System
Components
Features
- Water
Raman signal
to noise ratio: 3000:1
- Photon
Counting for Ultimate Sensitivity
- Fast
Scanning capability - up to 80 nm/second
- Powerful
new FluorEssence™ software for Windows®
- Method
Files to recall complete experiment parameters
- Front
Surface Detection Accessory
- Fluorescence
Microscope Accessory
- Polarisation
and Anisotropy Accessory
- Remote
Measurement Capability using optical fibres
- Time-correlated
single-photon counting (TCSPC) accessory for lifetime
determinations
- Phosphorimeter
accessory for long-lived luminescence determinations
The
Source
Starting with a xenon source that supplies prime UV performance,
we mount the bulb vertically, since horizontal mounting
leads to sagging of the arc that increases instability
and decreases the useful life.
The xenon source is focused onto the entrance slit of
the excitation monochromator with an elliptical mirror.
Besides ensuring efficient collection, the reflective surface
keeps all wavelengths focused on the slit, unlike lenses
with chromatic aberrations that make them totally efficient
only at one wavelength.
As an option an additional, software-selectable, xenon
flash lamp can be fitted to enable phosphorescence studies.
The
Slits
The slits themselves are bilaterally, continuously adjustable
from the computer in units of bandpass or millimeters.
This preserves maximum resolution and instant reproducibility.
The
Excitation Monochromator
The excitation monochromator is an aspheric design which
ensures that the image of the light diffracted by the grating
fits through the slit. The gratings themselves are plane,
blazed gratings that avoid the two major disadvantages
of the more common concave holographic gratings: poor polarization
performance and inadequate imaging during scans that throws
away light. The unique wavelength drive scans the grating
at speeds as high as 80 nm/s. The grating grooves are blazed
to provide maximum light in the UV and visible region.
The
Reference Detector
Before the excitation light reaches the sample, a photodiode
reference detector monitors the intensity as a function
of time and wavelength. The photodiode detector has a wider
wavelength response than the older, traditional rhodamine-B
quantum counter, and requires no maintenance.
The
Sample Chamber
A spacious sample chamber is provided to allow the use
of a long list of accessories for special samples, and
encourages the user to utilize a variety of sample schemes.
The
Emission Monochromator
All the outstanding features of the excitation monochromator
are also incorporated into the emission monochromator.
Gratings are blazed to provide maximum throughput in the
visible region.
The
Emission Detector
Emission detector electronics employ photon-counting for
the ultimate in low-light-level detection. Photon-counting
concentrates on signals that originate from fluorescence
emission, ignoring smaller signals originating in the detector
tube (PMT). The more common method of analog detection
(used by lower performance fluorometers) simply adds noise
and signal together, masking weak emissions.
The emission detector housing also contains an integral
high-voltage supply which is factory set to provide the
signal-to-noise ratio.
Computer
Control
The entire control of the FluoroMax®-4
originates in your PC with our revolutionary new FluorEssence™ software
and is transmitted through a serial link. On start-up,
the system automatically calibrates and presents itself
for new experiments, or stored routines instantly called
from memory.
Accessories
A wide variety of accessories are applications orientated
and most are interchangeable with the FluoroMax®-4
system.
