Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting

We start with the best steady-state optical bench from HORIBA, add in a pulsed laser-diode or a pulsed spark source, and finish with a superior detector-module.

The Result

The World's Most Sensitive Spectrofluorometer, with TCSPC ready to perform time-domain lifetime spectroscopy! You get the reliability and know-how of the HORIBA Fluorolog® series, together with the solid-state economy and sensitivity of IBH lifetime analysis, all in one instrument. All functions are software controlled from a host computer, giving you access to data with just a few keystrokes. A high repetition rate light source rapidly builds up a histogram of the sample's fluorescence decay.

So Why Use TCSPC for Time-Resolved Experiments?

Reasons to use the Fluorolog TCSPC include:

• Variations of the excitation beam's intensity are irrelevant
• Detects individual photons
• No pulse-smearing from boxcar gates
• High speed data-acquisitions
• Digital precision, and no analogue offset required for fitting results
• The entire decay curve is examined at once

Of all the modern time-domain methods, including boxcar integration and streak cameras, TCSPC has by far the best dynamic range. If your sample lifetimes are really important, then HORIBA-IBH TCSPC is the method for you.

Technical Specifications

Excitation Sources

Steady-State Broadband 450-W Xenon arc lamp from UV to near-IR TCSPC

• Fixed-wavelength "Plug and Play" interchangeable NanoLED pulsed laser-diodes and LEDs. Wavelengths of 280, 340, 375, 405, 440, 473, 635, 650, 785 and 830 nm are available for laser-diodes. 370,455, 465, 485, 560, 590, 605, 625 for LEDs. Standard optical pulse durations are <200 ps (<100ps typical) for laser-diodes, <1.5 ns for LEDs.
• 5000F coaxial nanosecond flashlamp with broadband output from 180-780 nm.
• Thyratron-gated spark and pulse generator (10 Hz - 100 kHz). Minimum optical pulse-width is 0.6 ns.

Spectrometers

Czerny-Turner, with classically-ruled gratings and all reflective optics. Optional double-grating spectrometers available. For standard 1200-grooves/mm.

• Resolution 0.2 nm
• Accuracy ± 0.5 nm
• Speed 150 nm/s
• Range 0 - 1300 nm

Detectors

• TCSPC and Steady State
• TBX-04 photomultiplier tube module, response 185 - 650 nm. Dark counts < 80 cps (< 20 cps typical). Timing jitter typically 180 ps FWHM, 250 ps maximum. Optioncal cooled extended-red detectors are available to 850 nm.

Lifetimes Measureable

• TCSPC < 100 ps to 100 µs lifetimes
• MCS < 10 µs to seconds (depending on source)

Software

Runs under Windows

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by HORIBA.

For more information on this source, please visit HORIBA.