xTDC4-PCIe

Our common start time to digital converter

A classic common-start TDC featuring 4 stop channels with a bin size of 13ps.

High precision

The occurring cycle-to-cycle jitter of the xTDC4-PCIe is much lower than the bin size of 13ps. Therefore you can expect an RMS error below 7ps for your measurements.

Bipolar

The threshold discriminators can handle positive and negative threshold settings with configurable level. This allows you to use the xTDC4-PCIe with a wide range of detectors or constant fraction discriminators (CFD).

TiGer timing generator

All inputs can also be used to output periodic pulse patterns for controlling external devices. The exact timing of the generated pulses is measured by the TDC.

The xTDC4-PCIe is based on a classic common-start architecture yielding high data throughput. In a common-start scenario, the arrival-times of pulses on the "stop"-inputs are measured relative to a signal on the "start"-input. The xTDC4-PCIe is ideally suited for a multitude of time-of-flight applications such as TOF mass spectrometery (TOF-MS), time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and LIDAR.

The xTDC4-PCIe's four stop channels allow, for example, to use segmented detectors or measure pulses from a single detector channel at multiple thresholds to obtain rudimentary pulse height-information. Such features are benefitial in many TOF-MS applications and LIDAR light detection and ranging. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopes (FLIM) benefit strongly from the high timing resolution of the xTDC4-PCIe.

The integrate of a xTDC4-PCIe in applications your data acquisition application is easy! The board provides a stream simple data structures as a ring buffer, containing a list of relative time stamps for all stop events.

Applications:

FLIM

fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy

The decay time of an electronically excited fluorophore is typically in the range a few nanoseconds. In fluorescence lifetime imaging the exponential decay of a sample is determined requiring a timing resolution in the picosecond regime. Our sophisticated TDC and ADC solutions master this job with excellence.

Lidar

also known as: LIDAR, LiDAR, and LADAR, "light detection and ranging", "laser imaging, detection, and ranging", "3-D laser scanning"

LIDAR Systems emit ultraviolet, visible, or near infrared light to image objects and measuring the time-of-flight (TOF) of reflected photons. Such systems are used for object detection and tracking in many different fields, ranging from archaeology to agriculture, autonomous vehicles and robots etc. The high timing resolution of cronologic ADCs and TDCs is a key to reaching highest ranging accuracy and our devices’ high data throughput allows for targeting even complex measurement scenarios.

delay line detectors

for microchannel plate detectors (MCP)

The position-readout of MCPs via a delayline detector (DLD) is today’s best choice in case of single particle detection. Delayline detectors have excellent signal to noise properties, depict superior imaging dynamics and, in addition have a high time resolution. Modern delayline detectors are furthermore multiple hit-capable. Our TDCs are perfect companions for readout of these detectors.

detectors for mass spectrometry

TOF- & MASS- spectroscopy detectors, TOFMS

In many TOFMS units cronologic TDCs are used to measure precisely the arrival of single ions. From the arrival time, the ion’s time-of-flight is deduced, from which the mass-to-charge ratio of the detected particle can be determined. A crucial factor for a successful measurment is the extremely low cycle-to-cycle jitter of our TDCs and their very low multiple hit detection deadtime.

phase shift measurements

frequency and phase shift measurements, phase-noise-analyzers

In phase measurements the phase of an incident signal is compared to the phase of a device's response signal. With increasing frequency, such phase shift measurements become more challenging. cronologic TDCs provide many features which help to address this difficult task.

photon counting

single-photon detectors (SPD), detection of individual photons, photosensors

Whether in astrophysics, materials science, quantum information science, quantum encryption, medical imaging, DNA sequencing or in fiber-optic communication: Single-photon detectors (SPD) provide a timing signal from which, for example, fluorescence lifetimes of excited matter can be deduced. This is the perfect job for our TDCs and in some applications already our "entry level"-device can be employed.

quantum cryptography

quantum information science, quantum encryption, quantum key distribution (QKD)

Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables the tap-proof encryption of data by exploiting the quantum properties of light. For transmission of encrypted data single-photon sources (SPS) can be used for optimal performance. Our fast TDCs facilitate the development of single-photon counting receiver modules which convert single-photon detection events into streams of time-tags - synchronized to the excitation-laser source.

xTDC4-PCIe

xTDC4-PCIe

Our common start time to digital converter

High precision

Bipolar

TiGer timing generator

Applications:

FLIM

Lidar

delay line detectors

detectors for mass spectrometry

phase shift measurements

photon counting

quantum cryptography

xTDC4-PCIe

- Data

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