Lasers for Biophotonics & Bioanalytics FemtoFiber DiodeLasers and Femtosecond Fiber Lasers

A Passion for Precision.

TOPTICA & Biophotonics Lasers in Life Sciences

The term Biophotonics is used for a plethora of applications in life sciences all of them using light in a very controlled manner. In order to overcome the challenges encountered, researchers need to understand the underlying biological processes and the light microscope is their most important tool. Invented in the 17th century, the microscope literally changed the view of the living world. Today, light is more than just a means of transport of information from the living world magnifying our two-dimensional field of view. We can generate pictures that provide much more information than we would ever be able to capture with our eye alone. Light, in particular the precise control of laser light, allows us to look precisely at the various layers of a sample generating three-dimensional images. We can study living species and even manipulate the sample using controlled light. The close partnership between photonic technologies and the life sciences is reflected in the word biophotonics. Their common quest aims at improved means of contrast, with better spatial and temporal resolution. TOPTICA Photonics has been the technology and market leader for diode lasers and ultrafast fiber lasers for science and industry for more than a decade. Our laser sources are found in all areas of biophotonics ranging from OEM lasers hidden in the interior of other complex systems, to lasers on the optical tables of academic laboratories. Having been the first company to develop tunable diode lasers and tunable ultrafast fiber lasers, TOPTICA's lasers cover the widest wavelength range on the market. Fastest temporal control, highest spatial beam quality, highest power and lowest noise are further characteristics of our wellestablished diode lasers. TOPTICA has made the step into the world of femtoseconds and picoseconds much less daunting for its customers than it had been in the past. In fact, with our FemtoFiber series, we have entered an era in which ultrafast lasers have become fit for handsoff OEM products. In the last few years, TOPTICA's laser innovations have been instrumental in supporting rapidly emerging new applications and we are continuously looking for more challenges in this field.

Lasers for All Applications Highest Power, Best Beam Quality, Broadest Wavelength Coverage

Lasers for Biophotonics / Microscopy and Bioanalytics Biophotonics / Microscopy

Application Confocal: TIRF FLIM FRET Laser FRAP ... properties Wavelength coverage Wavelength control Output power level Optical wavefront Temporal control Linewidth control Page 4 6 FFS iBeam dfTune iWave iBeam iBeam iPulse FFS FFS XTRA iWave dfBeam 8 9 9 Nonlinear: Multiphoton SHG CARS STED ... FFS Raman: -Raman ProcessRaman dfBeam iWave UV Diode XTRA dfBeam XTRA XTRA dfBeam iBeam XTL iBeam XTL iBeam XTL iBeam XTL FFS dfTune FFS 10 Cytology Cytometry

Bioanalytics
HCS / HTS OCT Terahertz Bioinstrumentation FFS dfTune dfTune

iBeam / iPulse CW or pulsed diode laser (375, 405, 445, 473, 640, 643, 660, 785 nm; up to 120 mW) XTRA Single frequency diode laser (785 nm, 300 mW) XTL High power diode laser (650 nm, 250 mW) iWave Coherent blue diode laser (405 nm, 50 mW, 50 GHz linewidth) dfTune Tunable diode laser (760 2800 nm, 700 GHz tuning range) FFS Femtosecond ber laser (485 2100 nm, 100 fs 2 ps, 40 to 100 MHz repetition rate)

iBeam XTL

FFS

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iBeam / iPulse For fluorescence microscopy Highest output power from a singlemode laser device (up to 120 mW) All diode wavelengths available: 375, 405, 445, 473, 640, 655 nm, etc. Circular beam, optical wavefront corrected to lambda/20 Single-mode fiber-coupled version Analog and digital modulation Best noise performance FiberDock Fiber coupler for professional solutions High class flexure design Decoupled x, y and z adjustment control (uniquely sensitive) Highest stability vs. vibrations and temperature changes Suited for all wavelengths, standard fiber connectors and fibers

Lasers in Microscopy Information by Resolution

Highest resolution by wavefront, wavelength, and pulse control

Modern microscopy is attacking three main issues from several directions: Confocal microscopy suppresses out-of-focus signals, achieving sub micron spatial resolution. The use of non-linear processes like Multiphoton microscopy improves the resolution and increases signal discrimination and depth penetration. Spectroscopic resolution such as fluorescence and the Raman effect add chemically specific information on the composition of the biological sample. Other techniques assist in revealing the time sequence of biological processes. These in situ or in vivo studies often involve pulsed excitation to improve the temporal resolution.

