Key applications and features
- Confocal microscopy
- Live cell imaging
- VIS, NIR and SWIR excitation and detection
- High dynamic range
- Ultra broadband
Our Imaging Line offers advanced multipixel SNSPDs optimized for high-sensitivity imaging applications.
Designed for photon number resolving, imaging, and long-distance optical communication, our solutions enable precision and performance for cutting-edge research in fields such as quantum microscopy, neuroscience, and astrophysics.
Our detection solution for microscopy
Single Quantum Eos Vision
The best confocal microscope for imaging across VIS, NIR, and SWIR
We understand the challenges of achieving optimal signal-to-noise ratios in the NIR and SWIR spectral ranges. To address this, we have collaborated with PicoQuant to develop an innovative solution that allows you to capture high-quality images with outstanding signal-to-noise for fluorescence signals in these wavelengths.
By combining our detection technology with PicoQuant‘s microscope, we can now offer a fully customized microscope solution tailored to meet your specific research needs.
FLIM made possible in the NIR and SWIR
Ultra-high timing resolution and high dynamic range
The integration of our SNSPs with PicoQuant‘s confocal imaging system is specifically designed for NIR/SWIR FLIM, delivering exceptional lifetime precision through the ultra-high timing resolution of 15 ps and a high dynamic range. This makes it an ideal solution for FLIM in the NIR and SWIR regions, where lifetimes are often short, allowing you to extract more information from your samples.
Optimized for NIR and SWIR imaging applications
With the Eos Vision x MicroTime system, you can easily image a variety of fluorescent markers, including ICG, quantum dots, nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes. The system’s versatile excitation and detection capabilities make it ideal for a wide range of imaging applications, as well as an excellent choice for material science applications, enabling clear visualization of perovskites and single-photon sources.
Eos Vision highlights
- Upright or inverted confocal microscopy
- VIS NIR and SWIR excitation and detection
- FLIM compatible
- Live cell imaging
- Material and life science compatible
- User friendly
Specifications
This microscopy solution can achieve greater imaging depth in biological tissue with NIR/SWIR, leveraging the optical sectioning capabilities unique to confocal microscopy. For life science applications, a sample stage and an incubation chamber are available to meet your experimental needs.
Do you want to see deeper into biological tissues?
SNSPDs contribute to the pursuit of seeing deeper into biological tissue, where water absorption together with Mie-scattering are the essential limiting factors for microscopy.
There are certain ‘optical windows’ for biological tissue imaging, where microscopy works the best. In the SWIR wavelength range, these regions are located around 1000 nm, 1400 nm, and 1900 nm. Single Quantum SNSPDs prove to be ideal for photon detection in this range, and are the only detector technology that is sensitive enough to cover the range from 1000 to 2000 nm.
Try that out yourself! Shine a green laser and a red laser through your finger and see where you get more light.
Signal-to-background ratio
With our SNSPD technology we provide light detectors with ultra-low dark counts (< 50 CPS) and high detection efficiencies, leading to a superb signal-to-noise ratio for imaging applications. As an example, the image (adapted from Suppl. Info of Ref. 1) shows a confocal microscopy picture of blood vessels in a mouse stomache infused with quantum dots recoreded with an SNSPD in comparison with a photomultiplier tube (PMT).
The SNSPD image is much crisper and shows more contrast due to their excellent sensitivity.
Improved photoluminescence lifetime resolution
Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) studies the lifetime of luminescent events like fluorescence by analyzing the timing of photon arrivals relative to the excitation source, often using time-tagging electronics. Single Quantum’s SNSPDs, with time resolution on the order of 10 ps, are ideal for these experiments.
Key applications in life sciences include fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy, where superior time resolution enables the study of fast decays beyond the reach of conventional detectors.
Application areas
SNSPDs enhance confocal microscopy by providing high sensitivity, broad wavelength coverage, and excellent temporal resolution. These capabilities improve signal detection and depth resolution, supporting detailed imaging for applications in life sciences and materials research.
Single Quantum Iris X can improve laser communication systems with high sensitivity, fast response times, and low noise multipixel detection systems. These features enable reliable detection of weak optical signals over long distances, making them ideal for applications in deep-space communication and secure optical networks.
LiDAR Measurements use laser pulses to map environments with high precision, critical for applications like autonomous navigation and environmental monitoring. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors enhance LiDAR performance with their high sensitivity and fast recovery times, enabling detection of faint reflections and operation over long distances.
Scientific Publications
- Deep Mouse Brain Two-Photon Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging Using a Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detector Array (2024) – ACS Publications
- Integration of a superconducting nanowire detector into a confocal microscope for TRPL-mapping: Sensitivity and time resolution (2023) – AIP Publishing
- Interstitial null-distance time-domain diffuse optical spectroscopy using a superconducting nanowire detector (2023) – PubMed
- Deep confocal fluorescence microscopy with single-photon superconducting nanowire detector (2023) – SPIE Digital Library
- In vivo non-invasive confocal fluorescence imaging beyond 1,700 nm using superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (2022) – Nature Nanotechnology
- High-performance photon number resolving detectors for 850–950 nm wavelength range (2024) – APL Photonics
- Ultra-high system detection efficiency superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors for quantum photonics and life sciences (2022) – Optica CLEO Journal
- Efficient mid-infrared single-photon detection using superconducting NbTiN nanowires with high time resolution in a Gifford-McMahon cryocooler (2022) – Optica Photonics Research
- Detecting telecom single photons with 99.5% system detection efficiency and high time resolution (2021) – APL Photonics
- Multimode-fiber-coupled superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors with high detection efficiency and time resolution (2019) – Optica Applied Optics
Improve your microscopy experiments?
To tailor the optimal solution for you, our engineers will assist you, starting from understanding your needs and define the system specifications together with you.