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Newport PScout2 Series User Manual

Autocorrelator
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  • Page 1 PulseScout2 Autocorrelator Test PScout2 Series User's Manual...
  • Page 2 Manufacturer: A·P·E Angewandte Physik & Elektronik GmbH Berlin Plauener Straÿe 163-165 13053 Berlin, Germany Importer: Newport Corporation 1791 Deere Avenue Irvine, CA 92606 United States of America Standards Applied: Compliance was demonstrated to the following standards to the extent applicable: BS EN 61010-1:2010, "Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control and laboratory use"...
  • Page 3 Autocorrelator PulseScout2 Base and detector modules Signature: Thomas Lindemann Mark Carroll Technical Director Sr. Director, Instruments Business A·P·E Angewandte Physik & Elektronik GmbH Newport Corporation Plauener Straÿe 163-165 1791 Deere Ave, Irvine, CA 92606 USA 13053 Berlin, Germany PulseScout2 Version 1.1 July 2015...
  • Page 4 IMPORTANT READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USE KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE This user manual contains user information for the PulseScout2 . Read this manual carefully before operating the PulseScout2 , particularly Section 1 on safety instructions. The PulseScout2 is only to be used as described in this manual.
  • Page 5 Symbols Used in this Manual and on the Measuring System This symbol is intended to emphasize the presence of important op- erating instructions. This symbol is intended to alert the operator to the danger of expo- sure to hazardous visible or invisible laser radiation. This symbol is intended to alert the operator to the presence of dan- gerous voltage within the product's enclosure that may be of suf - cient magnitude to constitute a risk of electrical shock and to indi-...

  • Page 6: Table Of Contents

    Contents Contents 1. Safety Instructions ........1.1.
  • Page 7 Contents 5.5. Rotation of Plane of Polarization ......42 6. Troubleshooting and Maintenance ......43 6.1.

  • Page 8: Safety Instructions

    1. Safety Instructions 1. Safety Instructions The European Community requirements for product safety are speci ed in the "Low Voltage Direc- tive" (2006/95/EC). The "Low Voltage Directive" requires that electronic products comply with the standard EN 61010-1:2010 "Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control and Laboratory Use".

  • Page 9: Electrical Safety

    1. Safety Instructions 3. Never look directly into the laser light source or at scattered laser light from any re ective surface. Never sight down the beam into the source. 4. Maintain experimental setups at low heights to prevent inadvertent beam-eye encounter at eye level.

  • Page 10: Electromagnetic Compatibility

    1. Safety Instructions It is only allowed for the user to open the top cover of the optical head housing as described in the Paragraph 3.5.2 on page 20 to exchange the detector unit. In this case, the device has to be switched OFF and disconnected from the power supply.

  • Page 11: Description And Speci Cations

    2. Description and Speci cations 2. Description and Speci cations 2.1. Description and Intended Use The PulseScout2 autocorrelator is a exible device used to measure the pulse duration of a variety of laser systems emitting trains of femtosecond (fs) and picosecond (ps) pulses. It is designed for operation under laboratory conditions, that is, in closed, dry, and low-dust rooms installed on an optical table or a similar stable vibration-free base.

  • Page 12: Speci Cations

    2. Description and Speci cations 2.2. Speci cations 2.2.1. Optical Parameters Base unit PSCOUT2-BASE Wavelength range 420 - 1600 nm PSCOUT2-BLUE-PD PSCOUT2-RED-PD PSCOUT2-NIR-PD PSCOUT2-IR-PD Wavelength range 420 - 550 nm 520 - 750 nm 700 - 1100 nm 1100 - 1600 nm PSCOUT2-BLUE-PMT PSCOUT2-RED-PMT PSCOUT2-NIR-PMT...
  • Page 13 2. Description and Speci cations Figure 2.2.: Optical head outline drawing, front and top view in mm [inch] PulseScout2 Version 1.1 July 2015...

  • Page 14: Requirements To The Control Computer

    2. Description and Speci cations Figure 2.3.: Controller outline drawing, front and top view in mm [inch] 2.3. Requirements to the Control Computer Minimum system requirements: ˆ Windows 7 ˆ 500 MB hard disc space ˆ Pentium IV or equivalent processor ˆ...
  • Page 15 2. Description and Speci cations The PulseScout2 is intended for indoor operation, in dry and dust reduced rooms. It has to be rmly installed on an optical table or on a similar solid, vibration-free board. Ambient conditions must be observed during transportation, storage, installation and operation. Ensure reasonable transport conditions, free of major shocks, jolt or fall;...

