The PDL 800-B is a stand-alone driver for the picosecond diode laser heads of the LDH-Series (375 to 1550 nm) as well as for the sub-nanosecond pulsed LEDs of PLS-Series (260 to 600 nm). These laser heads can emit light pulses as short as 70 ps FWHM (50 ps on selection) at repetition rates from single shot up to 40 MHz with peak powers up to 1 Watt. The PDL 800-B features easy-to-use controls for pulse width, repetition frequency and laser power level.

Wavelengths can be changed quickly by simply plugging in a different laser or LED head. User-selectable repetition frequencies of 40, 20, 10, 5 and 2.5 MHz are derived from the internal crystal controlled oscillator that generates a low jitter base frequency of 40 MHz (64 or 80 MHz are available for red diode laser heads upon request). The laser pulses can also be triggered by an external trigger input so that the PDL 800-B can be synchronized with other instruments over the full frequency range. A sync output allows the PDL 800-B to trigger other components such as TCSPC electronics. An additional gating option permits to disable the laser output through an external TTL-signal.

An alternative to the PDL 800-B is the PDL 200. This laser driver has 5 user-selectable internal repetition rates (8, 4, 2, 1 and 0.5 MHz) but can not be triggred externally. It provides a synchronization output and can drive all pulsed lasers of the LDH-Series as well as all LEDs of the PLS-Series.

For multiple wavelengths experiments the PDL 808 "Sepia" is recommended, for automated systems the computer controlled multi-channel PDL 828 "Sepia II" is the best choice.

Picosecond pulsed diode laser modules are also available in OEM quantities for system suppliers. These compact, cost-effective diode lasers with fixed parameters (repetition frequency, output power and wavelength) can easily be integrated into complex systems.