wavelength Decay
Measurement
HRT-8
Routing
Timing
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
bh SPC Module
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HRT-82
8 Channel TCSPC-Router for APD Modules
•
Connects up to eight separate APD modules to one bh TCSPC module
•
•
Applicable with SPCM-AQR Modules and other TTL Output Detectors
•
Count Rate > 3 MHz
The HRT-82 module is used to connect up to eight individual avalanche photodiode (APD) detectors to
one of the time-correlated single photon counting modules SPC-xx0. The photons from the individual
detectors are routed into different curves in the SPC memory. Thus the measurement yields a
separate decay function for each of the detectors. Typical applications are fluorescence depolarisation
measurements or simultaneous decay measurements at different waveleghts.
Detector 1
TTL
Buffer / Stretcher
Encoder
R0
R1
R2
Detector 2
Routing
Signal
to
SPC Module
.
.
.
Detector 8
Error
Summing
Amplifier
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
http://www/becker-hickl.com
SPC-430
f(xyt) mode
Timing Pulse to
SPC Module
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HRT-82
Specification
Input Polarity
Input Voltage
Input Threshold
Input Impedance
Input Pulse Duration
Input Connectors
Timing Output Voltage (2.5 V Input)
Timing Output Impedance
Routing-Signal
Power Supply
Dimensions
positive
TTL, 1.2 V to 5 V
adjustable from 0.1 V to 2 V
50 Ω
8 ns to 60 ns
SMA
negative
120 mV or 60 mV into 50 Ω (Jumper)
50 Ω
50 Ohm, SMA
max. 60 ps per Channel
15 pin Sub-D/HD
+5V, -5V, via Sub-D Connector from SPC Module
120mm × 95mm × 34mm
Output Voltage Configuration
Timing Pulse Gain
Timing Pulse Gain
Input Threshold
Input Threshold
Vout = 120 ... 150 mV mV (SPC-x30)
Vout = 50 ... 60 mV (SPC-x00)
Applications
Filters
Excitation
Polarizer
Detector
Polarizer
Detector
Detectors
HRT-82
Routing
Sample
HRT-82
bh TCSPC Module
Fluorescence Anisotropy Measurement
Timing
bh TCSPC Module
Multi Wavelength Fluorescence Decay Measurement
Also available: HRT-41 4 Channel and HRT-81 8 Channel Routers for PMTs and MCPs. Please see individual data
sheets.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
030 / 787 56 32
Fax.
030 / 787 57 34
AMPMT1.DOC
How (and why not) to Amplify PMT Signals
‘I have to detect a light signal in the ns range. I use a PMT, but the noise is too high so that I
can’t see the signal. Which amplifier can I use to improve the signal-to-noise ratio?’ The
answer to this frequently asked question is usually ‘none’, and the general recommendation
for using an amplifier for PMT signals is ‘don’t’.
This consideration explains the peculiarities of PMT signals and gives hints to handle these
signals.
The PMT
A conventional PMT (Photomultiplier) is a vacuum tube which contains a photocathode, a
number of dynodes (amplifying stages) and an anode which delivers the output signal.
D2
PhotoCathode
D1
D3
D4
D6
D5
D7
D8
Anode
Fig. 1: Conventional PMT
By the operating voltage an electrical field is built up that accelerates the electrons from the
cathode to the first dynode D1, from D1 to D2 and to the next dynodes, and from D8 to the
anode. When a photoelectron emitted by the photocathode hits D1 it releases several
secondary electrons. The same happens for the electrons emitted by D1 when they hit D2. The
overall gain can reach values of 106 to 108. The secondary emission at the dynodes is very
fast, therefore the electrons resulting from one photoelectron arrive at the anode within some
ns. Due to the high gain and the short response a single photoelectron yields a easily
detectable current pulse at the anode.
The operating voltage of a PMT is in the order of 800V to some kV. The gain of the PMT
strongly depends on this voltage. Therefore, the gain can be conveniently controlled by
changing the operating voltage.
MCP (Micro Channel Plate) PMTs achieve the same effect by a plate with millions of
microchannels. The channel walls have a conductive coating. When a high voltage is applied
across the plate the channel walls act as a secondary emission target, and an input photon is
multiplied by a factor 105 to 106.