  • Page 16: Installation

    3. Installation 3. Installation 3.1. Contents of Delivery PulseScout2 base unit - consisting of: ˆ scoutLink controller ˆ PulseScout2 optical head ˆ 25-pin D-Sub connection cable for the optical head ˆ USB cable type "A-B" ˆ Trigger input cable ˆ Alignment base ˆ...

  • Page 17: System Controls And Indicators

    3. Installation 3.3. System Controls and Indicators Figure 3.1.: PulseScout2 optical head - beam distance screw and detector module (left), focus position screw (middle), shutter buttons S1, S2 and crystal mount cover (right) POWER power switch auxiliary connector (not used) TRIGGER IN trigger input DC IN...

  • Page 18: Installation Of The Scoutlink Control Software

    3. Installation LED status scoutLink condition / status scoutLink off Hardware selftest after powering on (approx. 1...2 sec) RED (blinking) Optical head not connected or wrong optical head YELLOW scoutLink is performing a selftest, connection with Control Software not (yet) established GREEN Optical head detected and connection with Control Software established CYAN...

  • Page 19: Installation Of The Optical Head

    3. Installation 1. Insert the USB Flash Drive that was included with your PulseScout2 into the USB port of your computer. 2. Navigate to the Flash Drive and start the "setup.exe" via the Windows Explorer. 3. Follow the instructions during installation of the software. Note: After installation of the Control Software is automatically prompted to install the appropriate font.

  • Page 20: Exchange Of The Detector Unit

    3. Installation Figure 3.5.: Crystal module 3.5.2. Exchange of the Detector Unit Please note that you will need at least one detector module additionally to the PulseScout2 base unit in order to make successful measurements. The detector module is not mounted upon delivery and must thus be installed before using the PulseScout2 autocorrelator.

  • Page 21: Cable Connection

    3. Installation Figure 3.6.: PulseScout2 Optical head with removed detector (front and back view) 3.6. Cable Connection 1. Connect the PulseScout2 optical head with the scoutLink controller ("OPTICS" port) using the supplied 25-pin D-Sub connection cable. Always use the original cable! 2.

  • Page 22: Alignment And Measurement

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4. Alignment and Measurement After having connected all components of the system and installed the scoutLink Control Software you are ready to start alignment and the rst measurement. Proceed as follows: 1. Fasten the optical head on your optical table at a place where you can easily direct the laser beam nearly perpendicularly into the alignment aperture and handle the control elements.

  • Page 23: Starting A Measurement

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.2. Starting a Measurement 4.2.1. Alignment of the Input Beam Set the variable alignment aperture to alignment position (see Figure 4.2). Align the input beam, using two optical elements (glass plate, mirror, etc.) through the aperture into the optical head while maintaining normal incident between the PulseScout2 and the input beam.
  • Page 24 4. Alignment and Measurement Figure 4.3.: View of alignment window in collinear and non-collinear mode (visible laser used for demonstration purpose). Figure 4.4.: PulseScout2 optical head right side view with beam distance screw The beam distance, once the two re ections are aligned properly, can be changed to the collinear mode in order to maximize the autocorrelation signal on the Control Software.

  • Page 25: Finding The Autocorrelation Trace

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.2.2. Finding the Autocorrelation Trace With the scoutLink turned on and the software connected press the "Start" button in the Control Software. A at horizontal line over the whole screen should be displayed. It represents the signal detected by the detector module.

  • Page 26: Crystal Angle Tuning And Phase-Matching

    4. Alignment and Measurement matching), the focus position (see Figure 3.1 on page 17), the scan range ("SETUP" Scan Range) and the low pass lter ("VIEW" Filter): ˆ First set the Scan Range to a value approximately 3 to 5 times higher than the ACF width and make sure that the ACF drops to its minimum to the left and to the right of the maximum intensity.

  • Page 27: Zero Scan Range

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.2.4. Zero Scan Range The ZERO SCAN function ("SETUP" Scan Range Zero) stops the delay at the zero position, i.e. the pulses in both interferometer arms travel the same, xed, not periodically changing distance. On the measurement screen the signal becomes a at line. Then SHG intensity is displayed as a function of time.

  • Page 28: Background-Free (Non-Collinear) Autocorrelation

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.2.6. Background-Free (Non-Collinear) Autocorrelation The interaction types collinear and background-free (non-collinear) can be selected by turning the "BEAM DISTANCE" screw at the optical head to the appropriate position. The beam distance of the interacting beams from the two interferometer arms can be changed between 0 ... 6 mm (observable at the alignment window next to the input aperture - the moving spot has to be at the left side of the x spot).

