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Modern Pulsed Diode Laser Sources for Time-Correlated Photon Counting

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Advanced Photon Counting

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Fluorescence ((SS FLUOR,volume 15))

Abstract

Time-correlated single-photon counting applications require pulsed excitation sources at various wavelengths from the UV to the IR that feature a short pulse width (usually picoseconds or femtoseconds) as well as repetition rates in the kilohertz to megahertz range. The repetition rate should ideally be tunable in order to adapt the pulse period to the required measurement window. In the blue, red, and IR spectral range, such pulses with energies of up to 100 pJ can be readily provided by single gain-switched laser diodes which can be housed in compact and robust packages. Laser pulses in the UV or green-yellow spectral range are, however, not directly accessible and require more elaborate setups that are based on power amplification and frequency conversion. An alternative excitation source that has also become popular in the recent years is the supercontinuum laser as it gives direct access to a broad wavelength spectrum that spans from the blue to the IR.

This chapter provides an overview about the fundamental aspects and parameters of pulsed diode lasers as well as a short introduction into pulsed LEDs and supercontinuum lasers that are usually used for time-correlated single-photon counting applications.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. PicoQuant GmbH, Rudower Chaussee 29, 12489, Berlin, Germany

    Thomas Schönau, Andreas Bülter & Kristian Lauritsen

  2. ROFIN-SINAR Laser GmbH, Dieselstrasse 15, 85232, Bergkirchen, Germany

    Sina Riecke

Authors
  1. Thomas Schönau
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  2. Sina Riecke
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  3. Andreas Bülter
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  4. Kristian Lauritsen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Schönau .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague 8, Czech Republic

    Peter Kapusta

  2. PicoQuant GmbH, Berlin, Germany

    Michael Wahl

  3. PicoQuant GmbH, Berlin, Germany

    Rainer Erdmann

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Schönau, T., Riecke, S., Bülter, A., Lauritsen, K. (2014). Modern Pulsed Diode Laser Sources for Time-Correlated Photon Counting. In: Kapusta, P., Wahl, M., Erdmann, R. (eds) Advanced Photon Counting. Springer Series on Fluorescence, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/4243_2014_76

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