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Flex99LQ

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flex99oemq.jpg (22297 bytes)Flex99lq.jpg (17972 bytes)

Image of Flex99LQ with and without an enclosure.  The dimension of the external enclosure is 3.7"x4.7"x1.4".

Functions:

Flex99LQ is a photon counting digital hardware that can be used as

  1. Fast real time multiple tau digital correlator.  Minimum sample time 10ns.
  2. Dual real time multiple tau digital correlator.  Minimum sample time 80ns.
  3. Triple (two auto one cross) real time multiple tau digital correlator.   Minimum sample time: 400ns.
  4. Quad real time multiple tau digital correlator.   Minimum sample time: 640ns.
  5. Single tau, 8 bit, 128K register length digital correlator.   Sample time: from 0.4 us to 102 us.
  6. Single tau, 8 bit, 256K register length digital correlator.   Sample time: from 0.4 us to 102 us.
  7. Single tau, 16 bit, 128K register length digital correlator.   Sample time: from 12.4 us to 1600 us.
  8. Single tau, 32 bit, 256K register length digital correlator.   Sample time: from 1 ms to 107 sec.
  9. One channel photon history recorder.  System clock speed: 60MHz. Average intensity limit: 910KHz
  10. Two channel photon history recorder.   System clock speed: 40MHz. Average intensity limit: 450KHz.
  11. Four channel photon history recorder.   System clock speed: 60MHz. Average intensity limit: 150KHz.

In multiple tau correlation mode (mode 1, 2, 3, 4), it works like an ordinary hardware real time multiple tau correlator.   It calculates the correlation function(s) in real time covering delay times from the minimum sample time to about an hour with more than 256 data points.  In photon history recorder mode, it records the time between successive photon events.  This is measured by counting the number of ticks of the system clock between the photon events.  This time is then transferred to the host personal computer via high speed Universal Serial Bus (USB).   The amount of information to be transferred is proportional to the count rate of the incoming photons.  Using a lossless compression technique, Flex99LQ transfers complete time series without gaps for average count rate from 0 to approximately 910 kcps in one channel mode, 450KHz in two channel mode, and 150KHz in four channel mode.  At high count rates the overflows are displayed in real time.

Flex99LQ hardware specifications:

  1. Input signal: standard TTL pulses.
  2. Four BNC connectors
  3. One USB connector.
  4. One DIN power connector. (A universal power supply is included)
  5. Easy to use FlexWindows software and software for Windows98 libraries included.

Correlation mode specifications:

1. Single multiple tau channel layout ( sample time denoted at T, data width W):

  1. Auto/cross correlations.
  2. 10 ns minimum sample.
  3. 288 real time channels.
  4. Delay time range: 10 ns to 1 hour in multiple tau channel layout.
  5. First 16 channels: T = 10ns, W = 1 bits, delay times T to 16*T;
  6. Second 8 channels: T = 2*10ns, W = 2 bits, delay times 9*T to 16*T
  7. Third 8 channels: T = 4*10ns, W = 3 bits, delay times 9*T to 16*T;
  8. Fourth 8 channels: T = 8*10ns, W = 4 bits, delay times 9*T to 16*T;
  9. Sample time doubles every 8 channels and data width increment 1 bit to prevent overflow.
  10. The longest delay time is about one hour.

Intensity limits:

Flex99LQ is designed with sufficient hardware resource to prevent overflow at any reasonable intensities.  However, in extreme situations, clipping and overflow could happen.  The intensity limits are following:

  1. Maximum intensity integrated over 10ns: 100 MHz.  Overflow will happen if the input intensity exceeds the maximum.
  2. Maximum intensity integrated over 168ms: 35.35MHz.  Overflow will happen if the maximum is exceeded.

2. Dual multiple tau channel layout ( sample time denoted at T, data width W):

  1. Dual auto or cross correlations.
  2. 80 ns minimum sample.
  3. 272x2 real time data points.
  4. Delay time range: 80ns to 1 hour in multiple tau channel layout.
  5. First 16 channels: T = 80ns, W = 3 bits, delay times T to 16*T;
  6. Second 8 channels: T = 2*80ns, W = 4 bits, delay times 9*T to 16*T
  7. Sample time doubles every 8 channels and data width increment 1 bit to prevent overflow.
  8. The longest delay time is about one hour.

Intensity limits:

Flex99LQ is designed with sufficient hardware resource to prevent overflow at any reasonable intensities.  However, in extreme situations, clipping and overflow could happen.  The intensity limits are following:

  1. Maximum intensity integrated over 80ns: 87.5 MHz.  Clipping will happen if the input intensity exceeds the maximum.
  2. Maximum intensity integrated over 166ms: 17.7MHz.  Overflow will happen if the maximum is exceeded.

