Swept Field Confocal (SFC)

The Swept Field Confocal is a Prairie invention that brings both high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution together into a single compact confocal scanner The SFC technology overcomes many of the limitations of traditional confocal systems, such as a lack of synchronization between moving pinholes and the CCD camera, crosstalk between pinholes, and a limited selection of objective lenses. Because the SFC has selectable aperture sizes, several objective lens magnifications and numerical apertures can be used for maximum resolution. In addition, users can control the acquisition time and laser exposure with software control, as well as the frequency and duration of each "sweep" of the scanner, allowing for maximum flexibility in scanner control.Highest spatial resolution is obtained by using the pinhole size best suited to a given objective lens. Highest temporal resolution is achieved in either of the slit positions. Rates in excess of 2 kHz may be achieved provided a suitable CCD camera is used.

Features

• High Speed
Frame rates of up to 100 frames per second (fps) in pinhole mode and up to 1000 fps in slit mode are possible, with selection of an appropriate camera. Ideal for live samples, the frequency of scanning is very short, minimizing the effects of photobleaching and phototoxicity.
• Maximum Resolution
  Six scanning modes for maximum resolution, spatially, axially, and temporally.
• Multiple detector choices
• Multiple laser configurations
Up to 6 laser lines are available
• Linear pinhole arrangement:
  square root of crosstalk of array scanners.
• Detector choices
• Integrated software control

Download the Swept Field Confocal (SFC)+ Specification file (PDF)