Lasers are an essential part of these techniques. Besides being used passively as a light source for observation, there is also a strong trend towards using lasers actively for manipulation of the microscopic samples. Examples of such manipulation include excision of samples, moving tissue sections, triggering fluorescence capabilities or perforating cell membranes for transgenetic experiments. The most widespread laser method today is confocal microscopy, allowing a spatial

resolution down to a diffraction limited focus of 200 nm. This approach has been refined using various subtechniques (like TIRF, FLIM, FRET, FRAP, etc.) that all need specialized laser parameters, in order to achieve best contrast and add chemical sensitivity or temporal resolution. TOPTICA's diode laser solutions for this field, like the iBeam, have been deployed with the single source microscopists but also in volume by OEM integrators around the world, defining the standard of wavefront control.

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Novel Applications
Lasers are not only used for excitation of uorescence but can also be used to exert mechanical forces on biological probes. Microdissection by high peak power lasers is a standard technique today the prepared biological probes are then held and manipulated by laser traps or optical tweezers. A new eld has just started as an extension of the well-known photodynamic medical treatments to use photoactivation or socalled uncageing techniques on a cellular or molecular level. Recently nanosurgery using femtosecond lasers has emerged as a promising new technique. FFS Ultrafast fiber lasers, modern technology State-of-the-art ultrafast laser technology Largest wavelength range Highest reliability Smallest size Lowest cost

Matching lasers to the microscope

TOPTICA has a long tradition of customizing OEM laser systems for microscopes. It is our experience that optimum interfacing of the laser to the microscope is as essential as the right laser specications. This concerns the delivery of the laser beam, for example via a single-mode ber, as well as intelligent laser driver concepts which enable the microscope software to control the laser operation. Microscope objectives are known to introduce signicant dispersion when using an ultrashort pulse laser. For TOPTICA an

active dispersion control adjustment is a crucial building block of our femtosecond lasers. Ample output power for our diode laser solutions allows us to offer ber-based alternatives to the free-space approaches in the past. Laser speckle can be a big nuisance in standard light microscopes causing ghost images or other unwanted artefacts. We therefore have all means in place to tailor the coherence of the laser just to what is needed, from an ultra narrow-band emitter to a white light laser source.

Spectral coverage with tunable visible quasi-continuous light generated from an FFS fiber laser, providing a few mW of optical power for fluorescence microscopy. Covering 485 to 700 nm with one single laser source is a revolution in fluorescence microscopy. The proprietary TOPTICA approach to generate visible tunable light with best power stability will change the way we look at microscopes in the future.

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FFS / FFI Next generation ultrafast fiber lasers Modern fiber-based femtosecond technology with the reliability of the telecom world No external pump source or water-cooling needed Self-starting mode-locking Compact footprint Largest spectral coverage in the industry

Pulse Domain Microscopy Multiphoton Techniques

Using all properties of laser light

TiSa vs. ber lasers

The high peak powers of ultrashort laser pulses enable the use of nonlinear processes for generating additional contrast in microscopy. Two-photon or SHG microscopy, for example, achieves high spatial resolution with deep penetration into biological samples. The four-photon processes used in CARS add valuable chemical selectivity. TOPTICA has developed fiber-based femtosecond lasers with significant advantages in time resolution, polarization and noise properties. Virtually no excess heat is generated from the fiber laser, limiting secondary problems with the microscope.

