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The TimeHarp 200 PC-board is a complete system for picosecond time resolved measurements, ideally suited for fluorescence lifetime measurements with the PDL 800-B as an excitation source. An integrated design keeps cost down, improves reliability and permits new applications. The system allows sustained measurement rates up to 3 million counts/sec and provides a time resolution under 40 ps.
 The system operates in reverse start-stop mode to allow synchronisation with fast laser sources. Both input triggers are programmable for a range of signal levels. The start input has a built in CFD for common photon detectors such as PMTs. A pre-amp for PMT detectors as well as a signal adaptor for connection of SPAD detectors are available as accessories. The TimeHarp 200 can operate in various modes: Controlled by software, by a timer circuit or an external signal it is able to switch between 32 measurement curves. Due to a dual memory architecture the continuous flow mode allows an unlimited sequential decay curve recording down to 1 ms per curve, which is invaluable in Single Molecule Detection. The continuous mode can also be synchronized with other hardware such as scanners. A Time-Tagged Time-Resolved (TTTR) mode for recording of individual photon events with their arrival time is available, allowing the most sophisticated offline analysis of the photon dynamics. TTTR data can be correlated in real-time for monitoring of FCS experiments. In TTTR mode, the device can be synchronized with other hardware such as scanners e.g. for Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM). The TimeHarp 200 is a truely continuous TCSPC system, ideally suited e.g. for time resolved single molecule detection or fast screening applications.
In combination with a pulsed diode laser total IRF widths of about 300 ps FWHM can be obtained, which permits the recording of sub-nanosecond fluorescence lifetimes, extendable to < 100 ps with reconvolution.
All functions of the system are controlled by a Windows™ based software (incl. Windows™ XP x64 edition). A driver library (DLL) for Windows™ program development is available as an option to build custom applications in C/C++, Delphi™ , Visual Basic™ and LabVIEW™ on Windows™ 2000 or XP. Demo code is provided for an easy start. Routing is supported in Oscilloscope, Integration and TTTR mode. A driver library for Linux is also available.
Accessories include a routing device, PRT 400, for up to four SPAD with TTL output (e.g. the SPCM-AQR(H) or PDM-Series), and also the NRT 400 for up to four PMT detectors. Monochromators can also be controlled using the TimeHarp 200 (currently supported: Sciencetech 9030, Sciencetech 9055, Acton Research SP-2155 and Acton Research SP-275).
The Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging controller SCX 200 is another accessory for the TimeHarp 200 board. It allows researchers to connect a high resolution 2-D piezo scanner and collect fluorescence lifetime data synchronous with high speed scanning. Scan and data acquisition in Time-Tagged Time Resolved (TTTR) mode are driven from the same 100 ns clock, while at the same time picosecond timing is performed on laser induced fluorescence photons. This allows to acquire fluorescence lifetime images with picosecond lifetime resolution and nanometer spatial resolution.
Measurement data from the TimeHarp 200 can be analysed by different software packages. For multi-exponential reconvolution the FluoFit software is an ideal tool. For the analysis of TTTR data (e.g. FLIM, FCS, FLCS, FRET, BIFL, etc.) the SymPhoTime software suite is the program of choice.
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