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The compact instrument for material sciences with single-molecule detection.

The PL1 is a user friendly and compact device that delivers robust and stable alignment for maximum productivity and minimum downtime. The PL1 is the ideal solution for material sciences requiring FLIM with single molecule detection sensitivity.

Key Features of PL1, Time-Resolved Confocal Microscope:

  • Single molecule level detection from 300 nm to 1050 nm
  • Wide range of lifetime measurements from 100 ps to 100 ms
  • Intensity and lifetime images simultaneous acquisition (at a diffraction limited resolution down to 250 nm)
  • Optical sectioning for 3D imaging at 50-nm step resolution
  • Scanning large samples up to 100 x 100 mm
  • Integrated software (64 bit) for instrument control, data acquisition and analysis
  • Compact design with flexible customization to fit your needs and maximize your research outcome

Applications

Material Science Research

  • Semiconductor characterization
  • Solar cells
  • Crystals

Specifications for PL1

Microscope and Coupling
  • Frame format: Upright or Inverted research microscope
  • Magnification: 10X and 60X, oil immersion objective (standard); optional: from 2X to 100X
  • Spatial Resolution: diffraction limited
  • Eye Observation: bright field by 10X eyepiece with diopter adjustment, field of view: 22 mm
  • Imaging Modes:
    • Transmission mode: HAL Kōhler illumination for bright field imaging by a CMOS camera with options for phase contract and DIC
    • Confocal Photoluminescence imaging: laser illumination, single point or scan
XYZ Stage Scan Closed-loop DC servo control
  • XY axis range of travel: 100 mm x 100 mm (upright), 120 mm x 75 mm (inverted)
  • XY axis: Resolution = 22 nm, max velocity = 7 mm/sec, RMS repeatability <700 nm
  • Z axis: Resolution = 50 nm, maximum velocity = 0.6 mm/sec, repeatability = 100 nm
Laser Sources
  • CW or pulsed diode laser, repetition rate up to 80MHz (tunable by software)
  • The laser launcher can accommodate up to 3 lasers, ranging from 375 nm to 980 nm
  • Each laser has its own intensity control and shutter (operated by software)
Data Acquisition Unit FastFLIM
  • Lifetime measurement range: from 100 ms to 100 ps
  • Data Acquisition Mode: Photon mode, Time-tagged mode, Time-resolved time-tagged mode (TTTR)
  • Dead Time: 3.125 ns, Up to 60 x 106 counts/second
  • Computer Connection: USB
Detectors
  • Dark Counts < 100 / sec; TTS < 350ps;
  • Wavelength Range: 350-1050 nm;
  • Quantum Efficiency > 70% at 700nm
Scan Modes
  • X, XY, XZ, XYZ, t, Xt, XYt, XZt, XYZt
Image Format Other than the proprietary file formats which contain the imaging parameters information, VistaVision also supports exporting the acquired data in various formats including JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and AVI.
Image Processing and Analysis Visualization by various look–up tables, contrasting, thresholding, smoothing, filtering, scaling, statistical analysis by histogram or online profiling.
Lifetime Data Analysis Routines
  • Non-linear least square constrained deconvolution fitting routines based on the Marquardt-Levenberg minimization algorithm in both time and frequency domains
  • Model-free phasor plots approach for instant and unbiased results
Software
  • VistaVision
Computer & Monitor
  • CPU (Xeon) ≥ 3.7GHz, RAM ≥ 16GB, Video RAM ≥ 1G, Hard Drive ≥ 2TB (Including 256GB SSD), 16x DVD+/- RW
  • 27", 2556 x 1440 resolution monitor
  • Windows 10 64-bit Professional
Power Requirements
  • Universal power input: 110-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 100 VAC

Measurement Examples for PL1

Quantum Dots

Phasor plots separate different lifetime species of quantum dots coated on the substrate directly from the raw data. Ex. 470 nm, Em. 499-632 nm (Fluorescence), 475/35 nm (Reflection), scanning area 17.5µm x 17.5µm.

(Courtesy of Wenjie Liu and Dr. Yaowu Hu; Purdue University; West Lafayette, IN; USA)

Perovskite Characterization

Perovskite confocal lifetime imaging for both photoluminescence intensity and lifetime at the high spatial resolution. ISS VistaVision provides both the minimization fitting algorithm and the phasor plots for lifetime analysis; for example, using the multi-image phasor analysis routine, the lifetime changes in different Perovskite samples can be immediately identified by the phasor plots of their raw data sets (no fitting required), making the lifetime analysis much easier and robust. Excitation was 488 nm; emission through a 635 nm long pass filter; scanning area 20 µm x 20 µm.

(Courtesy of Dr. Xiaodan Zhang; Nan Kai University, Tianjin, P.R. China)

Nanoparticles Upconversion

Upconversion nanoparticle confocal lifetime imaging for both photoluminescence intensity and lifetime at the high spatial resolution. Ex. 980 nm, Em. 509-552 nm, scanning area 20µm x 20µm

(Courtesy of Dr. Yan Guan, Peking University, Beijing; P.R. China)

Routine Measurements Provided by the PL1

  • Intensity and Lifetime Imaging
    • Photoluminescence Confocal Intensity Imaging
    • Photoluminescence Confocal Lifetime Imaging in X, Y, Z and t in both scanning and single-point modes
  • Fluorescence Fluctuations Spectroscopy (FFS)
    • Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS)
    • Photon Counting Histogram (PCH)
    • Fluorescence Lifetime Correlation Spectroscopy (FLCS)
  • Single Molecule Imaging
    • Burst Analysis
    • Single Molecule FRET Analysis