1
Channel
Plate
Channel Plate
Anode
Electrons
to
Anode
Photo
Electron
Electrical Field
Fig. 2: MCP PMT
Cathode
Due to their compact design, MCP-PMTs are extremely fast.
The PMT Signal
The output pulse for a single photoelectron is called the ‘Single Electron Response’ or SER of
the PMT. Some typical SER shapes are shown in the figure below.
Iout
1ns/div
1ns/div
Standard PMT
1ns/div
Fast PMT (R5600, H5783)
MCP-PMT
Fig. 3: Single Electron Response of Different PMTs
The peak current of the SER is approximately*
G . e
Iser = ---------FWHM
( G = PMT Gain, e=1.6 . 10-19 As, FWHM= SER pulse width, full width at half maximum)
Due to the random nature of the PMT gain, Iser is not stable but varies from pulse to pulse. The distribution of
Iser can be very broad, up to 1:5 to 1:10. With G being the average gain, the formula delivers the average Iser
which is sufficient for the following considerations.
The table below shows some typical values. Iser is the average SER peak current and Vser the
average SER peak voltage when the output is terminated with 50 Ω. For comparison, Imax is
the maximum useful output pulse current of the PMT.
PMT
Standard
Fast PMT
MCP PMT
PMT Gain
7
10
107
106
FWHM
Iser
Vout (50 Ω)
Imax (cont)
I max (pulse)
5 ns
1.5 ns
0.36 ns
0.32 mA
1 mA
0.5mA
16 mV
50 mV
25 mV
100uA
100uA
0.1uA
50mA
100mA
10mA
Table 1: Typical PMT parameters
The conclusions from the table above are:
1. The output voltage for a single detected photon is in the order of some 10mV at 50 Ω. This
is much more than the noise of any reasonable electronic recording device. Thus, the PMT
easily ‘sees’ the individual photons of the light signal. Further amplification cannot increase
the number of signal photons and therefore does not improve the SNR.
2
2. The peak current for a single photon , Iser, is greater than the maximum continuous output
current, Imax(cont). Therefore, a continuous light signal does not produce a continuous current
at the PMT output but a train of random SER pulses.
3. The peak current for a single photon , Iser, is only 1/20 to 1/100 of the maximum output
pulse current, Imax(pulse). Thus, even for light pulses no more than 20 to 100 photons can be
detected at the same moment. This limits the SNR of the unprocessed PMT signal to less than
10. Actually the SNR is even worse because of the random nature of the PMT gain. Any
additional amplifier can only decrease the ratio Imax / Iser and therefore decrease the SNR.
The typical appearance of the PMT signal for the different cases is shown in the figure below.
0
0
-10
-10
-20
-20
-30
-30
-40
-40
-50
-50
-60
-60
-70
-70
-80
-80
-90
-90
-100
mV
-100
mV
1
2
3
4
5
6
7ns
1
2
3
4
5
6
7us
1
2
b
Continous Light, us Scale
a
Continous Light, ns Scale
Random SER Pulses
Random SER Pulses
0
0
-10
-10
-10
-20
-20
-20
-30
-30
-30
-40
-40
-40
-50
-50
-50
-60
-60
-60
-70
-70
-70
-80
-80
-80
-90
-90
-90
-100
mV
-100
mV
-100
mV
1
2
3
4
5
6
7ns
c:
Ultra Short Pulses, Low Intensity:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7ns
Random SER pulses at time of light pulse
0
0
0
-100
-100
-200
-200
-200
-300
-300
-300
-400
-400
-400
-500
-500
-500
-600
-600
-600
-700
-700
-700
-800
-800
-800
-900
-900
-900
-1000
mV
-1000
mV
-1000
mV
2
3
4
5
6
7ns
f:
Ultra Short Pulses, High Intensity:
SER-like pulses, Amplitude jitters around
intensity-proportional value due to random
number of photons and random gain
10
20
40ns
g:
10ns Pulses, High Intensity:
Pulses with noise due to random number
of photons and random gain
4
5
6
7us
Random SER Pulses spread over pulse duration
-100
1
3
e:
Single us Light Pulse, Low Intensity:
d:
5ns Pulses, Low Intensity:
Random SER pulses spread over pulse duration
1
2
3
4
5
6
7us
h:
Single us Light Pulse, High Intensity:
Signal with noise due to random number
of photons and random gain
Fig. 4: PMT Signals for different Light Signal
3
Why NOT to use an Amplifier
Obviously, any additional amplification of the signals shown in fig. 4 does not improve the
SNR. The SNR is limited by the number of signal photons which cannot be increased by the
amplifier. Actually, an amplifier can only decrease the useful dynamic range, because it
increases the signal for a single photon while setting additional constraints to the maximum
signal level. The situation is shown in the figure below.