  • Page 29: Measurement And Display Con Guration In Detail

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.3. Measurement and Display Con guration in Detail In this section the Control Software and its menus giving access to the control options are ex- plained. Figure 4.1 on page 22 shows the measurement window of the A·P·E scoutLink Control Software that is displayed when you initially start the software (in this particular case with no PulseScout2 optical head connected).

  • Page 30: View" Submenu

    4. Alignment and Measurement "TCP Autoconnect" Checkbox: Check this box for an automatic server initialization at program start up. "Exit": Closes the Control Software. 4.3.2. "VIEW" Submenu Figure 4.9.: View submenu "Intensity Scale Range": Allows to choose the scaling of the y-axis ("Intensity") from a set of pre- de ned ranges and to auto.

  • Page 31: Trigger" Submenu

    4. Alignment and Measurement on the cross hair in the lower right corner, next to the "Start" button. To deactivate the cursor uncheck the box or right click the cross hair. "Center Cursors": Click to center the cursors symmetrically on the measurement window. "Appearance": Choose between a light or a dark theme for the scoutLink Control Software.

  • Page 32: Setup" Submenu

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.3.4. "SETUP" Submenu Figure 4.11.: Setup submenu "Tuning" (arrows): Turns the angle of the non-linear crystal to optimize phase-matching for the actual laser wavelength. Single clicks change the angle in small steps. To sweep through a wide angle range click and hold an arrow.

  • Page 33: Additional Software Controls And Options

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.3.5. Additional Software Controls and Options Figure 4.12.: Measurement window with additional display controls (lower right corner) "Info Box": The Info box displays relevant measurement data and error messages. For conve- nience it can be placed with the mouse at any position of the measurement window. Addition- ally a right click opens the context menu where fontsize and transparency can be adjusted.

  • Page 34: Help" Submenu

    4. Alignment and Measurement "Transparency" / "Fontsize": By right clicking on the Info box a context menu is activated where the transparency and fontsize of the Info box can be set (see Figure 4.14) Figure 4.14.: Context menu available by right clicking on the Info box. 4.3.6.

  • Page 35: Tcp/Ip

    4. Alignment and Measurement Figure 4.15.: Trigger delay versus ACF intensity 4.5. TCP/IP The scoutLink Control Software has the ability to run its own TCP/IP server allowing the user to remotely make measurements and to control the autocorrelator. Almost all options and operational modes of the autocorrelator can be changed or data can be read out via LAN or WI-FI connection using the standard TCP/IP protocol which is implemented by almost any operating system.

  • Page 36: Error Sources Of An Autocorrelation Measurement

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.6. Error Sources of an Autocorrelation Measurement 4.6.1. Scan Range too small or too wide The scoutLink Control Software detects several error sources of the signal that could lead to im- precise measurement of the laser pulse width. If such a limitation of the measurement is detected the critical parameter or relevant error message is displayed in the info box of the measurement window.
  • Page 37 4. Alignment and Measurement Scan range too large: If the chosen scan range is too large with respect to the detected width of the autocorrelation trace, the data resolution may be too low for a precise determination of the ACF value (see Figure 4.17).

  • Page 38: Clipping Of The Acf Or Overload

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.6.2. Clipping of the ACF or Overload Intensity too high: An intense autocorrelation signal due to too high laser power can lead to an overload of the detec- tor. The consequence is clipping of the measurement trace (see Figure 4.18). Clipping prevents the software from calculating the ACF value and must be avoided.
  • Page 39 4. Alignment and Measurement Intensity too low: A weak autocorrelation signal uses only a minor part of the given dynamic range. This can lead to an erroneous measurement of the FWHM value due to the low signal-to-noise ratio (see Figure 4.19).

  • Page 40: Non-Centered Acf

    4. Alignment and Measurement 4.6.3. Non-centered ACF The autocorrelation function should ideally be centered in the measurement window. In case of a large scan offset the ACF may be cut off to the left or right of the scan range. If the measured autocorrelation trace deviates too much from symmetry the info box shows an "Asymmetric"...

  • Page 41: Additional Hints

    5. Additional Hints 5. Additional Hints 5.1. "Zero" Scan In "Zero" scan range the delay drive is stopped at the zero position. The measurement window displays the measured intensity at the zero position as a function of time and behaves similar to an oscilloscope.

