The PLS Series are the fastest miniature sub-nanosecond pulsed UV/blue/green/orange LED sources available. They combine short pulse widths (<500 ps FWHM) with high repetition rates (from single shot up to 40 MHz) in a compact and maintenance free set-up. They are interchangeable plug-in heads for the PDL 800-B, PDL 800-D, PDL 808 "Sepia" and PDL 828 "Sepia II" drivers and provide an ideal excitation source to replace flash lamps or Argon-ion lasers for fluorescence lifetime measurements. Their spectral and timing characteristics are also particularly suitable for biomedical applications, e.g. for the detection of labeled substances as well as naturally fluorescent amino acids like tryptophan or tyrosine. With peak powers up to 1.5 mW, a combination of interchangeable PLS Series heads satisfies the demand for a compact and affordable excitation source that covers a wide range of wavelengths.

The system consists of a pulsed laser driver and interchangeable LED heads. LED heads with center wavelengths between 245 nm and 600 nm are available and can be provided with optional spectral bandpass filters to excite samples with a narrow spectral range. The heads are supplied in a LINOS Microbench compatible housing and include a collimator lens.

The pulse width and power level can be tuned with the adjustable power level control of the PDL Series driver, to tailor the pulse shape and power level to the application requirements. The PDL Series laser drivers feature easy-to-use controls either by means of a potentiometer on the front panel or by a setting in the control software (PDL 828). Typical pulse profiles of the PLS 280 and the PLS 450 at different intensity settings are shown on the right.