scanDelay
Precision Optical Delay Line with High Scan Speed
Optical Delay with High Precision
ScanDelay, an optical delay line, allows the introduction of a well-defined time delay into an optical path. The delay is periodically controlled by a fast scanning shaker at a frequency of up to 20 Hz.
The heart of APE’s optical delay line series is a special linear translation stage that is supplied together with appropriate control and drive electronics. The linear drive has been designed especially for optical applications. It combines low moving mass with compactness, reaching a high speed, as well as high precision and resolution. The delay drive moves frictionless, has a large and precise travel range, and allows for very small displacements without any stick-slip-effects.
Thus scanDelay is capable of generating fast wide scans as well as smallest delays without any stick-slip effects. The actual position is measured in real time by an analog photo-electric system with high resolution and a wide dynamic range. The linear drive allows an ultra-precise scanner movement and leads to an excellent scan-to-scan reproducibility.
Including Software & Electronics
The control electronic contains the motion driver and a quartz stabilized signal synthesizer. It can be synchronized with an external clock for a precise, phase-locked scanner movement.
The software interface allows the user easy and fast setup of the scanning parameters. A visualized scan curve with amplitude values in time units gives direct feedback when the user is optimizing the scanning parameters. The software interface also incorporates the feedback loop controlled scanner stabilization. A set of LabView drivers allows the integration into existing measurement software.
The scanDelay can be operated over a wide range of scanning frequencies with various scan modi, the motion driving force can be sinusoidal, triangular, sawtooth-like, or even of a user defined shape. The scanner movement will respond to this within the physical limitations imposed by a harmonic system.
At a Glance
- Precise optical delay + high scanning speed
- Perfectly suited for pump-probe experiments
- Scan range variable from femtoseconds up to several picoseconds
- User-defined delay patterns
- Control software / LabView drivers
- Scan rate phase-locked to external source possible
- Linear and calibrated scaling due to position measurement
scanDelay software: scanning frequency and sampling parameters
Specifications
scanDelay | 15 | 50 | 150 |
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Delay range | 15 ps | 50 ps | 150 ps |
Scan frequency: internal generator* | 0.1 Hz … 20 Hz | 0.1 Hz … 10 Hz | |
Scan frequency: externally triggered* | 0.01 Hz … 20 Hz | 0.01 Hz … 10 Hz | |
External trigger input | TTL, 20 Hz … <50 kHz fast frequency divider for approx. 80 MHz optionally available |
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Position output signal | ± 10 V / 15 ps** | ± 10 V / 50 ps** | ± 10 V / 150 ps** |
Trigger output | TTL programmable position |
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Linearity of position signal | <0.5 % | ||
Retroreflector coating | protected Ag other on request |
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Clear aperture | 1" | 1/2" | |
Computer Interface | USB | ||
Software | included | ||
LabView driver for user-defined remote control setups | included | ||
* The position display works best between 0.4 Hz … 20 Hz. Below 0.4 Hz, only a partially deteced postion is displayed. However, the exact position can be retrieved by an analog singal. ** x10, x100 switchable |
Datasheets & Brochures
scanDelay_USB (pdf / english)
or
Email & Phone Contacts
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