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THORLABS SPCM A Series, Operation Manual

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26

SPCMxxA

© 2019 Thorlabs

Time Diagram Externally Triggered Timed Counter

At the moment t

1

 the Start button is pressed, the trigger is armed. With the detection of the first

valid  trigger  signal,  the  timer  starts  the  counter,  and  during  the  programmed 

bin  length

,  37

photons are counted. Then the timer stops the counter, the photon count is displayed and the
timer waits for the next trigger. The bin #2 contains 43 photons. During the array count, the res-
ults and the progress of the array measurement are being displayed. 

After finishing the array of 5 bins, the display is reset, and the array counting cycle restarts. The
Stop button terminates photon counting.

Summary of Contents for SPCM A Series

Page 1: ...Single Photon Counting Module SPCMxxA Operation Manual 2019 ...

Page 2: ...Version Date 1 2 27 May 2019 ...

Page 3: ... the SPCM 13 3 4 Graphic User Interface GUI 13 3 4 1 Menu File 15 3 4 2 Menu Device 16 3 4 3 Menu Option 16 3 4 4 Menu Help 17 3 4 5 Menu Icons 18 3 4 6 Functional Area 19 3 4 6 1 Alignment Display 20 3 4 6 2 Table Display 20 3 4 6 3 Graph Display 21 3 4 6 4 Bar Display 22 3 5 Operating Modes 22 3 5 1 Manual Mode 23 3 5 2 Free Running Timed Counter 25 3 5 3 Externally Triggered Timed Counter 27 3 ...

Page 4: ...esponsivity 48 6 2 Definitions 50 6 3 Pulse Out 51 6 4 Technical Data 52 6 5 Dimensions 54 6 6 Certifications and Compliances 55 6 7 Warranty 55 6 8 Exclusion of Reliability and Copyright 56 6 9 Thorlabs End of Life Policy WEEE 57 6 10 List of Acronyms 58 6 11 Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts ...

Page 5: ...artners are looking forward to hearing from you Thorlabs GmbH WARNING Sections marked by this symbol explain dangers that might result in personal injury or death Always read the associated information carefully before performing the indicated procedure Please read this advice carefully This manual also contains NOTES and HINTS written in this form ATTENTION Paragraphs preceded by this symbol expl...

Page 6: ...m The SPCM includes a software package with GUI for out of the box operation 1 1 Safety Attention The safety of any system incorporating the equipment is the responsibility of the assem bler of the system All statements regarding safety of operation and technical data in this instruction manual will only apply when the unit is operated correctly as it was designed for The SPCMxxA must not be opera...

Page 7: ...peed High Speed recommended USB cable according the USB 2 0 specification 1 3 2 Software Requirements This software was verified with the following platforms Windows XP 32 bit version Windows Vista 32 bit version Windows Vista x64 Edition 64 bit version Windows 7 32 bit version Windows 7 x64 Edition 64 bit version Windows 10 32 bit 64 bit 1 3 3 Interface Requirements For full functionality it is r...

Page 8: ... Getting Started NOTE Take care for proper air ventilation in order to ensure normal operation of the SPCMxxA Prior to connecting the SPCMxxA to a PC please install software from the attached CD 2 3 Installing Software NOTE The screenshots in this manual are related to a Windows 7 Operating System Insert the CD into your CD or DVD drive If the installation screen does not appear automati cally ple...

Page 9: ...2 Installation 2019 Thorlabs 7 Click Next to continue In the next two screens click I accept if you do so then Next ...

Page 10: ...8 SPCMxxA 2019 Thorlabs Click Next to continue After finishing the installation the installation summary will be displayed Click Finish to con tinue ...

Page 11: ...2 Installation 2019 Thorlabs 9 After completing the installation you might be prompted to restart your PC ...