Hitherto, nonlinear microscopy has mainly relied on the Titanium-Sapphire laser. Initially pumped by Argon-ion lasers, this laser is nowadays equipped with a diodebased green pump laser and a closed-cycle chiller a mature solution half the size of an optical table. However, it can be clearly seen that this will forever stay a laboratory solution, due to its boundaries in size, cost and efciency. Only very recently has a new laser solution entered the scene, quickly claiming ground: the ber laser. TOPTICA was one of the rst companies to commercially introduce ultrafast ber lasers in 2004. Fiber technology has developed at a stunning rate for telecom applications. Now it allows us to build compact, passively cooled ultrafast lasers with a reliability unprecedented in femtosecond laser technology.

Being easily integrated, ber-based femtosecond laser technology is most probably going to change the look of modern microscopes in the years to come. Fiber-based frequency conversion processes explain the enthusiasm of microscopists, allowing them to follow the one laser for all approach.

The evolution of ultrafast lasers in terms of reliability and cost.

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Lasers in Microscopy The White Light Revolution

The FemtoFiber Scientic (FFS) and FemtoFiber Industrial (FFI) laser sources provide an unmatched modular approach to microscopy, combining e.g. a narrow-band visible ps-source with a NIR multiphoton source. The powerful output at 780 nm can be used to generate white light, offering all colors simultaneously when dispersed by either a grating or an acousto-optic tunable lter (AOTF) for rapid wavelength selection. On top of that, the time structure of the 40 or 80 MHz FFS enables time-resolved techniques with the same laser. FFS The modular familiy of ultrafast fiber lasers for biophotonics Visible and infrared supercontinuums (white light lasers) Tunable narrow-band visible light for fluorescence microscopy, (485 700 nm) High power 775 nm, 970 1400 nm ultrafast beams for multiphoton microscopy Two-color emission with subfemtosecond precision of synchronization High-end synchronization to other laser sources

White light lasers for biophotonics

One of the big hype words of these days is white light laser. At rst glance this looks like a contradiction in terms, since one of the distinctive features of lasers is their onecolor emission. This is of course strictly true only for continuous wave lasers with a high nesse cavity. With pulsed or even ultrashort pulsed operation, the optical laser pulses contain a broader range of wavelengths. The very high intensities of these short pulses are exploited in nonlinear optics and offer several methods for color conversion. Second harmonic generation with nonlinear crystals is the simplest and best known form of this effect. Very recently nonlinear bers were developed, which allow the generation of supercontinuums, i. e. broadband white laser spectra with widths previously only known for incoherent lamps. Femtosecond ber lasers are the ideal pump source for these supercontinuums. Pulsed lasers with repetition rates of multiple 10 MHz can be used as quasi continuous sources for classical microscopy, but also

as pulsed sources for modern schemes like FLIM or for multi-color ow cytometry setups. The spatial properties of the laser remain untouched in the case of a laser-based white light generator. This still allows diffraction-free beam delivery with highest intensity in a tiny spot under a microscope objective, or transport of the beam over larger distances. Increasingly important for the future: the white light can be delivered in single (spatial) mode bers.

Pump and probe experiments benefit greatly from the FFS emitting two synchronized pulsed laser beams (attosecond jitter) at two independent wavelengths. Adler et al, Opt. Lett. 32, 3504 (2007) Excited at 530 nm with an FFS laser system: lifetime image of H14 cells stained with CTB-Alexa594. (Gerritsen, unpublished)

Spectral coverage of the FFS laser (fundamental wavelength 1550 nm) and various supercontinuums.

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XTRA Premium Raman microscopy laser External cavity diode laser Best laser beam quality (< 1 micron resolution) 785 nm emission Highest laser power (300 mW) Single-mode fiber coupling (optional) dfBeam Economic Raman microscopy laser DFB diode technology Best laser beam quality (< 1 micron resolution) 785 nm emission High laser power (120 mW) iWave First blue Raman diode laser Best laser beam quality (< 1 micron resolution) Enhanced linewidth, typ. 2 cm-1 Wavelengths 375, 405 nm Power up to 50 mW

Raman Microscopy Frequency Controlled Analysis

Analysis of chemical composition by light

Diode lasers strengthen Raman microscopy

Researchers need to detect and distinguish the composition of samples in a fast, accurate, and non-destructive fashion. Raman microscopy supports these requirements: laser light probes the molecular or band structure of gases, liquids and solids. According to the structure and chemical composition, a small portion of the laser light is shifted in wavelength and thus provides insight into the chemical identication of the sample under test. No time-consuming preparation or labeling of the sample is required. Applications of Raman techniques in biophotonics include: Localization of chemical substances within living cells. Food analysis for quality control. Screening of drugs in high-throughput processes. Cancer cell detection and discrimination from residual tissue.