0
0
-100
-100
-200
-200
-300
-300
-400
1Vmax
Amp ifier
-500
-400
-500
-600
-600
-700
-700
-800
-800
-900
-900
-1000
mV
-1000
mV
10
40ns
20
0
40ns
20
0
-100
-100
-200
-200
-300
1Vmax
-400
Amplifier
-500
-300
-400
-500
-600
-600
-700
-700
-800
-800
-900
-1000
mV
10
-900
1
2
3
4
5
6
7us
-1000
mV
1
2
3
4
5
6
7us
Fig. 5: Effect of an amplifier on a fast PMT signal
The amplifier has a gain of 2, but saturates for input signals above 500mV. Therefore, not the
full output signal range of the PMT can be used. The bigger signals with their better SNR are
distorted, while the SNR of the smaller signals remains unchanged. For longer signals (lower
example) it can happen that only the peaks are clipped. Although this is often not noticed, it
makes the signal useless for further processing.
When to use an Amplifier
Low Bandwidth Recording
When a PMT is used as a linear detector its pulse response is given by the SER. Therefore,
PMTs are very fast devices. In some applications the high speed is not required, and the
signal is recorded with a reduced time resolution. This can be achieved by a passive low pass
filter, by a slow amplifier or simply by terminating the PMT output with a resistor much
higher than 50 Ω. The slow recording device can be seen as a low pass filter which smoothens
the SER pulses.
SER
PMT
Low Pass
Filter
SER after
Low Pass
Filtering
Fig. 6: Effect of Low Pass Filtering on the SER
4
The virtual peak current of the SER after the low pass filter is approximately
G . e
Iserf = ---------Tfil
FWHM
Iserf = Iser -------Tfil
or
(G = PMT Gain, e=1.6 . 10-19 As, Tfil= Filter Rise Time, FWHM= SER pulse width, full width at half
maximum)
The curves below show the virtual SER peak current and the SER peak voltage for a standard
PMT and for different termination resistors.
1mA
SER Peak
Current
1V
Iser
1GOhm
1uA
1mV
1MOhm
1kOhm
1nA
SER Peak
Voltage
1uV
50Ohm
1nV
1pV
1pA
1ns
1us
1ms
Filter Time Constant 1s
Fig. 7: Virtual SER peak current and SER peak voltage after low pass filtering
Fig. 7 shows that the virtual SER peak current drops to very low values for longer low pass
filter times. Additional amplification can be required now. However, for slow measurements
the loss of signal amplitude can be compensated by increasing the termination resistor which
makes a high amplifier gain unnecessary.
Two basically different amplifier principles are available - the normal ‘Voltage’ amplifier and
the ‘Current’ or ‘Transimpedance’ amplifier.
Iin
Vin
High Zin
Vout
= g Vin
Low Zin
Rin
Vout
= g Iin
Rin
Fig 8 a: Voltage Amplifier
Fig 8 b: Current Amplifier
The voltage at the input is transferred
into a voltage at the output
The input has a high impedance
The current at the input is transferred
into a voltage at the output
The input has a low impedance
A Voltage Amplifier (fig. 8a) transfers a voltage at the input into a higher voltage at the
output. The input of the amplifier represents a high impedance. The output current of the
PMT is converted into a voltage at the input matching resistor Rin. This voltage appears with
the specified gain at the amplifier output.
A Current Amplifier (fig. 8b) transfers a current at the input into a voltage at the output. Thus
the gain of a current amplifier is given in V/A. The input of a current amplifier has a low
5
impedance. Ideally, the input should represent a short circuit. Practically an input matching
resistor Rin is added (typically 50 Ω) to maintain stability and to avoid reflections at the input
cable. Current amplifiers are used to get fast signals from detectors which represent a current
source with a high parallel capacitance. In the present case their is neither a high detector
capacitance nor a requirement for high speed. Thus, a current amplifier is not the right choice
to reduce the bandwidth of a PMT signal. There would be no reasonable and predictable
bandwidth reduction, and the strong SER pulses could drive the amplifier into saturation
without producing an equivalent output signal. If you really need a fast amplifier for a PMT
signal, you should better use a GHz wideband amplifier in 50Ω technique (see ‘Photon
Counting’).
