About Photon Systems
Photon Systems manufactures deep ultraviolet lasers and incoherent sources, instruments based on these sources, and optical and electro-optical accessories for a broad range of applications, primarily within the area of analytical and biotechnology sciences instruments. Since establishing themselves in 1999, they have been developing deep UV lasers and incoherent deep UV sources as well as reflectance, Raman, and fluorescence detectors, sensors, instruments, and systems enabled by these unique deep UV sources. This effort has been driven by an understanding of the unique capabilities for detection and identification of trace amounts of chemical and biological material on surfaces, in water or other liquids, or in aerosols or gases. Photon Systems has been a major leader in the development of these deep UV Raman and fluorescence methods and their implementation in miniature fieldable instruments.
Photon Systems has been sponsored by government funding from NASA, DOD, EPA, and NSF as well as internal funding and funding from various private industrial companies. As a testament to these efforts, Photon Systems was selected in 2014 to supply its 248.6 nm laser to power the first deep UV Raman and fluorescence-based instrument ever to be flown in space.
They also have major collaborations with large pharmaceutical, food, and chemical manufacturing companies (Pfizer, DuPont, DOW, etc.) to develop and supply instruments using these deep UV methods for cleaning validation of manufacturing equipment, product quality testing, as well as product development research.
In addition, Photon Systems has developed several specialised custom instruments for applications to detect trace chemicals and microbial material in very harsh environments from the deep ocean to Antarctica and the Arctic.
Photon Systems supports the following applications:
- Biological detection and analysis
- Chemical detection and analysis
- Cleaning validation
- Forensics
- Geology and Petroleum
- Optical instruments and testing
- Personal exposure monitoring
- Process monitoring and control
- Product quality testing
- Security, chemical biological, and explosive (CBE) detection
- Semiconductor testing
- Water and environmental quality
About their products
Photon Systems has focused on the development of two unique classes of deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser sources as well as analytical and biotechnology sciences instruments. The DUV laser technologies include both hollow cathode and semiconductor devices. These instrument technologies enabled by these lasers include targeted ultraviolet chemical sensors (TUCS) which include an integrated combination of UV resonance fluorescence and/or resonance Raman sensors, photoluminescence (PL) spectrometers, and UV resonance Raman spectrometers (UVRRS).
In addition, Photon Systenms has developed methods for employing its DUV laser technologies for use in other instrumental methodologies such as laser induced resonance fluorescence detectors for capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography instruments, and flow cytometers.
Photon Systems has focused its efforts on deep UV sources and systems due to the major technical advantages demonstrated for chemical sensors and instruments operating in this wavelength range, also due to the paucity of sources and sensor technology in this area. High levels of chemical sensitivity and specificity can be achieved by using UV probe wavelengths in a non-contact, non-invasive, non-destructive sensor that requires no sample handling or preparation.
Featured products:
TraC
The TraC is a miniature handheld instrument for measuring trace chemical contaminants on surfaces, especially focused on cleaning validation and process control for food, pharmaceutical cleaning, and API detection.
To find out more about the TraC click here.
ChemCal
The ChemCal is a chemical printer which has two functions. To generate precisely known concentrations of single or multiple chemical compounds on smooth or irregular surfaces and to calibrate the TraC trace chemical detector over a wide range of chemicals and chemical concentrations.
