PMS-300 PMS-400 800 MHz Gated Photon Counters / Multiscalers

Table of Contents
Overview.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Detectors for Photon Counting ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Photon Counting - The Logical Solution .................................................................................................................................. 7
The PMS Module....................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Architecture of the PMS ........................................................................................................................................................... 9
Operation Modes ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Applications.............................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Installation ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Requirements to the Computer ................................................................................................................................................. 14
Installation of the PMS Standard Software............................................................................................................................... 14
Software Update ....................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Update from the Web .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Installation of the PMS Module................................................................................................................................................ 15
PMS-400 ................................................................................................................................................................. 15
PMS-300 ................................................................................................................................................................. 15
Module Test ............................................................................................................................................................ 16
Installation Problems............................................................................................................................................... 16
Module Address, Installing Several PMS-300 Modules ........................................................................................................... 17
Using the PMS Software without PMS Hardware .................................................................................................................... 18
Building up Measurement Apparatus with the PMS-300 and PMS-400.................................................................................................... 19
Count Inputs ............................................................................................................................................................................. 19
GATE Inputs............................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Generating a Gating Signal ..................................................................................................................................... 21
Special Configurations of the GATE and COUNT Inputs........................................................................................................ 22
Trigger Input............................................................................................................................................................................. 22
PMS-300 ................................................................................................................................................................. 22
PMS-400 ................................................................................................................................................................. 23
Choosing and Connecting the Detector .................................................................................................................................... 24
Conventional PMTs ................................................................................................................................................ 24
Hamamatsu R5600, R7400 and Derivatives ........................................................................................................... 24
PMH-100 ................................................................................................................................................................ 25
Hamamatsu H7422 and H8632............................................................................................................................... 25
Hamamatsu H7421.................................................................................................................................................. 25
MCP PMTs ............................................................................................................................................................. 25
Reducing the Dark Count Rate of PMTs................................................................................................................. 26
Checking the SER of PMTs .................................................................................................................................... 27
Safety rules for PMTs and MCPs............................................................................................................................ 27
Avalanche Photodiodes ........................................................................................................................................... 27
Preamplifiers ........................................................................................................................................................... 28
The DCC-100 detector controller............................................................................................................................ 29
Dead Time Considerations ....................................................................................................................................................... 30
Dead Time between Sweeps.................................................................................................................................... 30
Dead Time between Bins ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Dead Time between Counts..................................................................................................................................... 31
External Control Signals and Supply Voltages ........................................................................................................................ 32
Software..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35
Menu Bar.................................................................................................................................................................................. 36
Curve Window.......................................................................................................................................................................... 36
Device State.............................................................................................................................................................................. 36
Module Parameters ................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Module / Active....................................................................................................................................................... 37
Trigger Condition.................................................................................................................................................... 37
Gate Level ............................................................................................................................................................... 37
Trigger Threshold (PMS-400)................................................................................................................................. 37
Input Threshold ....................................................................................................................................................... 37
Event Threshold ...................................................................................................................................................... 37
Measurement Control ............................................................................................................................................................... 38
Mode ....................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Repeat ..................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Points per Curve...................................................................................................................................................... 39
Time per Point......................................................................................................................................................... 39
Accumulate ............................................................................................................................................................. 39
Overall Time ........................................................................................................................................................... 39
Display Control ....................................................................................................................................................... 39
Step Motor Control ................................................................................................................................................. 40
Configuring a measurement sequence..................................................................................................................... 40
Measuring into different Curves.............................................................................................................................. 41
Functions in the Menu Bar ....................................................................................................................................................... 42
Main: Load, Save, Print, Counter Test .................................................................................................................... 42
Parameters............................................................................................................................................................... 47
Display.................................................................................................................................................................... 51
Start......................................................................................................................................................................... 53
2