  • Page 42: Signal Level

    5. Additional Hints 5.4. Signal Level To cover a wide input power range and/or pulse width range the sensitivity can be varied over a large scale. This may lead to high noise levels, especially when measuring with PMT detector modules. Therefore, for most exact measurements, it is advisable to adapt the power input level to an operation where only the lowest possible sensitivity (PD and PMT detectors) and gain (PMT detectors only) values are required.

  • Page 43: Troubleshooting And Maintenance

    6. Troubleshooting and Maintenance 6. Troubleshooting and Maintenance 6.1. Troubleshooting Error characteristics Possible reason Check and removal No SHG Signal wrong polarization direction check for horizontal polarization; introduce a polarization rotator into the input beam, if necessary wrong alignment check beam position at input aperture;...

  • Page 44: Known Issues

    6. Troubleshooting and Maintenance Figure 6.1.: "OPTICS DETECTION ERROR" Error Message "OPTICS DETECTION ERROR": If this error message is displayed (see Figure 6.1) please check the Sub-D 25 pin cable connection with the optical head and follow on-screen instructions. 6.1.1. Known Issues ˆ...

  • Page 45: Maintenance

    6.2. Maintenance Warranty Work performed on the PulseScout2 system components or software by persons not authorized by Newport will result in invalidity of the guarantee and service contract. 6.2.1. Cleaning Do not use any aggressive solvents to clean the PulseScout2 auto-...

  • Page 46: Service

    If there are any defects in material or workmanship or a failure to meet speci cations, promptly notify your local Newport of ce (see Section 6.3) within the warranty period to obtain a Return Ma- terial Authorization Number (RMA#). Return the product to Newport Corporation, freight prepaid, clearly marked with the RMA# and we will either repair or replace it at our discretion.

  • Page 47: Service Form

    6. Troubleshooting and Maintenance 6.3.4. Service Form Your local Newport of ce For contact information see section 6.3 Name Return Autorization # (Please obtain RA# prior to return of item) Company Address Date Country Phone Number P.O. Number Fax Number...

  • Page 48: Fitting Functions

    A. Fitting Functions A. Fitting Functions A.1. Gaussian The mathematical description for a Gaussian pulse is: G(t) = e (A.1) The autocorrelation of this pulse is given by the solution of the convolution integral (A.2) ( ) = G(t)G(t )dt = Figure A.1.: Gaussian function e and its normalized autocorrelation e (dotted line)

  • Page 49: Lorentzian

    A. Fitting Functions A.2. Lorentzian The mathematical description for a Lorentzian pulse is: (A.6) L(t) = 1 + t The autocorrelation of this pulse is given by the solution of the folding integral (A.7) ( ) = L(t)L(t )dt = Figure A.2.: Lorentzian function and its normalized autocorrelation (dotted line)
  • Page 50 A. Fitting Functions Figure A.3.: The function sech(t) and its normalized autocorrelation 3csch( ) ( cosh( ) sinh( ) (dotted line) Equating the normalized functions with gives the time value at half amplitude. (A.12) S(a) = a = 0 881374 (A.13) b = 1 35979 The quotient of these time values supplies the transformation factor between the pulse width and...

