Picosecond Pulsed Drivers

PDL 800-B (discontinued)

Picosecond Pulsed Diode Laser Driver

  • Adjustable repetition rates from 2.5 MHz to 40 MHz (optional 5 MHz to 80 MHz)
  • External trigger input (single shot to 80 MHz)
  • Synchronization output
  • Pulse energy control of attached laser or LED heads
  • Suited for LDH Series, LDH-FA Series and PLS Series

The PDL 800-B is discontinued as of June 2017.

 

Please check the Taiko PDL M1, PDL 800-D or the PDL 828 as an alternative.


PicoQuant's 5 year limited warranty for selected product categoriesThe PDL 800-B is a single channel driver for the picosecond pulsed laser diode heads of the LDH Series and LDH-FA Series as well as for the sub-nanosecond pulsed LEDs of the PLS Series. Wavelength changes are simply performed by plugging in a different laser or LED head. The high quality and reliability of the PDL 800-B is expressed by a unique 5-year limited warranty.

Repetition rates up to 80 MHz

PDL 800-B with laser head from the LDH SeriesThe PDL 800-B provides driving pulses for the connected laser/LED heads with repetition rates up to 80 MHz, which are derived from an internal low-jitter crystal oscillator. The PDL 800-B is available in two versions, that differ by the maximum repetition rate provided by the system, which is either 40 MHz or 80 MHz. In order to match different application needs, the PDL 800-B allows to further reduce the repetition rate by factors of 2, 4, 8 or 16. This is easily accomplished by a switch on the front panel and leads to repetition rates between 80 MHz and 5 MHz or 40 MHz and 2.5 MHz.

External trigger input and synchronization output

The PDL 800-B can also be operated by an external trigger signal at any repetition rate between single shot and 80 MHz. The trigger input accepts positive as well as negative signals and features a variable trigger level, so that many different pulse shapes can effectively be used.
All laser pulses generated by the PDL 800-B and the corresponding laser/LED head are accompanied by a synchronization output at the front panel. This signal is always synchronized to the trigger source, independent from the selection of triggering mode (i.e. external or internal triggering). The signal is ideally suited to, e.g., synchronize other devices in the setup such as Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) electronics.

Manual control for laser power

The PDL 800-B also provides the possibility to vary the output power of the connected laser / LED head by changing the corresponding driving current by means of a potentiometer on the front panel. As each laser diode and LED is unique, all light sources have individual current thresholds and individual dependencies of the output power from the driving current. As a consequence, the intensity control is a relative control and no common calibration is possible.

An alternative single channel driver with dual mode (pulsed and continuous wave) capabilities and internal repetition rates from 31.25 kHz to 80 MHz is also available (PDL 800-D). For multiple wavelengths applications, the computer controlled PDL 828 "Sepia II" is the best choice.


The PDL 800-B is discontinued as of June 2017.

 

Internal clock
Type crystal locked
Master frequency 40 MHz or 80 MHz
Repetition frequencies user selectable: 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, of base frequency
80, 40, 20, 10 or 5 MHz (80 MHz base)
40, 20, 10, 5 or 2.5 MHz (40 MHz base)
External trigger input
Amplitude -5 V to +5 V (maximum limits)
Trigger level (adjustable) -1 V to +1 V (negative slope)
Required pulse width > 5 ns
Delay 35 ± 5 ns (from trigger input to optical output), jitter < 40 ps
Frequency range Single shot to 80 MHz
Internal impedance 50 Ohms (dynamic), > 500 Ohms (static)
Connector BNC socket (female)
Synchronization output
Amplitude < - 800 mV into 50 Ohms (NIM)
Pulse width 6 ns
Delay 12 ns (from falling edge to laser output), jitter < 20 ps
Internal impedance 50 Ohms
Connector SMA socket (female)
Remote interlock
Voltage < 7 VDC
Loop resistance 10 Ohms max.
Power supply
Line voltage 220/240 or 110/120 VAC, 50/60 Hz
Power consumption 45 Watts max.
Dimensions
Base unit: 237 × 310 × 97 mm (w × d × h)
Operation environment
Temperature range 10 °C - 40 °C

All Information given here is reliable to our best knowledge. However, no responsibility is assumed for possible inaccuracies or omissions. Specifications and external appearances are subject to change without notice.

The PDL 800-B is discontinued as of June 2017.

 

The PDL 800-B along with the corresponding laser or LED sources can be used for various applications, where short pulses with high and variable repetition rates as well as stable pulse energies are important, such as:


The PDL 800-B is discontinued as of June 2017.

 

The following documents are available for download:



Latest 10 publications referencing Pulsed Diode Lasers (PDL Series, LDH-Series, LDH-FA Series)

The following list is an extract of 10 recent publications from our bibliography that either bear reference or are releated to this product in some way. Do you miss your publication? If yes, we will be happy to include it in our bibliography. Please send an e-mail to info@picoquant.com containing the appropriate citation. Thank you very much in advance for your kind co-operation.

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