Focus on lasers, imaging, and microscopy

Physik Instrumente (PI) has introduced a motorized XY stage optimized for optical microscopy. The M-971 is designed to be integrated with systems used for inspection, lithography, and biomedical engineering. According to the company, the stage’s components make it suitable for cost-sensitive OEM applications. The drivetrain is based on a widely used PI linear stage with proven reliability and long lifetime. Several short crossed-roller guides distribute the load evenly over a large surface and ensure high stiffness and good travel accuracy. Since a simple controller can be used with the M-971’s stepper motors, encoders are not needed. The XY stage is equipped with limit and reference switches to ensure fast, precise referencing and safe operation. Physik Instrumente LP, 16 Albert St, Auburn, MA 01501, www.pi-usa.us

PCO has enhanced its cameras for microscopy and life sciences. It has added a specialized input window inside its pco.panda 4.2 bi UV and pco.edge 4.2 bi UV to help users achieve high quantum efficiency in the UV-wavelength range. The systems are based on the company’s scientific CMOS cameras with advanced back-illuminated sensor technology. That technology makes the compact pco.panda 4.2 bi UV suitable for demanding lighting conditions, even without active cooling. The pco.edge 4.2 bi UV has an adjustable cooling system that allows the use of air or water to cool the sensor down to −25 °C. At that temperature, the dark current is reduced to 0.2 e⁻/pixel/s. The cameras’ high resolution and 6.5 × 6.5 μm² pixel size ensure detail diversity and high-quality images. PCO-Tech, 6930 Metroplex Dr, Romulus, MI 48174, www.pco-tech.com

M Squared has made available a single-frequency, 532 nm laser for use in demanding scientific and industrial applications such as quantum research and systems, integrated circuits, space, and biophotonics. Equinox can operate as a stand-alone laser and is suitable as a pump source for CW and pulsed titanium:sapphire laser systems. It can also be used for pumping dye lasers, frequency doubling and mixing, and optical tweezing and trapping. Equinox features up to 18 W output, consistent low-noise performance at all powers, and narrow line width. It offers high mechanical and thermal stability, and Invar materials minimize effects from vibrations and thermal variations. According to the company, the fully automated laser is reliable, robust, and easy to use. M Squared, 1 Kelvin Campus, West of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow G20 0SP, UK, www.m2lasers.com

Spectrolight has brought to market the flexible wavelength selector (FWS) Poly laser version, a tunable filter that uses the company’s TwinFilm technology and a USB connector to provide simple software control (scanning or setting) of the center wavelength and bandwidth. It is compatible with supercontinuum lasers from NKT Photonics, YSL Photonics, and Leukos, and it debuts with six models that cover the visible-, UV-, and custom-wavelength ranges. Depending on the model, the center-wavelength tuning range can be as wide as approximately 500 nm or as narrow as approximately 50 nm, and the bandwidth can be adjusted from around 3 nm to 15 nm. Applications for the FWS Poly include hyperspectral imaging, fluorescence microscopy, and machine vision; with OEM instruments, it can be used in life sciences instrumentation for flow cytometry and DNA sequencing. Spectrolight Inc, 19800 MacArthur Blvd, Ste 300, Irvine, CA 92612, www.spectrolightinc.com

Quantum Composers has added a diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser to its Jewel laser series. The MiniJewel delivers 4 mJ of energy at its fundamental output of 1064 nm with repetition rates up to 50 Hz. The pulsed, conductively cooled, multimode laser comes with an optional built-in attenuator. It can be supplemented with nonlinear modules for 1064/532 nm, 532/355 nm, or 355/266 nm. The compact laser can be mounted on microscopes, integrated into portable systems, and used in limited-space applications. According to the company, the MiniJewel’s rugged resonator design prevents misalignment more effectively than other lasers. Applications include laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, particle image velocimetry, and microablation. Quantum Composers Inc, 212 Discovery Dr, Bozeman, MT 59718, www.quantumcomposers.com

