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Spectrometer shows good timing
TOOLS & TECHNIQUES
Spectrometer shows good timing Ocean Optics has released the USB4000, a miniature fiber-optic spectrometer with improved electronics. It features a 3648 element, linear CCD array that gives a 300:1 signal-to-noise ratio and a 16-bit A/D resolution for auto-nulling (an enhanced electrical dark-signal correction). The instrument comes with 14 gratings and six slits, allowing it to be configured for a range of absorbance, reflection, and emission applications. Storage of calibration coefficients enables simple spectrometer startup. A sensitivity of 130 photons/count at 400 nm is possible and optical resolution full width at half maximum can range from 0.3-10.0 nm. The instrument is responsive between 200 nm and 1100 nm, and uses integration times down to 10 µs. An electronic shutter in the detector, which enables user-defined time setting, allows measurement of transient events such as laser pulses, and also prevents detector saturation. Peripheral devices can be controlled by the eight user-programmable digital In/Outs. Operating parameters in the software can be implemented through a 22-pin connector. The spectrometer has applications in environmental monitoring. Contact: www.oceanoptics.com
stage provides improved sample positioning and allows an extended tilt range of ±70° for three-dimensional tomography. A range of quick-change sample holders with multiple exchangeable tips are also available for cryogenic sample transfer and automated imaging.
New low-power ultraviolet laser Newport’s Spectra-Physics Lasers Division has unveiled the Explorer™ Scientific, a tabletop diode-pumped laser suited to applications that require high pulse energies and peak power at low kilohertz rates. The intracavity tripled and actively Q-switched laser is designed for research applications. Pulse energies of 120 µJ at 349 nm are delivered by the all solid-state ultraviolet (UV) laser. The Explorer is a Class 3B UV source offering TEM00 mode quality, enabling tight focusing and high spatial resolution. It can be operated from single-shot up to a 5 kHz pulse-repetition frequency at variable pulse energies. Intracavity conversion allows long lifetimes and high-energy pulses at low pump power. A pulse energy of 120 µJ at pulse widths of <5 ns is standard, while a pulse-to-pulse stability of <3% results in a low signal-to-noise ratio.
The Windows®-based graphical user interface allows different levels of control to be selected according to the user’s expertise. The TEM can also be operated remotely via Ethernet, personal digital assistant (PDA), or cellular phone. Applications include high-contrast cryoTEM and S/TEM of biological, polymer, and materials samples. Contact: www.jeol.com
Vacuum evaporation moves in Oxford Applied Research has unveiled a vacuum evaporation unit for in situ deposition of air-sensitive materials, which can be integrated into the base of a glovebox. The turbo-pumped vessel is able to incorporate several valved organic and metal contact evaporators, as well as a film-thickness monitor. The vacuum evaporation unit is of use to researchers making organic electronic devices with air-sensitive components. Contact: www.oaresearch.co.uk
The laser can be used for applications in nanotechnology, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry, laser microdissection, dye laser pumping, and material processing. Contact: www.newport.com
Wider scope for stereomicroscopes A new, wide-zoom-ratio stereomicroscope has been released by Olympus Micro-Imaging for research applications. The SZX 16 has a zoom ratio of 16.4:1 over a magnification range of 0.7x-11.5x for threedimensional observations of material microstructure. An improved line pair resolution of 900 mm can be achieved by the microscope. The Olympus Super Depth of Focus (SDF) parfocal APO objectives offer maximum aberration correction. Two objectives are mounted on a revolving turret such that the full zoom range can be used by simply rotating from one objective to another without the need for refocusing. The stereomicroscope is suited for studies of polymers, complex materials, and electronic devices. Contact: www.olympusmicroimaging.com
Nanoparticles count NanoSight has launched the NANOSIGHT LM20, a benchtop system for rapid sizing and counting of individual nanoparticles in suspension. The new model includes precision mechanics and updated software that enables the analysis of particles as small as 15 nm in seconds. A laser light source is used to illuminate the particles on an individual basis. Polydisperse and multimodal samples can also be studied.