Page 12: ...d During the quenching time which is known as the dead time of the diode the APD is insensit ive to any other incoming photons Spontaneously triggered avalanches are possible while the diode is in a metastable state If these spontaneous avalanches occur randomly they are called dark counts An integrated Peltier element stabilizes the diode s temperature below the ambient temperature to reduce the ...

Page 13: ...ternal Gating mode allows to control the APD bias voltage ex ternally in this mode the external signal applied to the Gate Trigger In enables the APD Geiger mode and controls the counter The SPCM operating modes are explained in detail in section Operating Modes On the Pulse Out terminal the signal from the pulse shaper is applied so that counts can be viewed on an oscilloscope or registered by an...

Page 14: ...rt the software by clicking the appropriate icon on the desktop alternatively it can be started from Windows button Programs Thorlabs SPCM Series Software SPCM As a next step the Single Photon Counter Module needs to be connected to software There fore click to the icon in the toolbar or choose the appropriate function from the Device menu A device selection dialog opens The selected device is sho...

Page 15: ... 000 ns Array Measurement continuously No single Bins per array 100 The GUI comes with verbal menus and icons 3 4 1 Menu File The File menu allows to Save and Load measurement results with the appropriate settings The most recent measurement can be saved also if the SPCM was disconnected from the GUI Measurement results can be loaded with no SPCM connected this way reproducing measure ment results...

Page 16: ... Revision 0 9 Build 117 Driver Revision 0 8 8 Firmware Revision 0 10 0 Application settings Operating Mode Free Running Timed Counter Bin Length ms 0 019 Time between Bins ms 0 001 Pulse Blind Time ns 0 Trigger Edge non applicable Array Measurement Yes Array Measurement Continuously No Bins per Array 5 Active APD Gating No Fan Off No Bin Number Counts per Bin Remarks 1 8 2 3 3 7 4 5 5 3 ...

Page 17: ...ime between Bins ms 0 001 Pulse Blind Time ns 0 Trigger Edge non applicable Array Measurement Yes Array Measurement Continuously No Bins per Array 5 Active APD Gating No Fan Off No Loading data imports measurement results together with the settings at which the measure ment was carried out Import settings loads only settings with no measurement data 3 4 2 Menu Device Here an SPCM can be connected ...

Page 18: ...of X bin number and Y counts per bin axes in both Graph and Bar display Zoom Home returns the Graph and Bar displays to default size showing all measurements Hide Grid toggles between hidden and shown grid in Graph and Bar displays Clear Measurement Data empties all display tabs This might be useful to speed up the start of a new measurement Settings brings up a dialog to switch off the fan of the...

Page 19: ...nt Data to file Import Measurement Settings from file Export Measurement Settings to file Opens dialog Zoom Panel Zoom Home Toggle hide show grid Clear Measurement data in all tabs Opens Settings dialog Identifies connected SPCM blinking status LED Connect Device Disconnect Device Exit GUI Help environment ...

Page 20: ...cs of counted photons is displayed num ber of bins max and min photon count per bin average photon count and the span between the minimum and maximum count Note The minimum photon count serves also as an indicator for counter errors value 1 During measurement a counter overflow occurred more than 2 147 483 647 photons counted value 2 During measurement a bin was missed and could not be transferred...

Page 21: ... brings up im portant information on the current measurement and device status Measurement State halted running Controlled by Start Stop button Counter Gate State active counting not active Trigger State disabled Manual and Free Running Timed Counter modes enabled all triggered modes Temperature of APD over temperature temperature exceeds set point for 0 5 K see Technical Data Saturation of APD se...

Page 22: ...s from normal operation for the actual bin count e g saturation level or over temperature 3 4 6 3 Graph Display In this tab the recent photon counts are displayed graphically Areas of interest can be zoomed using the cursor by click and drag to the desired region Alternatively the zoom area can be selected numerically from the Zoom Dialog click to the icon ...

Page 23: ...3 Operating Instructions 2019 Thorlabs 21 3 4 6 4 Bar Display This display is similar to the Graph display with the difference that each bin is displayed as a bar 20 ...