High Light Intensities
There are applications where the light intensity is so high that it would saturate the PMT
operated at its normal gain. To get an optimum SNR from the PMT for these signals, it is
better to reduce the PMT gain than to attenuate the light. However, if the PMT operating
voltage is decreased by decreasing the operating voltage, also the speed and the useful output
current range of the PMT decreases. To match the decreased signal range to the input range of
a recording device a moderate amplification can be reasonable. However, this situation is
unlikely because a PMT normally delivers enough output current even if its gain is reduced
by some orders of magnitude. If the gain has to be reduced to extremely low values you
should consider to use another detector - an avalanche photodiode or even a PIN photodiode.
Photon Counting
Signals as shown in fig. 4b, 4d and 4e are not effectively captured by analog data acquisition
methods. They are better recorded by counting the individual SER pulses. This ‘Photon
Counting’ method has some striking benefits:
- The amplitude jitter of the SER pulses does not appear in the result.
- The dynamic range of the measurement is limited by the photon statistics only.
- Low frequency pickup and other spurious signals can be suppressed by a discriminator.
- The gain instability of the PMT has little effect on the result.
- The time resolution is limited by the transit time spread of the SER pulses rather than by
their width. This fact is exploited for ‘Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting’ to achieve
a resolution down to 25ps with MCP PMTs.
Therefore, you should consider to use photon counting for light intensities that deliver well
separated single photon pulses.
The discriminators at the input of a photon counter work best at a peak amplitude of some
100mV. Therefore, an amplifier is useful if the SER amplitude is less than 50 mV.
For photon counting with MCP PMTs an amplifier should always be used. Due to
degradation of the microchannels by sputtering, these devices have a limited lifetime. Using
an amplifier enables the MCP to be operated at reduced gain and reduced output current so
that the lifetime is extended.
For photon counting the amplifier gain can be so high that the biggest SER pulses just fit into
the amplifier output and the discriminator input voltage range. The amplifier should have
sufficient bandwidth not to broaden the SER pulse of the PMT. This requires some 100MHz
for standard PMTs and at least 1 GHz for MCPs. The input and output impedance should be
6
50 Ω for correct cable termination. Such amplifiers are known as ‘GHz wideband amplifiers
in 50 Ω technique and are available with a gain of up to 100 and a bandwidth of some GHz.
7
HFAH-20
HFAH-40
Wide-Band Amplifiers for PMTs and MCPs
Overload indicator
Overload signal for detector shutdown
Gain versions 20 dB and 40 dB
Cutoff frequency 430 MHz and 2.9 GHz
Low noise, high linearity
Input and output impedance 50 :
Input protection
The HFAH series amplifiers are used to amplify the output signals of high speed PMTs or MCPs for single photon
counting applications. The gain of the amplifier allows the detector to be operated at reduced signal current. This
increases the available count rate and extends the lifetime of MCP tubes. Furthermore, the amplifier gain helps to reduce
noise pickup in long signal cables. The amplifiers have an input protection circuit preventing damage by overload or by
charged signal cables. Exceeding of a specified detector current is indicated by two LEDs and a buzzer. If the detector
current exceeds 200% of the specified value a TTL overload signal is activated. This signal can be used to shut down the
detector or to close a shutter via the BH DCC-100 detector controller card. The power supply of the HFAH amplifier
comes from the BH SPC card or from the DCC-100.
The HFAH comes in two gain / bandwidth and several overload threshold versions. The 20 dB / 2.9 GHz version is used
if maximum time resolution is to be obtained from a fast PMT or MCP. The 40dB / 430 MHz is used to obtain MHz
count rates from MCP-PMTs within their limited output current capability. The 430 MHz bandwidth filtering maximises
the signal-to-noise ratio of the single photon pulses thus providing optimum TCSPC time resolution at reduced detector
gain.
20dB,
2.9 GHz
40dB,
430 MHz
45 ps diode laser pulse
recorded by R3809U
with HFAH-20 and -40
+5V
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
Tel.