For many reasons, single-mode diode lasers are the rst choice for Raman microscopy. They provide high power levels to compensate for the low efciency of the Raman effect, achieve best beam quality for high spatial resolution, consume little energy and are very compact plus easy to operate. In the past, gas lasers were used frequently, but they never met the diode lasers advantages mentioned above. For high-resolution Raman spectra, gas lasers beneted from an intrinsical narrow linewidth, a feature now achieved by DFB diodes or external cavity diode lasers. Latest diode technology opens up new wavelength ranges (375 473 nm) which are used for Raman microscopy of nonuorescent samples. Comparing lifetime values, diode modules exceed 10.000 hours, much more than common gas lasers.

XTRA system stability: frequency drift < 1 GHz within 10 h, power drift < 5 % within 10 h.

XTRA Raman spectrum of acetylsalicyl acid Jobin Yvon

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Infrared to Ultra Violet High Power Diode Lasers for Challenging Applications
Cytometry embraces all aspects of characterization and measurement of cells and cellular constituents for biological, diagnostic, and therapeutic reasons. In this context, lasers play a pivotal role. For instance, ow cytometry exploits light scattering, light excitation, and emission of uorochrome molecules to generate specic multi-parameter data from tiny particles and cells. TOPTICA provides laser systems exactly tailored to these requirements and supports OEM customers. The fully automated study of the entire genome of an organism (genomics) is not possible without dedicated light sources. Investigation of single genes in high throughput sequencers, their functions and roles, are pursued with TOPTICA lasers. Our portfolio offers a unique wavelength coverage with highest available output power. Deep UV: The native uorescence of biological tissue is in the UV range. Exploiting this as a marker-free technique seems a natural choice. TOPTICA has developed a family of deep UV cw lasers using nonlinear conversion of high power red/IR diode lasers. The unique wavelength coverage from 205 to 400 nm with diffraction limited focusability and attractive power regions provides access to a series of new investigations. XTL Strongest red TEM00 diode laser 650 nm, 250 mW, single-mode High beam quality (M2 < 1.5) Excellent power stability (< 0.5 %, 8 h) UV diode laser Deep UV under control Wavelengths 205 to 400 nm TEM00 laser beam, high beam quality Industrial versions coming up (e.g. 325 nm, 100 mW, CW)

Diode lasers the future of gas lasers

In the past, gas lasers were the predominant light source for biophotonic instruments, like ow cytometers, high throughput sequencers or confocal microscopes. Today single-mode diode lasers have taken over the pole position, for several reasons: Diode lifetime values exceed 10.000 hours whilst most gas lasers require retubing after approx. 5.000 hours. Low heat generation and power consumption are intrinsic for diode lasers. High power gas lasers need external water cooling, diodes dont. As to size, diode modules outperform their gas laser counterparts by a factor of 5 to 10.

Diode lasers are easier to operate as they do not require long warm-up times.

Both the UV/blue and the red/NIR spectral ranges are readily accessed with diode modules. Lines in the green-yellow gap are covered by frequency-converted diode modules also provided by TOPTICA.

Wavelength coverage of TOPTICA's single-mode and single-frequency diode lasers.

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dfTune For gas analysis or THz generation Single-frequency operation, fixed or tunable Wavelength agile lasers allow to match the wavelength to your application, fine and coarse detuning Diffraction limited focusing: < 1 m Output power up to 120 mW Spectral coverage 760 to 3000 nm RS 232 computer interface Ready for system integration

Advanced Solutions THz, OCT, ppm Gas Sensing, UV Fluorescence ...

