MicroTime 100

MicroTime 100 is a compact and flexible confocal microscope. It is an ideal time-resolved photoluminescence imaging setup for various materials science applications including solar cells, light emitting diodes (LEDs), single emitters characterization, and in general semiconductor research. MicroTime 100 is based on a conventional upright microscope body (BX43) that permits easy access to a wide range of sample shapes and sizes. For further flexibility, a BXFM body together with a specialized stand can be employed.

This confocal microscope is designed to be equipped with PicoQuant picosecond pulsed light sources, Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) electronics and single photon sensitive detectors. This combination enables photoluminescence lifetime detection down to a few ps and up to several ms. All components are being controlled by SymPhoTime 64 software which is a powerful analysis software. Numerous measurements can be carried out using MicroTime 100 such as

• Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL)
• TRPL imaging
• Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM)
• Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging (PLIM)
• Charge carrier diffusion imaging
• Single Molecule Detection (SMD)
• Photon bunching and antibunching
• Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)

MicroTime 100 can be coupled with PicoQuant photoluminescence spectrometers as well as spectrograph enabling multimodal imaging where spectral and temporal information can be collected from the solid samples at high spatial resolution.

Recent publications by researchers using the MicroTime 100

Scientific guidance and user training

PicoQuant annually holds the European short course on "Time-resolved Microscopy and Correlation Spectroscopy". The course is intended for individuals wishing an in-depth introduction to the principles of time-resolved fluorescence microscopy and its applications to the Life Sciences. This 3-day event consists of lectures as well as instrumentation and software hands-on training.

Detailed specifications are included in the datasheet.

All Information given here is reliable to our best knowledge. However, no responsibility is assumed for possible inaccuracies or omissions. Specifications and external appearances are subject to change without notice.

Solar Cells and Photovoltaics

Understanding carrier recombination processes in metal halide perovskites is fundamentally important to further improving the efficiency of perovskite solar cells, yet the accurate recombination velocity at grain boundaries (GBs) has not been determined. In this work, Prof. Zhenyi Ni et al. applied MicroTime 100 coupled with FluoTime 300 to map the transient photoluminescence pattern changed induced by nonradiative recombination of carriers at GBs.

[Science Advances 2022]

Also check our webinar with Prof. Jinsong Huang on "Microscopic study of defects in metal halide perovskites"

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

LEDs technology has a growing impact on future energy consumption. Quantum dots (QDs) are among promising materials for fabrication of next generation LEDs due to their high efficiency and unique spectral tuning ability via the quantum confinement effect. Onal et al. demonstrated high-performance white LEDs using green- and red-emitting QDs that reach over 150 lumens per electrical Watt. Among other characterization methods, they applied MicroTime 100 to detect time-dependent photoluminescence decays. 

[ACS Photonics, 2022]

Nanoparticles

Luminescent carbon nanoparticles known as carbon dots (CDs) are promising nanomaterials for theranostics due to their ease of fabrication, biocompatibility, attractive optical properties and further chemical functionaliziation. Das et al. synthesized chiral CDs exhibiting high photoluminescence quantum yield reaching 57%. MicroTime 100 is employed to perform time-resolved photoluminescence measurements using 405 nm laser excitation to investigate the effect of chiral precursors, pH and solvent polarity on the CDs lifetimes.

[Light: Science & Applications, 2022]

Antibunching

MicroTime 100 is a powerful tool for localization of nanodiamond vacancy centers through photoluminescence imaging and performing antibunching measurements. The second order correlation function g(2) is measured under continuous wave (CW) as well as pulsed optical excitation using 520 nm lasers with 5 MHz repetition rate. The black line is experimental data and the red line is a fit to the data which results in the lifetime of 41ns under pulsed excitation. A Hanbury Brown and Twiss configuration is employed for data acquisition.

Images are used, adapted and reproduced under CC BY licence of each corresponding journals.

The following documents are available for download:

• Datasheet MicroTime 100
• Technical note: Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC)
• Poster: Quick Reference for confocal time-resolved microscopy (FLIM, FRET, FCS)