Page 24: ...1 Manual Mode Functional Block Diagram Manual Mode In Manual Mode APD is internally biased beyond breakdown voltage The counter is started and stopped manually via the appropriate button in the software at each start command the counter is reset No settings except Pulse Blind Time can be made The count result is up dated 10 times per second and displayed numerically Alignment display and graphical...

Page 25: ...er begins to control the counter and incident photons are counted into bins until the Stop button is pressed The results are displayed graphically and numerically see Graphic User Interface The Array Mode allows high measurement speed by limiting the number of bins after complet ing the count is stopped Single Array or restarted Continuously by the GUI The max ar ray size depends on the measuremen...

Page 26: ...en the timer stops the counter and the photon count is displayed After the programmed time between bins the counter is reset and restarted The bin 2 contains 43 photons During the array count the results and the progress of the ar ray measurement are being displayed After finishing the array of 5 bins the display is reset and the array counting cycle restarts The Stop button terminates photon coun...

Page 27: ...the Alignment display shows the Trigger State enabled As soon as trigger pulses are detected the current status armed triggered is be ing displayed in the status bar Trigger Armed The SPCM waits for the next active trigger edge to start the timer Triggered The timer is running After the count is finished the timer is ready for the next trigger pulse so the status Trigger armed appears Note If the ...

Page 28: ... during the programmed bin length 37 photons are counted Then the timer stops the counter the photon count is displayed and the timer waits for the next trigger The bin 2 contains 43 photons During the array count the res ults and the progress of the array measurement are being displayed After finishing the array of 5 bins the display is reset and the array counting cycle restarts The Stop button ...

Page 29: ... well as the time between subsequent bins This counting process continues until the Stop button is pressed The results are displayed graphically and numerically see Graphic User Interface After starting the measurement Start button the Alignment display shows the Trigger State enabled and in the status bar appears Trigger armed In externally triggered timed counter mode an array measurement is pos...

Page 30: ...e next trigger pulse terminates the current bin count 37 photons are counted the photon count is displayed and the counter waits for the next trigger The bin 2 contains 43 photons During the array count the results and the progress of the array measurement are being displayed After finishing the array of 3 bins the display is reset and the array counting cycle restarts The Stop button terminates p...

Page 31: ...is blind for incident photons When the APD is gated actively it is armed with the arrival of the gating signal so that every first incoming photon can be counted In External Gating mode the counter is not triggered on a selectable edge but enabled as long as a gating signal is present The gating signal must be TTL level compatible HI active As this signal is not a trigger signal in Alignment displ...

Page 32: ...as the Gate In input turns to HI level t2 the APD is gated and the photon count starts This count continues until the external gating signal disappears t3 in this mo ment the counter stops and the APD gating is switched off During an array count the results and the progress of the array measurement are being displayed The Stop button terminates photon counting ...

Page 33: ...erating Mode SENS COUN GATE MODE Returns the actual operating mode 0 5 0 idle 1 manual mode by command from start to stop 2 free running timed counter 3 externally triggered timed counter 4 externally triggered counter 5 external gating 3 Set Gating Mode SENS COUN APD GATE OFF 0 ON 1 with values OFF 0 counter gating only APD always active ON 1 active APD and counter gating Remark In active APD gat...

Page 34: ...ual timer value bin length value 0 000001 2147 483647 s resolution 0 000001 s 7 Set Pause Sets the time between bins in free running timed counter mode SENS COUN GATE DELay value with values 0 000001 2147 483647 s resolution 0 000001 s 8 Get Pause Returns the time between bins in free running timed counter mode SENS COUN GATE DELay with values 0 000001 2147 483647 s resolution 0 000001 s 9 Set Tri...

Page 35: ...mode SENS COUN ARRay STATe 0 continuous measurement mode no array mode 1 array measurement mode 15 Get Counter Value SENS COUN DATA Returns 3 values 1 Counter number of counted photons from 0 to 2147483647 31 bit MSB contains overflow sign resulting in 32 bit value 2 State of the measurement system 16 bit 3 Index of actual counter value 32 bit 1 N 0 no counter value available Remark In continuous ...