Using the complete optical spectrum from UV to THz

Modern lasers have been stimulating new fields of applications. TOPTICA's sources are well suited for applications Iike Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a method that benefits from the customized spectral bandwidth of our pulsed fiber lasers. Terahertz radiation with wavelengths beyond the infrared is intensively investigated at present. Application include biomedical imaging or the analysis of pharmaceuticals. TOPTICA's DFB diode lasers are the best choice for generating tunable (0 3 THz), high resolution (up to < 10-6 THz) continuous-wave terahertz radiation by means of difference-frequency mixing.

TOPTICA's femtosecond fiber lasers, on the other hand, are the prefered choice for generating broadband (> 2 THz), ultrafast terahertz pulses for time-domain spectroscopy. Further details can be found in our leaflet Lasers for Terahertz. The detection of water, ammonia or oxygen in biological, pharmaceutical or chemical applications benefits greatly from our unique grating-stabilized diode laser solutions. TOPTICA has the world's largest stock of spectroscopically relevant diode wavelengths, and draws from this advantage for your latest application. Laser diode experience for more then 10 years, combined with in-house know-how of ultralow noise electronic driver design, is available for your application in analytics.

Absorption spectrum of atmospheric oxygen.

Terahertz spectrum ranging from 0.1 to 3 THz, generated with a FFS laser system.

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Lasers for Biophotonics and Bioanalytics Specications

Diode Lasers System

iBeam

Wavelength
375 785 nm

Power
Up to 120 mW

Operation mode
CW

Single-frequency
No

Applications
Confocal microscopy Flow cytometry HCS / HTS Confocal microscopy Flow cytometry FLIM FRAP Cytometry HCS / HTS Raman microscopy Raman microscopy Raman microscopy THz spectroscopy Gas sensing

iPulse

375 785 nm

Up to 120 mW

Pulsed CW

No

XTL iWave dfBeam XTRA dfTune

650 nm 405 nm 785 nm 785 nm 760 2800 nm

250 mW 50 mW 120 mW 300 mW Up to 120 mW

CW CW CW CW CW

No No (2 cm-1) < 10 MHz < 10 MHz < 4 MHz

Femtosecond Fiber Lasers System

FFS.BU FFS.SYS FFS.SYS.HP FFS.SYS.2B FFS.SYS.SHG FFS.SYS.HP-SHG FFS.SYS-CONT FFS.SYS-CONT-COMP FFS.SYS-CONT-COMP-TSHG FFS / FFI Custom Design

Wavelength
1550 nm 1550 nm 1550 nm 1550 nm 775 nm 775 nm 970 2100 nm 970 1400 nm 485 700 nm

Pulse length
< 150 fs < 100 fs 100 fs < 100 fs < 100 fs < 150 fs 120 fs 250 fs < 100 fs @ 1700 2100 nm < 40 fs < 1 ps Please inquire

Average power
10 mW > 250 mW > 350 mW 2 x > 250 mW > 60 mW > 90 mW 140 mW 170 mW 5 40 mW 20 30 mW 1 10 mW (> 1 mW / nm)

Applications
Reference / master oscillator Multiphoton THz spectroscopy Multiphoton CARS Multiphoton THz spectroscopy Multiphoton Survey spectroscopy Seeding Multiphoton Confocal microscopy FLIM CARS STED

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Distributors

Australia & New Zealand Lastek Pty. Ltd. Mr. Alex Stanco Thebarton Campus University of Adelaide 10 Reid Street 5031 Thebarton, SA Australia Phone: +61 8 8443 8668 Fax: +61 8 8443 8427 sales@lastek.com.au www.lastek.com.au China Universal Technology Co. Ltd. Mr. Alex Cai Beijing Ofce, Rm. A2111 Vantone New World Plaza No. 2 Fu Cheng Men Wai Street Beijing, P.R. China P.C., 100037 Phone: +86 10 6858 7938 Fax: +86 10 6858 7936 oe@universalhkco.com.cn www.universalhkco.com.cn France Opton Laser International Dr. Costel Subran Parc Club dOrsay Universit 29, rue Jean Rostand F - 91893 Orsay Cedex, France Phone: +33 1 6941 0405 Fax: +33 1 6941 3290 ventes@optonlaser.com www.optonlaser.com India Simco Global Technology & Systems Ltd. Dr. R. S. Daryan Simco House (Head Ofce) 14 Bhawani Kunj Behind Sector D-II, Pocket-II, Vasant Kunj 110017 New Delhi, India Phone: +91 11 2689 9867 Fax: +91 11 2612 4461 simcorsd@del2.vsnl.net.in www.simco-groups.com

