FC Spider
Precise Characterization of Few-Cycle Pulses Down to < 5 fs
Overview
The FC Spider (Few Cycle Spider) by APE provides spectral and temporal characterization of ultrashort laser pulses down to below 5 fs. It covers the visible, the near-infrared as wellas the infrared spectral region. This high-precision tool is ideal for aligning and monitoring the performance of broadband Ti:Sa oscillators and amplifier chains.
Measuring Spectral Phase Directly
Based on the proven and patented Spider (Spectral Phase Interferometry for Direct Electric-field Reconstruction) technology, using a non-drifting, etalon interferometer and a material dispersion stretcher, the FC Spider directly measures the spectral phase by analyzing a spectral interferogram. In combination with a simultaneously measured power spectrum, real-time calculation and visualization of the spectral and temporal amplitude and phase is accomplished.
At a Glance
- Short pulse characterization down to < 5 fs
- Spectral coverage in the IR range and VIS range
- Real-time and single-shot measurement of phase and intensity
- High level of automated software support and internal camera-assisted alignment
- Full software suite included
- Ideal for broadband Ti:Sa oscillators, hollow-core fiber compressors, and NOPA
Few Cycle Spider Wavelengths and Bandwidths
FC Spider VIS
FC Spider NIR
FC Spider IR
500 nm … 700 nm | ~ 800 nm | ~ 1030 nm |
5 nm … 50 nm at 550 nm | 25 nm … 200 nm | 50 nm … 200 nm |
~ 7 fs … 50 fs | < 5 fs … 40 fs | 5 fs … 30 fs |
Single shot: < 20 Hz | Single shot: < 20 Hz |
FC Spider Customized
Curious to see if a custom FC Spider with your special parameters is possible? Please contact us.

E.g. for NOPA

E.g. for Ti:Sa Compressor

E.g. for fs-Yb Compressor
Software Suite
Powerful Spider Software Package
- Spectral and temporal reconstruction based on Spectral Phase Interferometry for Direct Electric-field Reconstruction
- E-field plot
- Peak power calculation
- Measurement of phase differences
- Spectral phase analysis up to fourth order
- Simulation of additional theoretical dispersion (GDD, TOD, FOD)
- Spectrogram (X-FROG, SHG-FROG) and Wigner trace representation of the pulse
- Parameter logging
- TCP/IP interface for automated read out and remote access
Specifications
FC Spider Specification | |||
Model | |||
Center wavelength | ~ 600 nm ~ 700 nm | ||
Spectral bandwidth | 10 nm … 80 nm (for center 600 nm) 20 nm … 100 nm (for center 700 nm) | 50 nm … 200 nm Optional: 50 nm … 300 nm |
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Transform limited pulse width | 7 fs … 50 fs (for center 600 nm) 7 fs … 35 fs (for center 700 nm) | Optional: 5 fs … 30 fs |
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Maximum pulse width (chirped) | |||
Laser repetition rate | |||
Trigger | (repetition rates < 20 Hz) | 100 Hz … 10 kHz |
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Input requirements: | |||
Laser pulse energies | < 10 µJ for kHz repetition rates ~ 10 µJ for Hz repetition rates / Single shot |
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Polarization | |||
Beam diameter | |||
Beam height | 87 mm … 121 mm (spectral intensity) |
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Interface | |||
Notebook | |||
Options: | |||
Wavelength | |||
External beam splitter and beam routing kit |
Datasheets & Brochures
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Email & Phone Contacts
APE has distributors around the world to give you the best support. Choose a country to find your local sales contact: