Prima 3-Color Stand-Alone Picosecond Laser

Compact 3-color picosecond laser delivering flexible ns to ms excitation with cost-effective multicolour performance and straightforward operation.

THREE COLORS. ONE PULSE. ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES.

Key Benefits

• Simple multi-wavelength setup — three selectable excitation wavelengths in one compact device
• Lower system complexity — no need for larger multi-driver laser platforms
• Cost-effective excitation source — multicolour performance without the premium price tag
• Improved data quality — clean, reproducible picosecond pulses with excellent timing precision
• Easy integration & control — fully digital control via USB-C
• Reliable long-term stability — stable alignment and minimal maintenance

Multicolour Excitation Made Simple

Gain-Switched Design for Fast and Slow Dynamics

Prima is a compact 3-color gain-switched picosecond laser designed for researchers who need multiple excitation wavelengths with cost-effective performance and without the complexity of larger laser platforms. It offers pulsed, CW, and fast CW switching in one device, enabling flexible excitation across nanosecond-to-millisecond time scales for both fast and slow dynamics. Based on gain-switching technology, Prima generates clean, reproducible picosecond pulses with excellent timing precision in a compact and robust design. Its efficient excitation also benefits materials with low luminescence quantum yield. With stable alignment, minimal maintenance, and fully digital control, Prima brings reliable multicolour performance into even the smallest laboratories.

Precision, Stability, and Control

• Internal repetition rates from 1 kHz to 200 MHz, with external triggering up to 200 MHz
• Excellent timing performance with < 12 ps jitter
• High power stability, below 3% RMS over 12 hours
• Optional fibre coupling with multi-mode fibres for all colours, and single-mode fibre coupling for one selected wavelength (up to 35% efficiency)
• Fully computer-controlled via USB-C, compatible with Windows 10 and 11

Flexible Control for Complex Excitation Schemes

Prima unlocks advanced excitation schemes without the need for complex multi-driver setups. Its flexible timing architecture supports burst sequences, pump–probe workflows, and other custom pulse patterns. Internal and external triggering up to 200 MHz ensures precise synchronisation with detectors, scanners, or TCSPC electronics. Whether you’re mapping fast photophysics, separating species in single-molecule assays, or probing long-lived states, Prima makes sophisticated excitation patterns easy to set up and reproducible in daily operation.

Advancing Doppler Single-Photon LiDAR with Prima

Researchers at Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL) demonstrated that a pulsed lidar system can measure both distance and velocity in real time using only single photons. In their proof-of-principle demonstration of Doppler Single-Photon Lidar (SPL), Joshua Rapp and his team relied on Prima to deliver clean, precise pulses at the 40 MHz rate used in their experiment. They selected Prima not only for its stability and wavelength flexibility, but also for its capability to support future SPL studies exploring much higher repetition rates up to 200 MHz.

Fibre Coupling Option

Prima can be equipped with a multi-mode fibre output that supports efficient and stable beam delivery. Typical coupling performance reaches above 70%, depending on wavelength and configuration. Each unit is aligned before shipment to provide a reliable, well-defined signal at the fibre interface.