


iChrome FLE
Flexible Multi-Color Laser Combiner
- Up to 7 laser lines for all major fluorophores from 405 to 785 nm
- COOLAC automatic alignment, never again waste valuable lab time for manual laser alignment
- Tailored to your light source requirements with one or two fiber outputs
- Best image contrast and unsurpassed lifetime due to AOM/AOTF-free all-diode-design
- Combine two different applications with one laser engine – fiber switch / fiber splitter
TOPTICA's iChrome FLE is a flexible laser engine that combines up to 7 laser lines in up to two polarization-maintaining single-mode fibers. Power levels reach up to 100 mW per laser line. The flexible setup can be customized to meet the special needs of each customer. The standard wavelength range of the FLE is 405 - 785 nm. We will select the appropriate fiber according to your desired wavelengths. If the entire wavelength range is required, we can fully integrate a PC-Fiber (Photonic Crystal Fiber), to cover the entire wavelength range of 405 – 785 nm. Like all iChrome systems, the FLE guarantees a plug & play installation via TOPTICA's proprietary COOLAC automatic alignment technology.
Systems equipped with two laser fibers benefit from TOPTICA’s fiber switching technology, which combines fiber switching and fiber splitting in one option. Power hungry applications can benefit from the full power levels at the corresponding fiber, while applications such as a two light-sheet setup can benefit from an exact power balance between both fibers.
Another option available with the iChrome FLE is a separate fiber for up to two wavelengths. TOPTICA’s optical design allows two lasers to be carried in an additional fiber. These could be special wavelengths designed to run in a separate beam path (e.g. 405 or 785 nm, which are corrected separately within the microscope). Another option is to double an existing wavelength for simultaneous high-power operation (e.g. 405 or 488 nm for a separate FRAP input of a microscope).
The iChrome FLE is designed and optimized for many different microscopy techniques. The modulation behavior has been thoroughly tested and optimized at TOPTICA, to guarantee the best performance for scanning applications. Its power level and wavelength range also make it a perfect choice for many non-scanning applications, such as light-sheet microscopy (also known as SPIM), TIRF, spinning disk, structured illumination, super-resolution microscopy and many others.
COOLAC gives the laser combiner plug-and-play simplicity. Installation is done with the simple click of a button in the user software. Green wavelength laser light (532*, 561 and 594 nm) is generated by TOPTICA´s proprietary FDDL (Frequency Doubled Diode Laser) technology, an all-diode approach for these very important wavelengths. Each laser line, including the FDDL’s, is directly modulated up to a frequency of 1 MHz and TOPTICA's "Complete OFF" mechanism guarantees zero photons in the off state. “Complete OFF” also means, that there is absolutely no crosstalk between the individual wavelengths.
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Specification
Wavelength [nm] 405 420 445 460 473 488 505 515 532* Max number of wavelengths 7, max. 2x FDDL Laser type Diode FDDL Center Wavelength Range [nm] ± 4 ± 5 ± 5 ± 5 ± 5 ± 4 ± 5 ± 5 ± 2 Fiber Coupled cw Output Power [mW] 50/100 40 50/100 40/100 40/100 40/100 30 30/60 50 Power Stability (drift over 8h @ room temperature +/- 3 °C) [%] ± 2 RMS Noise (10 Hz - 10 MHz) [%] < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 1 M² < 1,1 Ellipticity [%] < 10 Polarization linear Polarization Ratio (typ.) > 60:1 Polarization Orientation Tolerance (referred to index key) linear, ± 3° (slow axis aligned to index key) Fiber Specification Number of Fiber Outputs 1 or 2 Fiber Output Switching Time [ms] 350 Fiber Output Power Ratio variable from 95:5 to 5:95 Fiber Output Connector FC/AFC (8° angled) as standard, others like FC/PC, FC/APC, FCP8 or SC on request Fiber Cable Length (max.) [m] 2 Fiber Cable Type 3mm Stainless Steel Reinforced Fiber Type Single-mode, Polarization Maintaining Fiber Numerical Aperture (5%) (typ.) 0,080 0,080 0,078 0,077 0,077 0,076 0,075 0,074 0,073 Mode-field diameter (typ.) [µm] 3,9 4,1 4,4 4,6 4,9 5,0 5,2 5,4 5,6 Fiber Type Single-mode, Polarization Maintaining PCF Fiber Numerical Aperture (5%) (typ.) 0,063 0,065 0,069 0,072 0,074 0,076 0,077 0,080 0,082 Mode-field diameter (typ.) [µm] 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 Wavelength [nm] 561 594 640 647 660 705 730 780 Max number of wavelengths 7, max. 2x FDDL Laser type FDDL Diode Center Wavelength Range [nm] ± 2 ± 2 +3 / -5 +4 / -2 ± 5 ± 5 ± 5 ± 5 Fiber Coupled cw Output Power [mW] 20/60 15 80 60 50 12 12 60 Power Stability (drift over 8h @ room temperature +/- 3 °C) [%] ± 2 RMS Noise (10 Hz - 10 MHz) [%] < 1 < 1,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 0,5 < 1 M² < 1,1 Ellipticity [%] < 10 Polarization linear Polarization Ratio (typ.) > 60:1 Polarization Orientation Tolerance (referred to index key) linear, ± 3° (slow axis aligned to index key) Fiber Specification Number of Fiber Outputs 1 or 2 Fiber Output Switching Time [ms] 350 Fiber Output Power Ratio variable from 95:5 to 5:95 Fiber Output Connector FC/AFC (8° angled) as standard, others like FC/PC, FC/APC, FCP8 or SC on request Fiber Cable Length (max.) [m] 2 Fiber Cable Type 3mm Stainless Steel Reinforced Fiber Type Single-mode, Polarization Maintaining Fiber Numerical Aperture (5%) (typ.) 0,071 0,069 0,066 0,066 n/a n/a n/a n/a Mode-field diameter (typ.) [µm] 6,2 6,7 7,5 7,5 Fiber Type Single-mode, Polarization Maintaining PCF Fiber Numerical Aperture (5%) (typ.) 0,086 0,093 0,100 0,100 0,110 0,110 0,114 0,120 Mode-field diameter (typ.) [µm] 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 4,5 -
Additional Information
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Options
Standard Features:
- COOLAC: Constant Optical Output Level by push-button auto-recalibration. This feature ensures full drop-shipment capability and best stability even under heavily changing ambient conditions
- FINE: Feedback Induced Noise Eraser for laser diode based wavelengths. Immunization to optical feedback, ideal for fiber coupling and reflective surfaces
Optional Features:
- FiberOut: Fiber collimator for FC/APC and FC/PC fibers
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Applications
- Flow cytometry
- Confocal microscopy
- Live-cell imaging
- TIRF
- FRAP
- High throughput screening
- Genome analyzers
- Optogenetics
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Downloads
- Download Product info
- Download Brochure iChrome Family
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Literature
- Article: Konstantin Birngruber, Stephan Falke Demand-tailored laser systems: Integrated multi-color laser solutions for quantum optics and biophotonics, Physik Journal Physics’ Best 2019
- German Article: Konstantin Birngruber, Stephan Falke Bedarfsoptimierte Lasersysteme - Integrierte Multi-Farben-Laserlösungen für Quantenoptik und Biophotonik, Physik Journal Best of 2018
- Article: Four‐Color Laser Engine for Efficient Confocal Microscopy (Optik & Photonik 2018)
- Article: Klaviatur der Farben (LASER 2011)
- Article: Lasers for Confocal Microscopy (Imaging & Microscopy 2011)
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