Higher contrast in the TEM A new 120 kV high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM), the JEM-1400, has been introduced by JEOL. High contrast resolution is obtainable at 0.38 nm point-to-point and 0.2 nm lattice images. The TEM can be configured for high-contrast imaging or scanning transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) analysis. A microprecision, drift-free, piezo goniometer
A software package enabling real-time visualization is used to measure the size of particles in suspension and a rapid quantitative estimation can be obtained. The NANOSIGHT LM20 system is aimed at researchers across chemical and biotechnology fields. The measurements complement those obtained from lightscattering techniques. Contact: www.nanosight.co.uk
JAN-FEB 2007 | VOLUME 10 | NUMBER 1-2
59
Spectrometer shows good timing Ocean Optics has released the USB4000, a miniature fiber-optic spectrometer with improved electronics. It features a 3648 element, linear CCD array that gives a 300:1 signal-to-noise ratio and a 16-bit A/D resolution for auto-nulling (an enhanced electrical dark-signal correction). The instrument comes with 14 gratings and six slits, allowing it to be configured for a range of absorbance, reflection, and emission applications. Storage of calibration coefficients enables simple spectrometer startup. A sensitivity of 130 photons/count at 400 nm is possible and optical resolution full width at half maximum can range from 0.3-10.0 nm. The instrument is responsive between 200 nm and 1100 nm, and uses integration times down to 10 µs. An electronic shutter in the detector, which enables user-defined time setting, allows measurement of transient events such as laser pulses, and also prevents detector saturation. Peripheral devices can be controlled by the eight user-programmable digital In/Outs. Operating parameters in the software can be implemented through a 22-pin connector. The spectrometer has applications in environmental monitoring. Contact: www.oceanoptics.com
stage provides improved sample positioning and allows an extended tilt range of ±70° for three-dimensional tomography. A range of quick-change sample holders with multiple exchangeable tips are also available for cryogenic sample transfer and automated imaging.
New low-power ultraviolet laser Newport’s Spectra-Physics Lasers Division has unveiled the Explorer™ Scientific, a tabletop diode-pumped laser suited to applications that require high pulse energies and peak power at low kilohertz rates. The intracavity tripled and actively Q-switched laser is designed for research applications. Pulse energies of 120 µJ at 349 nm are delivered by the all solid-state ultraviolet (UV) laser. The Explorer is a Class 3B UV source offering TEM00 mode quality, enabling tight focusing and high spatial resolution. It can be operated from single-shot up to a 5 kHz pulse-repetition frequency at variable pulse energies. Intracavity conversion allows long lifetimes and high-energy pulses at low pump power. A pulse energy of 120 µJ at pulse widths of <5 ns is standard, while a pulse-to-pulse stability of <3% results in a low signal-to-noise ratio.
The Windows®-based graphical user interface allows different levels of control to be selected according to the user’s expertise. The TEM can also be operated remotely via Ethernet, personal digital assistant (PDA), or cellular phone. Applications include high-contrast cryoTEM and S/TEM of biological, polymer, and materials samples. Contact: www.jeol.com
Vacuum evaporation moves in Oxford Applied Research has unveiled a vacuum evaporation unit for in situ deposition of air-sensitive materials, which can be integrated into the base of a glovebox. The turbo-pumped vessel is able to incorporate several valved organic and metal contact evaporators, as well as a film-thickness monitor. The vacuum evaporation unit is of use to researchers making organic electronic devices with air-sensitive components. Contact: www.oaresearch.co.uk
The laser can be used for applications in nanotechnology, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry, laser microdissection, dye laser pumping, and material processing. Contact: www.newport.com
Wider scope for stereomicroscopes A new, wide-zoom-ratio stereomicroscope has been released by Olympus Micro-Imaging for research applications. The SZX 16 has a zoom ratio of 16.4:1 over a magnification range of 0.7x-11.5x for threedimensional observations of material microstructure. An improved line pair resolution of 900 mm can be achieved by the microscope. The Olympus Super Depth of Focus (SDF) parfocal APO objectives offer maximum aberration correction. Two objectives are mounted on a revolving turret such that the full zoom range can be used by simply rotating from one objective to another without the need for refocusing. The stereomicroscope is suited for studies of polymers, complex materials, and electronic devices. Contact: www.olympusmicroimaging.com
Nanoparticles count NanoSight has launched the NANOSIGHT LM20, a benchtop system for rapid sizing and counting of individual nanoparticles in suspension. The new model includes precision mechanics and updated software that enables the analysis of particles as small as 15 nm in seconds. A laser light source is used to illuminate the particles on an individual basis. Polydisperse and multimodal samples can also be studied.
Higher contrast in the TEM A new 120 kV high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM), the JEM-1400, has been introduced by JEOL. High contrast resolution is obtainable at 0.38 nm point-to-point and 0.2 nm lattice images. The TEM can be configured for high-contrast imaging or scanning transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) analysis. A microprecision, drift-free, piezo goniometer
A software package enabling real-time visualization is used to measure the size of particles in suspension and a rapid quantitative estimation can be obtained. The NANOSIGHT LM20 system is aimed at researchers across chemical and biotechnology fields. The measurements complement those obtained from lightscattering techniques. Contact: www.nanosight.co.uk
JAN-FEB 2007 | VOLUME 10 | NUMBER 1-2
59