Page 36: ...ow accumulated 1 or not 0 11 overload of the measurement unit accumulated 1 or not 0 more counter results produced than processible by micro controller USB and or PC 12 overtemperature of APD TEC accumulated 1 or not 0 13 APD Saturation accumulated bit 0 14 APD Saturation accumulated bit 1 15 n a If both bits result in value 3 a saturation alert appears in the GUI Note Bits 10 to 14 represent accu...

Page 37: ...on bit 0 7 APD Saturation bit 1 8 n a 9 n a 10 counter overflow accumulated 1 or not 0 11 overload of the measurement unit accumulated 1 or not 0 more counter results produced than processible by micro controller USB and or PC 12 overtemperature of APD TEC accumulated 1 or not 0 13 APD Saturation accumulated bit 0 14 APD Saturation accumulated bit 1 15 n a If both bits result in value 3 a saturati...

Page 38: ...es LED on 23 Set DFU State A command to prepare device for firmware update STATus DFU value with values 0 DFU off 1 DFU on 2 DFU once disappears after device power cycle Remark Setting DFU state to 1 or 2 results in enumeration of the USB device the connection will be lost Do not power off the device until firmware update is complete Use Thorlabs DFU Wizard downloadable from the Thorlabs webside f...

Page 39: ...0 DFU off 1 DFU on 2 DFU once disappears after device power cycle Remark DFU state must be 1 or 2 in order to enable the device to get a firmware update 25 Get Detector Saturation Voltage APD saturation measurement SENS COUN SATUration VOLTage Returns actual saturation voltage 0 0 3 3 V ...

Page 40: ...tenance by the user It does not contain any modules and or components that could be repaired by the user himself If a malfunction occurs please contact Thorlabs for return instructions Do not remove covers 5 1 Version Information Information on the SPCMxxA hardware can be retrieved from the menu bar Information on the current software version can be found in Help menu Please have this information ...

Page 41: ...re Update 5 2 1 Installing DFU Wizard The DFU Firmware Upgrade Wizard is included in the software CD shipped with the SPCMxxA Insert the CD and choose from the start menu the topic DFU Wizard Then please follow the steps as shown in the screenshots hereinafter ...

Page 42: ...40 SPCMxxA 2019 Thorlabs ...

Page 43: ...5 Maintenance and Service 2019 Thorlabs 41 ...

Page 44: ...ttention Make sure that only one DFU capable device is connected to your PC Preparation of the SPCMxxA for firmware update Warning During the following steps do not manually disconnect or switch off the SPCMxxA or unplug it s power supply This may lead to data loss and or inoperability of your SPCM In order to enable your SPCM to receive a FW update it s instrument properties must be changed to DF...

Page 45: ...lick Close to con tinue Executing the firmware update Start the FW update program from Windows Button All Programs Thorlabs Device Firmware Upgrade Wizard Click Next to continue In the next dialog you will be prompted to choose the dfu file Click to Browse and select the downloaded file in C Users user_name Downloads ...

Page 46: ...4 SPCMxxA 2019 Thorlabs Click Select to continue In the subsequent dialogs click Next Click Start to run the FW upgrade The DFU Wizard installs the driver for SPCM bootloader after finishing click Close ...

Page 47: ... DFU Wizard closes the SPCM is reset and the USB connection to the DFU device is terminated The SPCMxxA resumes to appear as a Test and Measurement Now the SPCM GUI can be restarted From the Device Device Information menu the actual FW ver sion can be retrieved ...

Page 48: ...d counter mode if the measurement speed is too high with regards to the USB data transfer rate the SPCM internal buffer max 4000 bins overflows and bin counts are lost In the Graph display this appears as repeated 2 counts see red marked area APD over temperature indicated The temperature control circuit recognized that the actual temperature of the APD exceeded the set point for more than 0 5 C U...