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Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
www becker-hickl com
US Representative:
tcspc@boselec.com
www boselec.com
UK Representative:
sales@psplc com
www psplc com
+5V +5V
Reset
Button
Magnetically
Latched Relais
/Ovld
Shutter
MCP
In
+12V
HFAH
Amplifier
Photon
Counter
Out
Controlling a shutter via a simple relais swith
HFAH-20 HFAH-40
Input / output impedance
Singal Connectors
Gain
Bandwidth
Lower cutoff frequency
Max. linear output voltage
Noise Figure
Detector overload current threshold, Iovl
Detector overload warning
Detector overload signal
Activation of yellow LED at
Activation of red LED and buzzer at
Activation of overload signal at
Overload signal response time
Maximum safe power supply voltage
Power Supply Current at +12V
Dimensions
Connector for power and overload out
Pin assignment of sub-D connector
50 Ω
SMA
20 dB, non inverting
2.9 GHz
500 kHz
1V
4 dB
0.1 1 2 or 10 µA
LEDs and buzzer
TTL, active low, can be or-wired
0.6 Iovl
1.0 Iovl
2.0 Iovl
10 ms
+12 V
+15 V
80 mA
50 x 60 x 28 mm
15 pin HD sub D
1 and 15: GND, 10: +12V
50 Ω
SMA
430 MHz
500 kHz
1V
6 dB
0.1 1 2 or 10 µA
LEDs and buzzer
TTL, active low, can be or-wired
0.6 Iovl
1.0 Iovl
2.0 Iovl
10 ms
+12 V
+15 V
45 mA
50 x 60 x 28 mm
15 pin HD sub D
1 and 15: GND, 10: +12V
14: /overload
14: /overload
HFAH-20
Step response
1 ns / div
HFAH-20
Response to
280-ps pulse
1 ns / div
HFAH-20
Frequency response
1 dB / div
1 MHz to 3 GHz
HFAH-40
Response to
280-ps pulse
1 ns / div
HFAH-40
Frequency response
1 dB / div
1 MHz to 3 GHz
HFAH-40
Step response
1 ns / div
Con2
+12V / GND
Shutter
Power Supply
Con1
+12V
DCC 2 DCC 1 / 3
Con3
High
current
switches
DCC-100
Photodiode
interlock
+12 V
/OVLD
’P Box’ Power Saving Box
Shutter 1
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
www becker-hickl com
US Representative:
tcspc@boselec.com
www boselec.com
UK Representative:
sales@psplc com
www psplc com
SPC-830
from / to
Photodiode
Amplifier
Shutter /
Detector Assembly
To SPC card
R3809U
HFAH
Photodiode
R3809U Overload Protection
M-SHUT-Z Detctor / Shutter Assembly
Reduced Power of Shutter Coils by ’P Box’
Additional Shutter Interlock by Photodiode
in Front of Shutter
HFAC - 26
GHz Wide Band Amplifier with
Overload Detection for PMTs or MCPs
•
Cutoff frequency 1.6 GHz
•
Gain 26 dB
•
Input and Output Impedance 50 Ω
•
Low Frequency Limit < 5kHz
•
Input Protection
•
Monitoring of Detector Current / Overload Warning
The HFAC series amplifiers are used to amplify the output signals of high speed
PMTs or MCPs, especially in single photon counting applications. The gain of the
amplifier allows the detector to be operated at reduced signal current which extends
the lifetime of MCP tubes. Furthermore, the amplifier gain helps to reduce noise
pickup in long signal cables.The amplifiers have an input protection circuit which
avoids damage by overload or by charged signal cables. Furthermore, two LEDs
indicate overload conditions in the detector. A TTL signal is provided to switch off the
light source or the detector supply voltage if the average detector current exceed the
specified value.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HFAC - 26
Input / Output Impedance
Connectors
Gain
Bandwidth
Low Cutoff Frequency
Max. Output Voltage
Noise Figure
50 Ω
SMA
26 dB non inverting
1.6 GHz
5 kHz
1V
5 dB
Detector Overload Current
0.1 µA, 1 µA or 10 µA
(specified by extension HFAC-26-xx)
yellow LED at 0.5 Imax
red LED at Imax
TTL L-signal at 1.2 Imax
Detector Overload Warning
Current Warning Response Time
Power Supply Current
Dimensions
200 mV / div
1 ms
+12 ... +15 V
typ. 45 mA
52 x 38 x 31 mm
HFAC Step Response
500 ps / div
GND
+12V
500 ps / div
200 mV / div
HFAC Impulse Response
+5V
+5V +5V
Reset
Button
Magnetically
Latched Relais
Photon
Counter
/Ovld
Shutter
PMT
or
MCP
In
HFAC
Amplifier
Out
Closing a Shutter at PMT Overload
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HFAM - 26
8 Channel GHz Wide Band Amplifier with
Overload Detection for PMTs or MCPs
•
Cutoff frequency 1.6 GHz
•
Gain 26 dB
•
•
•
Input Protection
•
Monitoring of Detector Current / Overload Warning
The HFAM series amplifiers are used to amplify the output signals of high speed
PMTs or MCPs, especially in single photon counting applications. The gain of the
amplifier allows the detector to be operated at reduced signal current which extends
the lifetime of MCP tubes. Furthermore, the amplifier gain helps to reduce noise
pickup in long signal cables. The amplifiers have an input protection circuit which
avoids damage by overload or by charged signal cables. Furthermore, a LED
indicates an overload condition if the average detector currents of one or more
channels excceed a specified value.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
HFAM - 26
Connectors
Gain
Bandwidth
Low Cutoff Frequency
Max. Linear Output Voltage
Noise Figure
50 Ω
SMA
1.6 GHz
5 kHz
1V
5 dB
Detector Overload Current (Imax, please specify)
Detector Overload Warning
Current Warning Response Time
Dimensions
0.1 µA (for MCPs) or 10 µA (for PMTs)
red LED at Imax
1 ms
+12 ... +15 V
typ. 320 mA
110 x 60 x 30 mm
A
Step Response (A)
and Crosstalk
between Adjacent
Channels (B)
B
1ns/div
80mV/div
GND
500 ps / div
200 mV / div
+12V
HFAM Impulse Response
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
ACA - XX
GHz Wide Band Amplifier Family
•
Cutoff Frequency up to 2.2 GHz
•
Gain from 13 dB to 37 dB
•
•
•
Input Protection Available
ACA-2
13db
ACA-2
21dB
ACA-2
37db
ACA-4
35dB
2.2
1.8
1.6
1.8
GHz
Low Frequency Limit
3
3
3
5
kHz
Gain (dB)
13
21
37
35
dB
+4.5
+11
-70
+56
7
6
5
6
Cutoff Frequency (-3dB)
Gain (factor)
Noise Figure (50 Ω, 500 MHz)
50
Connectors
Dimensions
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
Ω
SMA
dB
2 to 15
V
130
110
160
220
mA
52 x 38 x 31
52 x 38 x 31
52 x 38 x 31
92 x 38 x31
mm
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
ACA - XX
ACA Frequency and Step Response
20
dB
ACA2-13dB
10
fc=2.2 GHz
0
500 ps/div
1
20
dB
10
100
fc=1.8 GHz
10
100
1000 MHz
ACA4-35dB
fc=1.8 GHz
30
ACA435dB
500 ps/div
1
10
100
1000 MHz
ACA2-37dB
40
dB
fc=1.6 GHz
30
20
ACA221dB
500 ps/div
1
40
dB
20
1000 MHz
ACA2-21dB
10
0
ACA213dB
ACA237dB
500 ps/div
1
10
100
1000 MHz
Other amplifier products: HFAC GHz Preamplifiers for PMTs and MCPs, DCA Series Low DC Drift Wideband
Amplifiers, HFAM eight Channel GHz Preamplifier for PMTs and MCPs. Please see individual data sheets.
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel.
+49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax.
+49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
DCA - XX
Ultra Low Drift Wideband Amplifiers
The DCA series amplifiers use a composite
principle to achieve high bandwidth, low drift
and high gain stability. They can be used for a
wide variety of signal level or signal polarity
matching applications and for current-voltage
conversion. Due to a flexible design and
manufacturing principle the amplifiers can
easily be matched to customer specific
requirements. Different gain, bandwidth or
input and output impedance values are
available on request.
