CONFOCOR
3
Carl Zeiss
Photon Counting Imaging with the ConfoCor 3
ConfoCor 3
134 M60-1-0025
e
02/2010
9.14
Photon Counting Imaging with the ConfoCor 3
The ConfoCor 3 is equipped with two APD detectors, which can be used as photon counting devices for
imaging.
Care should be taken not to expose the detector to high light intensities. APDs could be destroyed.
For this reason, safety shutters will cut off the light at higher exposure levels and detector voltage is
shut off. APDs will shut off at 5 MHz. Note that the shutters will stay closed and the user has to
restart the scan. You should also avoid to image reflected light and rather use the internal PMTs for
finding the coverslip surface by reflection.
9.14.1
Using APD Detectors for Photon
Counting Imaging
In the LSM
Light Path
tool APD detectors are
displayed as APD 1 and APD 2.
The detectors are selected like normal internal
PMTs by activating the check boxes (Fig. 151).
With appropriate dichroic filters APD detectors can
be freely combined with the internal PMTs or the
Quasar detector.
APD detectors are operated at 20 MHz sampling
rate.
However, the software will limit the maximum
counts to 4 MHz.
Fig. 151
LSM Light Path for APD detectors