Fisba has expanded the features and functions of its READYBeam multiple-source laser module to offer users a simple, compact, powerful device for fluorescence excitation in analytical instruments and microscopy applications. According to the company, the updated instrument has an integrated laser driver that reduces the footprint, development time, and integration risk of multiple-wavelength light sources. The module features 405 nm, 488 nm, and 638 nm wavelengths and output power greater than 30 mW per wavelength. Its benefits include embedded cooling, photo feedback, and optica communication. The unit is available in two primary configurations: the READYBeam bio and READYBeam ind. Fisba AG, Rorschacherstrasse 268, 9016 St Gallen, Switzerland, www.fisba.com

Laser Components has made an addition to its NIR-MPX series of phase modulators from Photline Technologies. The devices are designed to operate in the 1000 nm wavelength band and are available with various modulation bandwidths, from low frequency to 10 GHz and beyond. They use a proton-exchanged-based waveguide process that delivers high stability and a high photorefractive threshold. The latest addition to the series, the 2 GHz NIR-MPX-LN-02 model, offers a bandwidth and half-wave voltage combination that makes it suitable for spectral broadening applications. Laser Components USA Inc, 116 S River Rd, Bldg C, Bedford, NH 03110, www.lasercomponents.com

The new ace 2 camera series from Basler includes two product lines: the economical ace 2 Basic, for standard vision-system applications, and the ace 2 Pro, for more demanding requirements. Both lines feature state-of-the-art CMOS sensor technology and GigE or USB 3.0 interfaces. The Basic models offer 2.3 MP resolution and 51 fps with the GigE interface and 160 fps with the USB 3.0 interface. The ace 2 Pro line offers two advanced in-camera features. Compression Beyond compresses image data directly in the camera’s field-programmable gate arrays in real time without sacrificing image quality, and it makes more bandwidth available, which ensures higher frame rates. Pixel Beyond uses an interpolation method developed by Basler to change the pixel size and thereby allow adjustments of sensor characteristics, so resolution can be scaled and the amount of data reduced. Basler Inc, 855 Springdale Dr, Ste 203, Exton, PA 19341, www.baslerweb.com

Chromacity has made a 520 nm addition to its family of air-cooled ytterbium fiber-based lasers. Essentially a frequency-doubled version of the company’s 1040 nm laser, it provides a fixed 520 nm output at a power range from 500 mW to 1 W and the option to deliver dual output at 520 nm or 1040 nm from a single unit. The Chromacity 520 is suitable for use in life and materials sciences, fundamental research, nanoparticle technology development, photodynamic therapy, and multiphoton imaging. According to the company, the laser’s ultrashort pulse durations and high peak powers may help generate new developments in optical parametric oscillator pumping, four-wave mixing, amplifier seeding, terahertz generation, and other nonlinear processes. Chromacity Ltd, Livingstone House, 43 Discovery Ter, Research Ave N, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AP, UK, www.chromacitylasers.com

HGH has expanded its IRCOL range of collimators by adding a 4 m focal length designed to characterize and validate the performance of very powerful IR- and visible-range cameras. The company claims that the long length allows the new IRCOL 300-4000 to stimulate very high frequencies for the highest-resolution testing. Driven by HGH’s Infratest software, the IRCOL 300-4000 can perform tests to determine noise-equivalent irradiance, spatial resolution, modulation transfer function, distortion, noise-equivalent temperature difference, and minimum resolvable temperature difference. HGH Systèmes Infrarouges, 10 Rue Maryse Bastié, 91430 Igny, France, www.hgh-infrared.com

According to Prior Scientific, its NanoScan OP400 piezo-based objective positioner provides repeatable Z-stacking and the fastest step-and-settle time of any similar device. Its innovative mechanical design and integral capacitive feedback sensors deliver high positioning accuracy and resolution. The OP400 is compatible with most microscopes and objective lenses and has a range of optimized settings for different objective sizes, weights, and performance requirements. Coupled with the NPC-D-6110 digital controller from Prior’s Queensgate Instruments brand, the system is quick to set up and use. With variable acceleration and deceleration algorithms, the digital-control technology can precisely manage stage movement. Prior Scientific Instruments Ltd, 3-4 Fielding Industrial Estate, Wilbraham Rd, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB21 5ET, UK, www.prior.com