Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopes (LSMs) are widely used tools in biochemistry, cell biology and other related sciences. The capabilities of these microscopes can be further enhanced by using time-resolved techniques, because they will grant the following advantages:

• Independence from fluorophore concentration
• Discrimination of fluorescence light against elastic and Raman scattering by temporal resolution
• Reduction of needed detectors - one detector can detect different lifetimes simultaneously
• Decay time as further dimension enhances the accuracy of analytical measurements

In order to upgrade a Laser Scanning Microscope, the LSM must

• be equipped with a fibre input port to couple the pulsed laser light to the microscope
• be equipped with a fibre exit port to guide the emission to a photon counting detector
• provide synchronization signals from the laser scanner controller in order to synchronize the measurement with the movement of the scanning head

The final assembly, aligment and testing is a demanding task. Therefore an installation from PicoQuant is always recommended.

The individual components of the upgrade kit are:

Excitation The excitation subsystem consists of a pulsed diode laser driver of the PDL-Series and different laser heads with pulses in the picosecond time regime. The available wavelengths range from 375 nm to 900 nm. The laser heads are integrated along with multiple optical components in one Fibre Coupling Unit (FCU) for easier handling and coupling into an optical fibre. The FCU also allows to couple the cw-lasers of the LSM and the output of an external laser (e.g. a Titan:Sapphire laser) into the same fibre.

		TCSPC Data Acquisition The photon counting module PicoHarp 300 contains the complete timing electronics for Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) with picosecond resolution. The versatile Time-Tagged Time-Resolved mode (TTTR) is used to study fluorescence dynamics and allows to synchronize the measurement with external events through special marker signals. These markers allow later the reconstruction of 2D or 3D images. If more than one detector is required a router solution allows to connect and record the signals of up to 4 detectors simultaneously.

Detector Two types of detectors are available for the upgrade kit: Photomultipliers (PMTs) and Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs). The PMA-M series photomultiplier detector unit has a built-in high voltage power supply, signal pre-amplifier and a gold plated iron housing for maximum shielding. An integrated filter holder allows the quick change of emission filters. Alternatively SPADs can also be used for increased sensitivity, necessary e.g. for single molecule studies or Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS). One or two detector channel setups are available. The detector(s) are fibre coupled to an appropriate fibre exit port of the microscope.

		Software The analysis software "SymPhoTime" is based on the powerful but generic TTTR data collection. Users can perform an unlimited number of analysis steps without losing track of the interdependence and origin of their measurement and analysis data. All derived data is maintained in the hierarchic workspace, including a log file, keeping track of all measurement and analysis steps. The analysis possiblities include intensity time traces, burst analysis, lifetime histogramming, Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS), Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM), to name only a few. A lifetime image based on the average lifetime is already displayed during the data acquisition. Image data can be processed further in an easy-to-use image calculator or be exported to standard formats.

Supported LSMs:
		FluoView 1000 FluoView 300		C1si		TCS SP5		510 Meta
Upgrades of other LSM types are also possible - please contact us for details.