Israel OR-YAM Optronics Ltd. Mr. Shmuel Kaufman 80 Harav Yitzhak Nissim street Homat Shmuel 93125 Jerusalem, Israel Phone: +972 8 622 1212 Fax: +972 2 676 8538 or-yam@013.net Japan FIT, Inc. Mr. Kyoichi Hatakeyama 2-7 Nihonbashi-Odenmacho Chuo-ku Tokyo 103-0011, Japan Phone: +81 3 3666 7100 Fax: +81 3 3666 7007 sales@tinc.co.jp www.tinc.co.jp INDECO, INC. Mr. Taro Saito Mr. Kazunobu Takahashi 1-11-14, Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 112-0003 Japan Phone: +81 3 3818 4011 Fax: +81 3 3818 4015 Sonezaki Sawada Bld. 6F 2-1-13, Sonezakishinchi, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0002 Japan Phone: +81 6 6341 5799 Fax: +81 6 6341 5798 ind@indeco.jp www.indeco.jp

Korea JINSUNG LASER Mr. Ha-Won Lee #535-5, Bongmyung-Dong Yusung-Gu Hanjin Ofcetel Rm# 1016 Daejeon, 305-301, South Korea Phone: +82 42 823 5300 Fax: +82 42 823 7447 sales@jinsunglaser.com www.jinsunglaser.com Taiwan SLEO Photonics Co. Ltd. Mr. Jimmy Chao 6F, No. 2, Lane 74 An-der Street Hsin Tien City, Taipei County Taiwan 231, R.O.C. Phone: +886 2 2211 5408 Fax: +886 2 2211 5401 sleo.jimmy@msa.hinet.net United Kingdom & Ireland Mr. Howard Potter Unit 4H Lansbury Estate Woking, Surrey, UK, GU21 2EP Great Britain Phone: +44 1483 799 030 Fax: +44 1483 799 076 howard.potter@toptica.com www.toptica.com USA & Canada TOPTICA Photonics, Inc. 1286 Blossom Drive Victor / Rochester, NY 14564 U.S.A. Phone: +1 585 657 6663 Fax: +1 877 277 9897 sales@toptica.com www.toptica.com

Distributors only for Optical Disc Testing: Taiwan Omega Scientic Taiwan Ltd. Mr. James Ting 3F-3, No.415, Sec. 4 Sinyi Road 110 Taipei City Taiwan R.O.C. Phone: +886 2 8780 5228 Fax: +886 2 8780 5225 omega001@ms3.hinet.net Japan ALTECH ADS Co. Ltd. Digital Storage Media Div. Mr. Yoshinori Matsuura 3F YM Shinjuku Building 4-1 Yotsuya 4-Chome Shinjuku-Ku 160-0004 Tokyo, Japan Phone: +81 3 5363 3005 Fax: +81 3 5363 0945 info@altech.co.jp www.altech.co.jp Every other country not listed above: TOPTICA Photonics AG Lochhamer Schlag 19 D-82166 Graefelng / M unich Germany Phone: +49 89 85837-0 Fax: +49 89 85837-200 sales@toptica.com www.toptica.com

TOPTICA Photonics AG Lochhamer Schlag 19 D-82166 Graefelng / Munich Germany Phone: +49 89 85837-0 Fax: +49 89 85837-200 info@toptica.com www.toptica.com

TOPTICA Photonics, Inc. 1286 Blossom Drive Victor / Rochester, NY 14564 U.S.A. Phone: +1 585 657 6663 Fax: +1 877 277 9897 sales@toptica.com www.toptica.com

BR-037A BIOS 2008-01