Time Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC)

We are exclusive North American agents for Becker & Hickl of Berlin, Germany - arguably the leading designer and producer of TCSPC electronics in the world.

We are exclusive North American agents for id Quantique of Geneva, Switzerland for their best-in-the-world line of single photon counting silicon and InGaAs APDs.

We are exclusive North American agents for Licel GmbH of Berlin, Germany for their Linear and TCSPC based hybrid atmospheric probe LIDAR receiver electronics.

We are authorized resellers of photon counting PMTs and MCP PMTs for Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. of Hamamatsu City, Japan.

All in all, Boston Electronics Corporation is the North American company most fully dedicated to TCSPC.

To a large extent, TCSPC remains a Do It Yourself marketplace with most sales being 'tools' as opposed to complete solutions.  The exceptions are especially:

• Fluorescence Lifetime Spectrometers
• Fluorescence Limetime Imaging Microscopes (to a lesser extent)

One can buy a FLIM-ready microscope from Zeiss or a complete FLIM-eneabled microscope (incorporating B&H TCSPC electronics) from Leica.  Or you can Do It Yourself (espcially, convert an existing research grade microscope) by buying the key parts from us - we will tell you how to put it together painlessly).

If your interest is in Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy, click HERE for a PDF that tells (almost) all.

If your interest is in atmospheric probe LIDAR, click HERE to go to the page on our website that has the details.

If your interest is in picosecond photon counting PMTs and APDs, click HERE for a big data dump.

If your interest is 'other' (= Do It Yourself) then click HERE for more general information - or read below.

You may already be familiar with or using B&H electronics if you have fluorescence time decay products from either Edinburgh Instruments in Scotland or from Picoquant  in Germany as both these companies previously used B&H electronics modules in their systems.

FLIM and FRET

The largest single application at this time is FLIM, Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging, using a laser scanning confocal microscope (we have upgrade kits for Zeiss, Leica and Olympus) and a high rep rate picosecond (or faster) laser such as a Ti: Sapphire or a pulsed diode for one-photon or two-photon excitation.  FRET, fluorescence resonant energy transfer, can be best visualized by FLIM.   Another (increasingly) hot topic is FCS, Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy.  The latest version of the B&H software (bundled at no cost with the electronics) includes a new FCS module.

At SPIE's BiOS and Photonics West conferences in San Jose (2007) we INTRODUCED a NEW FLIM microscope from Becker & Hickl.  Contact us for details of how to convert almost ANY microscope to confocal fluorescence lifetime imaging operation at a fraction of the cost of a system from Zeiss, Leica, or Olympus!

For a more complete idea of what is available, including prices [we sell at the exact same prices as posted in euros on their website except translated at our risk into US $ or other currency of your choice and with a little added for freight and duty added], please click through to the B&H website at www.becker-hickl.de (The B&H control and analysis software can be downloaded there and will run in demo mode with no card installed ) and / or download the LARGE documents below. 

• What is Time Correlated Single Photon Counting?
• PC Based TCSPC Systems
• Fluorescence Lifetime Microscopy
• Fast Detectors for TCSPC
• Picosecond Laser Diodes for TCSPC

And for the very very serious, the latest version of the B&H Manual is available by clicking here.  This is a very large tutorial handbook.