Answers to Your Top LDTLS® Questions

Hamamatsu Photonics distributes LDTLS and LDLS products for most countries. Please visit our contact us page or the Hamamatsu website to submit a request for a quotation or send an email to info@energetiq.com. 

For information about the Electrodeless Z-Pinch™ EUV sources, please email info@energetiq.com.

Custom configurations are available to meet stringent OEM application requirements. Please contact us at info@energetiq.com to initiate a discussion.

We recommend changing the bulb in an LDTLS system after 10,000 hours of operation or on an annual basis.

We define the lifetime of the lamp / bulb as when the intensity has dropped more than 50% at 500 nm. The spectral output at 500 nm decreases about 1% - 2% every 1,000 hours under standard operating conditions with nitrogen purging.

The standard warranty is 12 months. Extended warranties are available for certain models and circumstances.

We recommend a warm-up time of approximately 30 minutes before taking measurements to ensure that the LDTLS system has reached thermal equilibrium. The actual warm-up time for an application may be longer or shorter depending on the precision of measurements to be made.

The TLS-EQ-9-S includes an integrated fan, and no external cooling hardware is required.

The TLS-EQ-77 models require water cooling with a flow rate of approximately 0.5 liters per minute at a temperature between 18 and 30 degrees Celsius. Listed below is a suitable chiller that can be directly purchased through your local Solid State Cooling, Inc. representative or through Energetiq (Part Number: EQ-77-CHILLER-KIT).

• Solid State Cooling Systems Model UC190 Ultra Compact Chiller (190 Watts)

TLS-EQ-9-S

• 380 nm – 1100 nm

TLS-EQ-77-S

• 350 nm – 1100 nm

TLS-EQ-77-UV

• 200 nm – 770 nm

TLS-EQ-77-NIR

• 800 nm – 1700 nm 

LDTLS Model | Maximum and Average In-Band Flux

TLS-EQ-9-S*

• Maximum – 3.5 mW at 882 nm
• Average – 1.1 mW

TLS-EQ-77-S*

• Maximum – 4.9 mW at 440 nm
• Average – 2.3 mW

TLS-EQ-77-UV**

• Maximum – 1.6 mW at 300 nm
• Average – 1.1 mW (200 nm - 500 nm)

TLS-EQ-77-NIR*

• Maximum – 1.6 mW at 920 nm
• Average – 0.44 mW

* 1500 μm core diameter fiber optic cable
** 600 μm core diameter fiber optic cable

The scan speed of LDTLS systems is <20 ms for a 2 nm step. 2 nm is the smallest step size.

The TLS-EQ-77-S has a typical wavelength accuracy of ± 0.5 nm, while the TLS-EQ-9, TLS-EQ-77-UV, and TLS-EQ-77-NIR have a typical wavelength accuracy of ±1 nm.

For the TLS-EQ-9-S and TLS-EQ-77 models, we offer a LabVIEW-based PC application that provides a convenient user interface to allow the customer to control the system. We also provide Dynamic Link Library (*.dll) files that allow the user to develop their own controls. The system interfaces with Windows operating system through a Mini USB connector.

The LDTLS system can be used in two modes: go-to-wavelength or cycle/sweep. The user is also able to adjust the filter wheel transition for the order sorting filter.

The FWHM bandwidth and in-band flux of the tunable light sources depend on the slit size used in the monochromator.

The TLS-EQ-77-NIR has a standard 1 mm slit resulting in a 9.0 nm FWHM. The TLS-EQ-77-UV has a 1 mm slit with a narrower 600 um fiber resulting in a resolution of 4.7 nm FWHM. The TLS-EQ-77-S slit size cannot be adjusted.

For the TLS-EQ-9-S, the standard slit width is 1 mm which results in a 6 nm FWHM bandwidth. We offer a supplementary slit kit (Part number: TLS-EQ-9-SLIT-KIT) with three additional slit sizes that can be changed by the user.

*Standard slit size 

We recommend that customers use the fiber shipped with their system for optimal performance. The standard fiber was chosen based on the characteristics of the source and typical application requirements.

Other fibers can be used; however, the diameter and type of fiber should be chosen carefully. A fiber with a diameter that is smaller than the width of the monochromator slits will reduce the spectral bandwidth and light throughput of the system. Some fiber materials may absorb different wavelengths of light, impacting the spectral output of the system.

Fibers Compatible with TLS-EQ-9, TLS-EQ-77, and TLS-EQ-NIR

We recommend purging using a grade of 4.8 nitrogen or higher filtered to 5 μm to maintain the optics’ cleanliness. Any lower nitrogen grade may cause complications for the lamp head optics and could cause a photo-contamination. Nitrogen purging of the EQ-77 lamp head is particularly important for the TLS-EQ-77-UV to maintain UV output.

The inlet pressure of nitrogen supply should be set at 20psig (0.14 MPa) for all LDTLS models.

No. Only high-purity nitrogen can be used to purge the LDTLS systems.

No. The LDTLS systems will not hold a vacuum and connecting to a vacuum may cause damage to the optics.

It is not required. However, the standard operating environment for LDTLS is in a cleanroom with nitrogen purging.

No. During all normal operation of the LDTLS system, there is no laser output. Our products create incoherent broadband radiation. In a contained system, a laser is used to sustain a xenon plasma. The radiation exiting the LDTLS system is from the plasma.

LDTLS Model | Laser Class 

• TLS-EQ-77-VIS — Class 1 (IEC 60825-1: 2014)
• TLS-EQ-77-NIR — Class 1 (IEC 60825-1: 2014)
• TLS-EQ-77-UV — Class 1 (IEC 60825-1: 2014)
• TLS-EQ-9-S — Class 1 (IEC 60825-1: 2014)