PicoQuant has released a new design of the FluoTime 300 fluorescence lifetime spectrometer. The sample chamber of the system is now designed around modular sample holders, which allow a quick and easy change between different sample configurations.
The range of available sample holders was also extended and now includes a front face sample holder for samples of up to 2 inches in size. The holder allows position and angle of the sample can be changed with respect to the direction of excitation and detection from outside of the sample compartment. This special feature is extremely useful for an on-line optimisation of the beam position on the sample while the measurement is running.
Sample holders can be installed easily and the software, EasyTau, recognises the type of sample holder and changes the system parameters accordingly. EasyTau can now also control the Oxford Instrument Optistat DN cryostat.
The FluoTime 300 is a fully automated spectrometer with steady-state and phosphorescence option. The system uses time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) or multi-channel scaling (MCS) to resolve fluorescence lifetimes down to a few picoseconds or up to several hundred milliseconds. Multiple detector options enable different spectral sensitivities from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared. The spectrometer is designed to be used with picosecond pulsed diode lasers, the supercontinuum laser Solea, or LEDs. Xenon-Lamps can also be provided for steady-state or phosphorescence measurements.