Page 49: ...overload This error message appears particularly when short bin lengths and small intervals between bins are set ð Change to Array measurement ð Alternatively extend time between bins preferred or bin length ð In case of a triggered mode lower the trigger frequency if External Gating mode lower the gating pulse frequency ð Measurement speed also depends on the viewed panel and CPU load The fastest...

Page 50: ...nche some charges can be trapped inside the high field region When these charges are released they can trigger an avalanche These spurious events are called afterpulses The life of those trapped charges is on the order of 0 1 1µs Hence it is likely that an afterpulse occurs directly after a signal pulse Array size When using the Array Measurement mode a max of 10 000 bins can be measured For fast ...

Page 51: ...time with a pulse caused by a photon which then is called after pulse To ignore such afterpulses in the measurement an additional Pulse Blind Time can be set in the software which will cause the internal counter of the SPCM to ignore all pulses occur ring during the set Pulse Blind Time This additional Pulse Blind Time starts at the moment when a photon was registered by the counter Saturation of ...

Page 52: ...50 SPCMxxA 2019 Thorlabs 6 3 Pulse Out Below a typical pulse shape at the Pulse Out SMA connector is shown ...

Page 53: ...PD Temperature Set Point 0 1 C APD Temperature Stability better 0 1 K Gating Trigger Input TTL 50 Ω Pulse Output TTL 50 Ω General Power Supply 6 VDC 1 5 A Operating Temperature Range 4 0 40 C Storage Temperature Range 40 to 70 C Dimensions W x H x D overall 76 5 x 85 x 36 2 mm Mounting thread 8 32 M4 8 32 M4 1 pulsed light 2 In External Gating mode delay between trigger signal at Gate Trigger In a...

Page 54: ...52 SPCMxxA 2019 Thorlabs 6 5 Dimensions Dimensions of the SPCMxxA imperial version ...

Page 55: ...6 Appendix 2019 Thorlabs 53 Dimensions of the SPCMxxA M metric version ...

Page 56: ...art 15 Subpart B 2 3 4 EC Declaration of Conformity LVD Compliance was demonstrated to the following specification as listed in the Official Journal of the European Communities Low Voltage Dir ective 2006 95 EC 5 EN 61010 1 2001 Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement control and laboratory use UL 61010 1 2nd ed Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement cont...

Page 57: ...or the technical data of the de scribed unit at any time 6 8 Exclusion of Reliability and Copyright Thorlabs has taken every possible care in preparing this document We however assume no li ability for the content completeness or quality of the information contained therein The content of this document is regularly updated and adapted to reflect the current status of the hardware and or software W...

Page 58: ...e does not refer to other Thorlabs products such as pure OEM products that means assemblies to be built into a unit by the user e g OEM laser driver cards components mechanics and optics left over parts of units disassembled by the user PCB s housings etc Waste treatment on your own responsibility If you do not return an end of life unit to Thorlabs you must hand it to a company specialized in was...

Page 59: ...PD Avalanche Photo Diode CPU Central Processing Unit CW Continuous Wave DFU Device Firmware Update FW FirmWare GUI Graphic User Interface NI VISA National Instruments Virtual Instrument Software Architecture SCPI Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments SPCM Single Photon Counter Module USB Universal Serial Bus ...

Page 60: ...orlabs Inc sales thorlabs com techsupport thorlabs com Europe Thorlabs GmbH europe thorlabs com France Thorlabs SAS sales fr thorlabs com Japan Thorlabs Japan Inc sales thorlabs jp UK and Ireland Thorlabs Ltd sales uk thorlabs com techsupport uk thorlabs com Scandinavia Thorlabs Sweden AB scandinavia thorlabs com Brazil Thorlabs Vendas de Fotônicos Ltda brasil thorlabs com China Thorlabs China chi...

Page 61: ...www thorlabs com ...

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