  • Page 51: Tcp/Ip Command Set

    B. TCP/IP Command Set B. TCP/IP Command Set This section provides a complete overview of the remote control commands of the PulseScout2 . The command structure of the PulseScout2 is mostly in agreement with the SCPI-standard. How- ever, A·P·E does not state compliance nor conformance to the standard, since some standard commands are not yet implemented in the present version.
  • Page 52 B. TCP/IP Command Set *ESE<value> Set Event Status Enable Register <value> ESE Register Value as integer, range: 0 ... 255, Example: *ESE=127 *ESE? Get Event Status Enable Register <value> ESE Register Value as integer, range: 0 ... 255, Example: *ESE? *SRE<value>...
  • Page 53 B. TCP/IP Command Set *OPER? Get Operation Status <oper> SCPI Opertation Status (16 Bit unsigned as decimal) Bit0: Disconnected, Bit1: VISA Connected, Bit2: Device Initialized, Bit3: Device ready, Bit4: Device busy, Bit5: Standby (Delaymotor off), Bit6: Data Error (AFC not valid), Bit7: Software Error, Bit8: Firmware Error (see *FRMW?), Bit9: Shutdown, Bit10: Service Mode active, Bit11: un- used, Bit12: unused, Bit13: unused, Bit14: unused, Bit15: unused as integer, Example:...
  • Page 54 B. TCP/IP Command Set unused, Bit14: unused, Bit15: unused as integer, Example: *OPER? scoutlink:SYSTEM:DEVICE? scoutlink:SYS:DEVICE? Get Device Name <name> Device Name as string, Example: scoutlink:sys:device? scoutlink:SYSTEM:SNUMBER? scoutlink:SYS:SNUMBER? Get Device Serialnumber <snr> Device Serial Number (S00000 - S99999) as string, Example: scoutlink:sys:snumber? scoutlink:SYSTEM:SOFTWARE? scoutlink:SYS:SOFTWARE?
  • Page 55 B. TCP/IP Command Set scoutlink:SYSTEM:MOTOR? scoutlink:SYS:MOTOR? Get Motor Type <version> Motor Type as string, Example: scoutlink:sys:motor? scoutlink:SYSTEM:HELP? scoutlink:SYS:HELP? Get List of all SCPI Commands <command_list> Command List as array of s in block data format, Example: scoutlink:sys:help? scoutlink:STATUS:AVERAGE<number> scoutlink:STA:AVERAGE<number> Set number of measurements used for averaging <number>...
  • Page 56 B. TCP/IP Command Set Example: scoutlink:sta: ttype 1 scoutlink:STATUS:FITTYPE? scoutlink:STA:FITTYPE? Get type of calculated curve- t <type> Fittype 0: No Curve t performed, 1: Gaussian Model, 2: Sech2 Model, 3: Lorentz Model as integer, range: 0 ... 3, Example: scoutlink:sta: ttype? scoutlink:STATUS:START? scoutlink:STA:START? Status of Measurement...
  • Page 57 B. TCP/IP Command Set scoutlink:STATUS:TRIGGER? scoutlink:STA:TRIGGER? Get current Triggermode <status> Triggermode (1 = active, 0 = inactive) as string, Example: scoutlink:sta:trigger? scoutlink:STATUS:DETECTOR? scoutlink:STA:DETECTOR? Get PMT Detection Status <status> PMT detected (1 = PMT found, 0 = no PMT) as string, Example: scoutlink:sta:detector? scoutlink:CRYSTAL:TUNING<number>...
  • Page 58 B. TCP/IP Command Set Example: scoutlink:mot:sfrna? scoutlink:MOTOR:SCANRANGE<scanrange> scoutlink:MOT:SCR<scanrange> Set ScanRange <scanrange> Scanrange 0/ZERO: Zeroscan, 1/150: 150 fs, 2/500: 500 fs, 3/1500: 1.5 ps, 4/5000: 5 ps, 5/15000: 15 ps, 6/30000: 30 ps (optional) as integer, unit: fs Example: scoutlink:mot:scr 15000 scoutlink:MOTOR:SCANRANGE? scoutlink:MOT:SCR? Get ScanRange...
  • Page 59 B. TCP/IP Command Set Example: scoutlink:det:sen 10 scoutlink:DETECTOR:SENSITIVITY? scoutlink:DET:SEN? Get Sensitivity <number> Detector Sensitivity 1: Low Sensitivity, 10: High Sensitivity, 100: (optional "HighSen"-Feature) as integer, Example: scoutlink:det:sen? scoutlink:TRIGGER:LEVEL<level> scoutlink:TRI:LVL<level> Set Trigger Level <level> Trigger Level as integer, range: 100 ... 5000, unit: mV Example: scoutlink:tri:lvl scoutlink:TRIGGER:LEVEL?
  • Page 60 B. TCP/IP Command Set scoutlink:TRIGGER:FREQUENCY? scoutlink:TRI:FRQ? Get Trigger Frequency <level> Trigger Frequency as integer, unit: Hz Example: scoutlink:tri:del? scoutlink:TRIGGER:IMPEDANCE<level> scoutlink:TRI:IMP<level> Set Trigger Impedance <level> Trigger Impedance as integer, unit: Ohms Example: scoutlink:tri:imp scoutlink:TRIGGER:IMPEDANCE? scoutlink:TRI:IMP? Get Trigger Impedance <level> Trigger Impedance as integer, unit: Ohms Example: scoutlink:tri:imp? scoutlink:ACF:DATA?
  • Page 61 B. TCP/IP Command Set scoutlink:ACF:MEANDATA? Get ACF Mean Data <mean> Mean Values separated by semicolons: "[AVG];[Xmax];[Xmin];[Ymax];[Ymin]" as string, Example: scoutlink:acf:meandata? scoutlink:ACF:FWHM? Get FWHM Value <fwhm> FWHM Value as double, Example: scoutlink:acf:fwhm? scoutlink:ACF:FITFWHM? Get tted FWHM Value <fwhm> Fitted FWHM Value as integer, Example: scoutlink:acf: tfwhm? PulseScout2 Version 1.1...

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