General ............................ 8 Electrical ..........................8 Lasers and optical fibers ......................8 ID Qube Series: principle of operation .................... 9 Avalanche photodiodes and single-photon avalanche detectors ........... 9 Principle of photon counting ....................9 Asynchronous and synchronous detection mode ..............10 3.3.1...
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Calibration verification and tests ..................32 Support............................33 10.1 Getting support ........................33 10.2 Warranty and Repair Return Procedure, assistance and support ........33 10.3 Packing, shipping and storage....................33 Waste disposal .......................... 35 11.1 ID Qube Series device and accessories ................. 35...
The information in this manual has been carefully checked and is believed to be accurate. However, ID Quantique assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may be contained in this manual. In no event will ID Quantique be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect or omission in this manual, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
1.4 Warranty IDQ warrants this equipment against defect in material and workmanship for a period of twelve months from the date of original shipment unless otherwise specified in the contractual documentation. IDQ warrants that this equipment will during the entire warrantee period meet applicable specifications under normal use.
The following safety notices must be observed in order to protect the user against any potential risk that could arise during normal operation. The ID Qube Series must be located in a way that it can be easily unplugged or switched off 2.2 Electrical...
3 ID Qube Series: principle of operation 3.1 Avalanche photodiodes and single-photon avalanche detectors An avalanche photodiode (APD) is a highly sensitive semiconductor electronic device that exploits the photoelectric effect (Figure 1) to convert light to electricity. APDs can be thought of as photodetectors that provide a built-in first stage of gain through avalanche multiplication.
3.3 Asynchronous and synchronous detection mode The ID Qube Series features different models which are designed to offer asynchronous or synchronous single-photon detection and optimized signal-to-noise performance for each application. The ID Qube Free Running models are designed for asynchronous operation and can detect single- photon at any time.
selectable dead time. If a gate starts during the dead time, the device will automatically blank it and it will wait until the next available gate signal. Figure 2. Gated mode 3.4 Dead-time and afterpulsing In an InGaAs/InP SPAD structure, some of the carriers generated during an avalanche can be trapped in the lattice structure (in the InP multiplication region).
4 ID Qube Series product overview 4.1 ID Qube Series models and versions The ID Qube Series of detectors is highly customizable in terms of detector type, electronics, and optical interface and within the ID Qube product range several models and versions are available.
Gate IN trigger signal (providing a gate synchronization signal) or Analog OUT (to access an amplified version of the avalanche signal, not available on all units). Aux: SMA connector. Used by ID Quantique service staff for service purposes only. Do not attempt to use this port. ...
o Red. An error occurred, please follow instructions on GUI. o Yellow. The device is ready for a software/firmware update. Please refer to the corresponding section of the user manual for more information. Power inlet: Use this port to connect the external power supply provided with the system. o The symbol means continuous current o The symbol...
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Figure 5. Free-space front face Figure 6. Free-space optical interface and microlens dimensions...
5 Getting started 5.1 Unpacking your ID Qube - What is in the box? The ID Qube must be carefully unpacked. Please inform ID Quantique about any damage that might have occurred during the transportation. Please store the original package in case the product must be returned for repair or calibration.
I/O Connector Label Direction Voltage Comment Power 100-240[VAC] Not Used. Shall be left Unconnected. +/-2[V] 50[Ω] terminated Gate IN / Analog OUT +/-2[V] 50[Ω] terminated NIM: 0[V]: -0.8[V] 16[mA] on a 50[Ω] load Detection Out LVTTL: 0[V] to 3.3[V] 50[Ω] load driver capable Table 5: Connector Electrical Specifications User shall connect to the connector devices, equipment in respect of the Table 5: Connector Electrical Specifications .
operate an ID Qube. Component Minimum requirement Processor 4th gen x86 Intel i5 or equivalent 4 GB Minimum disk space 100 MB Table 6. Computer minimum hardware requirements The host computer must have the following software as a minimum: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro or newer ...
