PhotonPix

High-throughput single photon counting

PhotonPix is the solution for ultra-fast single photon counting. The heart of the detector is a microchannel plate based photomultiplier tube, enabling a dead time below 2 ns and sustainable count rates above 100 MHz and burst rates of up to 1 GHz. The combination of high throughput detection with a timing resolution below 35 ps makes PhotonPix an ideal photon detector for your application. Its large ⌀8 mm sensitive area can accomodate one of four highly sensitive photocathodes, matching the spectral range you are interested in.

Software

A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.

The included control software gives you full access to every PhotonPix connected to your PC, with no limit on the number of devices. A single window shows live count rates, discriminator threshold and high-voltage settings for each detector, so multi-channel experiments can be configured and monitored side by side. Settings are stored per device and reloaded on startup, and all parameters exposed in the interface are also available through the API for integration into your own acquisition scripts.

Ultra-low deadtime

A screen shot of a computer Description automatically generated

The oscilloscope trace shows two consecutive photon events as seen at the anode (upper beam) and at the logical NIM output (lower beam). The second pulse is resolved cleanly 1.6 ns after the first, with no pile-up and no amplitude loss on either channel — the measured dead time of the detector. Because the integrated constant-fraction discriminator retimes every event, the NIM pulses retain uniform width and amplitude at the shortest spacing, which is what allows sustained counting above 100 MHz and burst rates approaching 1 GHz without paralysis of the counting chain.

Specification Table

Performance
Max. recommended count rate, MHz	5
Maximum burs count rate, MHz	100
Shutdown count rate, MHz	120
Discrimination	Integrated constant-fraction discriminator
Dark count rate, Hz	< 30 (Blue, Aqua) < 50 (Green) < 200 (Red)
Timing jitter, ps (FWHM)	< 35 (1MHz) < 45 (10MHz) < 75ps (100MHz)
Active area, mm	⌀8
Dead time, ns	<1.9ns
Signal Output
Output connectors	2× SMA Female
Logical output signal	NIM, 50 Ω
Anode output signal	Negative 0-100mV, @50Ω
General
Power supply	5…12V, 1A mim
Optical connector	C-Mount (1-32 UN 2A)
Dimensions, (w × d × h), mm	145 ×78 ×50
Cooling	External water cooling

Performance

Max. recommended count rate, MHz

Maximum burs count rate, MHz

100

Shutdown count rate, MHz

120

Discrimination

Integrated constant-fraction discriminator

Dark count rate, Hz

< 30 (Blue, Aqua)
< 50 (Green)
< 200 (Red)

Timing jitter, ps (FWHM)

< 35 (1MHz)
< 45 (10MHz)
< 75ps (100MHz)

Active area, mm

⌀8

Dead time, ns

<1.9ns

Signal Output

Output connectors

2× SMA Female

Logical output signal

NIM, 50 Ω

Anode output signal

Negative 0-100mV, @50Ω

General

Power supply

5…12V, 1A mim

Optical connector

C-Mount (1-32 UN 2A)

Dimensions, (w × d × h), mm

145 ×78 ×50

Cooling

External water cooling

The photocathode defines the detector's spectral sensitivity, and PhotonPix can be ordered with one of four PHOTONIS HiQE cathodes so the response can be matched to your excitation and emission wavelengths. The plot shows the available sensitivity curves: Blue and Aqua for the UV to blue-green region, Green for the central visible band, and Red for extended sensitivity towards the near-infrared. Each variant covers the full ⌀8 mm active area, so the choice of cathode affects only the spectral response — dead time, timing resolution and count-rate capability are unchanged. Dark count rate does scale with the red sensitivity of the cathode, from below 30 Hz for Blue and Aqua to below 200 Hz for Red, so the narrowest cathode that covers your wavelength range gives the best signal-to-background ratio. If your application falls between two curves, we can advise on the best compromise before you order.

Photonis/Photonscore.PhotonPix