Switched Wavelength Light Sources

Lumencor SPECTRA Light Engine

Lumencor's light engines are unique, solid state illuminators, ideally suited for use with fluorescence microscopes and bioanalytical instruments.

The SPECTRA is optimized for the most common fluors and fluorescent proteins used in bioanalysis today. Bright outputs cover the visible spectrum and beyond, with particularly impressive performance in the typically underserved visible spectral regions - green, yellow and red.

• Models with 2 to 7 colour bands through UV-VIS-NIR
• Micro-second switching among color bands (5-10 kHz)
• No mechanical shuttering or filter movement
• Easy to install - pre-aligned
• Couples to microscope with liquid light guide
• Customer may select bandpass filters when ordering
• Lifetime expected to be 20,000 hours, 36 month warranty

Lumencor SPECTRA X Light Engine

Lumencor now offers the spectral breadth of an arc lamp and the flexibility of a filter wheel in it's most powerful and comprehensive light engine design.

The SPECTRA X model has been released to afford the end user the ability to exchange single band pass filters within the light engine. These field replaceable filters mean Lumencor can offer as many as 21 different bandpasses for use within the visible spectrum.

• User-replaceable bandpass filters
• Includes a suite of 7 bandpass filters; additional paddles and filters can be added
• Micro-second switching among the six colour sources (5-10 kHz)
• Ideal for core facilities - filters can be set by each user
• No mechanical shuttering or filter movement
• Easy to install - pre-aligned, and alignment maintained through filter changes
• Couples to microscope with liquid light guide
• Lifetime expected to be 20,000 hours, 36 month warranty

Sutter DG-4/DG-5 Plus Wavelength Switchers

The DG-4/DG-5 Plus are a combined Xenon Arc lamp and high speed wavelength switchers, ideal for fast ion imaging where image ratios at different excitation wavelengths are required at high frame rates.

The unique optical design of the Lambda DG-4/DG-5 Plus is based on dual scanning galvanometers utilizing interference filters for wavelength selection. The filters are user-replaceable without affecting alignment.

• Built-in 300W ozone-free Xenon lamp giving 330-700 nm
• Full spectrum lamp (300-700) available (may need extractor duct)
• DG-4 Plus uses up to 4 standard interference filters (25 mm diameter)
• DG-5 Plus uses up to 5 standard interference filters (2 x 25 mm, 3 x 18 mm diameter)
• Beam is switched between filters in less than 1.2 ms
• Allows up to 300 ratios per second (with a suitable camera!)
• Liquid light guide provides vibration isolation from microscope
• Integral shuttering and neutral density filtering
• Control by keypad, RS-232, parallel port or TTL/video synch pulse
• Compatible with HCImage and MetaMorph imaging software

Lambda VF-5/VF-1 Tunable Filter Changers

Sutter Instrument introduces two new filter changers specially designed for wavelength selection over a wide spectral range to any given nanometer value. The Lambda VF-5 and Lambda VF-1 employ the innovative VersaChrome® thin-film filter technology from Semrock to provide outstanding bandpass characteristics such as high transmission (close to 100%), steep edges and out of band blocking. Since these filters pass an image, they are equally suitable for emission and excitation paths.

A specific wavelength within the wide spectral range of each filter is obtained by adjusting the angle of incidence from 0 to 60 degrees. This tuning causes little or no change in spectral performance of the filter regardless of the state of polarization of the light passing through the filter. The current VersaChrome® series has 7 filters covering 338 to 800nm. By simply selecting the desired center-wavelength on the controller, the Lambda VF-5 automatically moves and tilts one of its five filters into position. Users can select any combination of filters offered by Semrock for the Lambda VF-5 (which holds up to 5 filters) or any single filter in the series for the Lambda VF-1.

• Wavelength range as wide as 338-800nm
• Access any center-wavelength in nanometer increments
• Images pass through filters making it suitable for both excitation and emission
• Easily switch between fluorphore combinations
• Optional liquid light guide offers absolute vibration isolation
• All the advantages of thin-film technology - high transmission, steep spectral edges, high out-of-band blocking
• Polarization independence (s and p nearly identical)
• Compatible with HCImage and MetaMorph imaging software