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2. Download the latest version of the ID Qube graphical user interface software here or scan the QR code available on the device. 3. Install the ID Qube graphical user interface: Double click on the “ID Qube GUI_Release X.X” windows installer package file to start the installer and follow the on-screen instructions. 4.
6 Using the ID Qube user software This section presents the ID Qube Graphical User Interface (GUI) software. Launch the ID Qube GUI by clicking on its icon. The GUI opens and automatically displays the counters of the connected ID Qube device. 6.1 The ID Qube Graphical User Interface overview As shown in Figure 8, the GUI window can be divided into different areas: ...
6.2 Counters panel Figure 9. Counters menu This section displays the number of detected counts per second (cps) for each connected device. The upper section shows the actual photon count per second, while the graph at the bottom shows the cps evolution over time for each ID Qube.
Clear trace history: It clears (data permanently deleted) recorded trace for the selected device. Clear all traces : It clears (data permanently deleted) recorded traces for all connected devices. Logging: It automatically saves counter data in a log file. ...
In this section, the following values and parameters of the selected device are monitored: Detector threshold: It is the threshold voltage applied to the analog detection signal. Bias Voltage: It is the bias voltage applied to the photodiode. ...
LED interface: This function allows the user to switch ON and OFF the LED status indication (useful in the case complete darkness is required by the experiment). Gate threshold: The set threshold value will be applied to the Gate IN signal. ...
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It should not be done unless an authorized ID Quantique service person has given you the instruction to perform a firmware update. Before clicking on this button read the paragraph about firmware update in the manual.
6.6 Logs panel Figure 13. Logs menu In this section, the system logs are displayed. The logs are useful for troubleshooting purposes. When the slider “Save devices logs” is ON, the selected device logs are stored into a dedicated text file located in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\IDQ\ID Qube\GUI\<GUI version>\logs\device The ”...
6.7 About panel Figure 14. About menu This section displays ID Quantique contact and copyright information, and the currently installed software version.
7 Using the ID Qube programming interface 7.1 Installing the SKD package and Python libraries The ID Qube SDK, installed separately from the GUI, provides a Python 3 library to control your ID Qube with Python scripts. In order to use the programming interface, you first need to install missing required Python libraries with the following command.
8 Firmware update From time to time ID Quantique product support team may recommend to install a new firmware offering enhanced performance. A step-by-step procedure will be provided together with the new firmware pack. To get the procedure about how to update the firmware of the ID Qube, please contact...
• Any adjustments, maintenance, and repair should be handled and carried out only by an authorized ID Quantique service technician while the power cable is disconnected. Do not attempt any internal service or adjustment. Do not replace any components. •...
POWER SUPPLY 100 - 240 VAC Voltage Maximum current 1.5 A Frequency 50-60 Hz Table 7. Power supply specifications 9.2.2 Power cable This unit uses an international safety standard three-wire power cable. This cable serves as a ground when connected to an appropriate AC power receptacle. The type of power cable supplied with each unit is determined according to the country of destination.
(applies to fiber version only). 9.5 Calibration verification and tests The ID Qube Series of detectors do not require any specific maintenance and are designed to offer reliable and accurate operation over their entire lifetime. It is however recommended to check the device calibration on an annual basis to see how it has drifted from its factory-adjusted settings.
In order to facilitate the user support, be ready to provide the model and version of ID Qube Series you are using. In case of bugs please write down the error message and the situation in which it has occurred as well as the software version.
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Avoid unnecessary shock and vibration Prior to shipment, the packed ID Qube Series should be labeled: “protect against moisture“, “Fragile“. WORKING ENVIRONMENT Temperature 5-35°C Maximum humidity Table 8. Working specifications STORAGE/TRANSPORT ENVIRONMENT Temperature 5-50°C Maximum humidity Table 9. Storage and Transport specifications...
11 Waste disposal 11.1 ID Qube Series device and accessories When decommissioning the ID Qube Series, the device and its accessories must be recycled according to local laws...
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