System having a configurable pico-second pulsed LED driver circuit and photomultiplier tube biasing and gating circuits for real-time, time-resolved transient recording of fluorescence

摘要

A high intensity, ultra-short LED pulsing driver circuit is developed for use with a system designed to perform real-time time-resolved, transient recording of a fluorescence. Details of the timing circuitry used to pulse the LED and to provide synchronized PMT gating and ADC trigger pulses are also developed. The LED pulses are intended for fluorophores with lifetimes on the order of about 1.6 ns or longer and gating is used to maintain the detector off or partially off during excitation, thereby maximizing the available detector gain without saturation of the detector by the excitation light.