PicoQuant teams up with NKT Photonics for a new freely triggerable tunable laser

PicoQuant, the global leader in pulsed laser systems, Time-correlated Single Photon Counting electronics (TCSPC) and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy systems, has chosen NKT Photonics A/S (NKT), the pioneer of nonlinear fibers and supercontinuum lasers as a strategic partner for its new Solea laser, a tuneable picosecond pulsed laser.

The new product combines the outstanding performance of the NKT Photonics photonics crystal fibers with PicoQuant's proprietary picosecond pulsed diode laser technology. This development fuses for the first time the picosecond pulse-on demand technology with the broad wavelength range of a supercontinuum laser.

Rainer Erdmann (CEO of PicoQuant) explains: “We are very pleased to be working with NKT Photonics, as their state-of-the art photonic crystal fiber is a key component for our new tunable picosecond pulsed laser Solea. The new laser system Solea gives users unprecedented capabilities such as full wavelength tunability, variable repetition rates and free triggering capabilities, making it very useful for, e.g., TCSPC measurements. Through this agreement we have ensured the supply chain for the Solea, and are now ready to utilize Solea’s unmatched flexibility in repetition rate and wavelength tunability to even address ultrasensitive applications such as single molecule spectroscopy. The capability of picosecond pulses on demand also allows the synchronization with external pulsed (mode locked or diode) lasers providing unbeatable flexibility for multi-colour experiment like Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) in a very flexible way.
We are extremely pleased to cooperate with NKT Photonics. We were looking for the perfect partner helping us to extend the performance of our class leading products. As the pioneers of this non-linear fiber technology and the company with the broadest fiber portfolio, NKT was a perfect choice.”

Jakob Skov (CEO of NKT Photonics) added: “”Supercontinuum generation has been around since the sixties but it was not until we commercialized the SuperK sources based on our patented nonlinear photonic crystal fibers that supercontinuum lasers became a viable alternative to existing light sources. Now, supercontinuum lasers are used in countless applications within e.g. bioimaging and optical characterization and we are happy to drive this change by giving companies around the World access to our technology needed to produce supercontinuum fiber lasers”.

Downloads

• Press release: Cooperation PicoQuant and NKT (zip, 529.19 KB )