Bandwidth (Voutpp < 2V, MHz)
Gain (other values on request)
Input Impedance
Input Offset Voltage
Offset Drift
Input Noise (1kHz...100MHz)
Output Impedance
Output Voltage Swing (50 Ω)
Output Voltage Swing (1 kΩ)
Power Supply
Connectors (other on request)
Dimensions (mm)
Power Supply Cable:
red: +5V (+12V)
white: GND
DCA-1-5V
DCA-2-5V
DCA-1-12V
DCA-2-12V
DC to 400
-1 or -2
50 Ω
0,5 mV
10 µV/°C
2 nV/Hz1/2
50 Ω
± 1,5 V
±3V
±5V
SMA
52 x 38 x 31
DC to 250
+ 4 or +10
50 Ω
0,5 mV
10 µV/°C
2 nV/Hz1/2
50 Ω
± 1,5 V
±3V
±5V
SMA
52 x 38 x 31
DC to 100
-1 or -2
50 Ω
0,5 mV
10 µV/°C
2 nV/Hz1/2
50 Ω
±4V
± 10 V
± 12 V
SMA
52 x 38 x 31
DC to 75
+4 or +10
50 Ω
0,5 mV
10 µV/°C
2 nV/Hz1/2
50 Ω
±4V
± 10 V
± 12 V
SMA
52 x 38 x 31
yellow: -5V (-12V)
black (shield): GND
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
DCA - XX
DCA-1-5V
Step Response
G 2
(Gain = -1 and -2)
G 1
1ns / div
0.5V / div
DCA-2-5V
Step Response (Gain = +10)
G +10
2ns / div
0.5V / div
24
dB
DCA-2-5V
Gain vs. Frequency at different Input Power
22
-20dBm
20
-15
dBm
18
16
-10dBm
14
12
DCA-2 20dB
Frequency Response
Parameter Input Power
0.5
1
5
10
G 2
G 1
20
50
100
200
MHz
500
DCA-1-12V
Step Response (Gain = -1 and -2)
4ns / div
0.5V / div
G 10
DCA-2-12V
Step response (Gain = +10)
4ns / div
0.5V / div
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
intelligent
measurement
and
control systems
PPA - 100
Precision Preamplifier
Bandwidth (Vout < 2V)
Gain (Switch Selectable)
Input Impedance (Other Values on Request)
Output Impedance
Input Offset Voltage (unadjusted)
Input Current (25°C)
Offset Voltage Drift
Input Voltage Noise (>1kHz)
Input Voltage Noise (100 Hz)
Input Current Noise (100 Hz)
Output Voltage Swing (Load 1kΩ, Vs ± 12V )
Output Voltage Swing (Load 50 Ω, Vs ± 12V)
Supply Voltages
Input and Output Connectors
Dimensions
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
Fax. +49 / 30 / 787 57 34
DC ... 2 MHz
100 / 200 / 500 / 1000
1M Ω / 40 pF
50 Ω
< 0,3 mV
typ. 2 pA
< 2.5 µ V/°C
5 nV / Hz1/2
10 nV / Hz1/2
4 fA / Hz1/2
± 10 V
±2V
± 5 V to ±15 V
SMA
52 x 38 x 31 mm
PPA - 100
PPA-100
Step Response
Vs = ± 12V
Vout < ± 5V
Gain=500, 1000
200ns/div 1V/div
Gain=100, 200
200ns/div 1V/div
Offset
+Vs GND -Vs GND
PPA-100
Gain Setting Switches
and Offset Adjust
Output
Input
50
Becker & Hickl GmbH
Nahmitzer Damm 30
12277 Berlin
Tel. +49 / 30 / 787 56 32
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gain1
10
20
gain2
10
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tcspc@boselec.com
Can we send you a
FREE bound copy of
The bh
TCSPC Handbook?
5th Edition, 702 pages, 823 References, October 2012
by Wolfgang Becker
For your copy, tell us something about your interest in TCSPC and
give us your name and address below so that we can send it to you.
 I am a TCSPC user now
 I am thinking about using TCSPC in the future
 My interest is microscopy
 My interest is single molecule detection
 My interest is __________________________________
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Company or Institution: _____________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________________
Also available useful publications (check the box to request):
 TCSPC for Microscopy
 TCSPC Systems
 Photon Counting Detectors for TCSPC
 Picosecond Lasers for TCSPC
TCSPC Handbook Request Form.doc
10/22/2012

a PDF (large) - Boston Electronics Corporation

Transcription

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