3. Triple multiple tau channel layout ( sample time denoted at T, data width W):

  1. Dual auto correlations and one cross correlation function.
  2. 400 ns minimum sample.
  3. 256x3 real time channels.
  4. Delay time range: 400ns to 1 hour in multiple tau channel layout.
  5. First 16 channels: T = 400ns, W = 4 bits, delay times T to 16*T;
  6. Second 8 channels: T = 2*400ns, W = 5 bits, delay times 9*T to 16*T
  7. Sample time doubles every 8 channels and data width increment 1 bit to prevent overflow.
  8. The longest delay time is about one hour.

Intensity limits:

Flex99LQ is designed with sufficient hardware resource to prevent overflow at any reasonable intensities.  However, in extreme situations, clipping and overflow could happen.  The intensity limits are following:

  1. Maximum intensity integrated over 400ns: 37.5 MHz.  Clipping will happen if the input intensity exceeds the maximum.
  2. Maximum intensity integrated over 166ms: 28.3MHz.  Overflow will happen if the maximum is exceeded.

4. Quad multiple tau channel layout ( sample time denoted at T, data width W):

  1. Quad auto correlation function.
  2. 640 ns minimum sample.
  3. 256x4 real time channels.
  4. Delay time range: 640ns to 1 hour in multiple tau channel layout.
  5. First 16 channels: T = 640ns, W = 4 bits, delay times T to 16*T;
  6. Second 8 channels: T = 2*640ns, W = 5 bits, delay times 9*T to 16*T
  7. Sample time doubles every 8 channels and data width increment 1 bit to prevent overflow.
  8. The longest delay time is about one hour.

Intensity limits:

Flex99LQ is designed with sufficient hardware resource to prevent overflow at any reasonable intensities.  However, in extreme situations, clipping and overflow could happen.  The intensity limits are following:

  1. Maximum intensity integrated over 640ns:  24.4 MHz.  Clipping will happen if the input intensity exceeds the maximum.
  2. Maximum intensity integrated over 83ms: 17.7MHz.  Overflow will happen if the maximum is exceeded.

5. 8 bit 128K mode Single tau specifications:

  1. Sample times minimum: 0.4 microsecond.
  2. Maximum sample time 102 microseconds.
  3. The number of channels (N) may be chosen from a minimum of 32 to a maximum number of channels 512 in increment of 2.
  4. The delay channels may be spaced arbitrarily from delay times 0 to 128K-1 in unit of the sample time.
  5. Efficiency (E) is calculated as the following formula. E = (S*40-1)*2/N or 100% for N < =(S*40-1)*2.
    6.

 

6. 8 bit 256K mode Specifications:

  1. Sample times minimum: 0.4 microsecond.
  2. Maximum sample time 102 microseconds.
  3. The number of channels (N) may be chosen from a minimum of 32 to a maximum number of channels 512 in increment of 2.
  4. Half of the delay channels may be spaced arbitrarily from delay times 0 to 128K-1 in unit of the sample time. The other half of the channels may be arbitrarily located from 128K to 256K-1 in unit of the sample time.
  5. Efficiency (E) is calculated as the following formula. E = (S*40-2)*2/N or 100% for N < =(S*40-2)*2.
    6.

7. 16 bit 128K mode Specifications:

  1. Sample times minimum: 12.8 microsecond.
  2. Maximum sample time: 1638 microseconds.
  3. The number of channels is always 510.
  4. The delay channels may be spaced arbitrarily from delay times 0 to 128K-1 in unit of the sample time.
  5. Always real time operation.

8. 32 bit 256K mode Specifications:

  1. Sample times minimum: 1 millisecond.
  2. Maximum sample time: 107 seconds.
  3. The number of channels is always 512.
  4. The delay channels may be spaced arbitrarily from delay times 0 to 256K-1 in unit of the sample time.
  5. Always real time operation.

Photon history recorder mode specifications:

  1. System clock: 60 MHz in one channel mode and four channel mode, 40 MHz in 2 channel mode.
  2. Complete time series recorded on a PC hard drive for average count rate up to 910 KHz in one channel mode, 450KHz in two channel mode if the count rates of both channel are the same, 150 KHz in four channel mode if the count rates of all channel are the same.

More about multiple tau theory.

Multiple tau theory was invented by Klaus Schätzel.  The following papers discuss the theory and the advantage of the multiple tau scheme.

  1. Klaus Schätzel. Single Photon Correlation Techniques. Dynamic Light Scattering: The method and some applications, Edit by Wyn Brown, Clarendon Press, Oxford, P 76, 1993.
  2. Klaus Schätzel et.  Noise on Multiple-Tau Photon Correlation Data.   SPIE Vol. 1430, P109, Photon Correlation Spectroscopy: Multicomponent Systems, 1991.
  3. Klaus Schätzel. New Concept in Correlator Design. Inst. Phys. Conf. Ser. No. 77, P175, 1985.
  4. Klaus Schätzel et.  Photon Correlation Measurements at Large Lag Times.  Journal of Modern Optics, Vol. 35, No. 4, P711, 1988.
 

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Last modified: October 25, 2006