Custom Solutions
Custom design integrating free-space optics and
customer-supplied cooling stage into Klar's Mini Pro system
Klar’s spectroscopic microscopes support multiple wavelength sources using kits supplied by the company. Kits contain the plug-and-play microscope optics and are supplied with lasers that fit inside the box (405nm, 532 nm, 635 nm laser diodes) or external lasers that couple to the optical train of the microscope using optical fibers, or free-space optics (Klar’s 266 nm laser, as shown in the adjoining figures). The free-space optical interface will also support the use of a client’s own external laser with a suitable conduit provided by Klar, provided that Klar is able to provide kit optics for the microscope that will work with the laser’s wavelength. An example of the use of a client’s own laser was shown above in the free-space coupling of a 325 nm laser in Professor McCluskey’s lab. Klar’s instruments also support the use of liquid nitrogen cooling kits provided by Klar (using an Instec stage).
Some clients may wish to use their own cooling stages with the Klar instruments. An example of a custom installation using a client’s cooling stage is shown in the adjoining images. This specific setup used Klar’s own 266 nm PL kit with a case modification provided to support the client’s cooling stage. Klar is able to provide this capability to many clients with their own custom stages.
Custom spectroscopic microscopy using Klar’s Premium microscope with electrical probes and a cooling stage
Klar’s Premium microscope is designed to support a variety of custom modifications of interest to scientific investigations. The system has large throw scanning (up to 150 mm x 150 mm), supports all of the optical kits provided by Klar, and has sufficient clearance to support the use of a client’s custom hardware. The adjoining figures show clients at the University of Connecticut using their own combination cooling/probe tip stage with the Klar Premium instrument. For the first time, the investigators may obtain scans of their large-area samples while probing their electrical properties at both room and low temperature, opening up a much broader range of experimental investigations and opportunities.
Klar’s confocal spectroscopic microscopes support wavelengths from the deep UV to the near IR using wavelength kits provided by the company. Each kit contains a laser that couples to the system by mounting into the optical train (laser diodes), or by connecting to the optical train via an optical fiber or a free-space conduit. The 266 nm kit is an example of free-space coupling between the external laser source and the optical train.
Klar now supports the connection of other external lasers to its microscope using conduits based upon Thorlabs cage rod connectors. The conduits are provided by Klar and interface to the same free-space conduit used by the 266 nm kit inside the box. Klar’s system software controls a shutter or switch to sync the laser with the operation of the system. This custom installation requires that Klar identify and supply wavelength kit optics for use with the specific laser owned by the customer.
An example of a custom installation for a client-owned* laser system is shown in the Figures. The client’s 325 nm laser was coupled via a conduit to the Klar Mini Pro case and gated by the Mini Pro system software. Klar provided the wavelength kit optics to support this wavelength. This custom installation works as well as any using a kit provided by Klar. It enabled the client to bring spectroscopic microscopy to their lab bench using the specific laser required for their research.
What if you have a laser with a different wavelength? Write to Klar and ask whether kit optics are available for it. If they are, Klar can provide the kit optics and the conduit so you, too, may have spectroscopy on your optical bench. If you have two lasers on your bench, you may ask Klar to provide free-space conduits for both of them, so that either may be used with the Klar instrument, provided suitable kit optics are available. You can even use a Klar instrument to support lasers on different optical tables, providing spectroscopic microscopy for all of your research needs.
Write to Klar to inquire about using your laser and what kind of a price reduction you can get when you provide the optical source for the instruments.
* Installation at Washington State University