Achieving more with less.

Engineered for excellence: A new hybrid photosensor for flow cytometry

What will it take to succeed in the next generation of flow cytometry instruments? With pressure to detect more wavelengths, with greater sensitivity and higher throughputs while keeping instruments cost effective and easy to use, system design starts with an internal negotiation of tradeoffs. 

 

Sensitivity or dynamic range? Ease of use or sophisticated versatility? High performance or cost effectiveness? Qualitative output or quantitative, uniform predictable data?

 

What if there was no need to compromise?

Sensor Concept

Hypereon Concept

What makes Hypereon special?

 By utilizing two sequential stages of amplification, electron bombardment and then on-chip APD gain, Hypereon has it all: sensitivity, wide dynamic range, temperature stability, small package size and sensor-to-sensor uniformity. Leveraging decades of PMT and APD experience, specifically in flow cytometry, Hypereon simplifies high performance instrument design and, when combined with our photon number quantification (PNQ) algorithm, turns qualitative data into quantitative, comparable information.

Multiplication principle

1. Photon to photoelectron conversion.

Incoming photons hit the Hy-photocatode and are converted to photoelectrons.  There is no amplification in the step but the percentage of photons that are converted to photoelectrons depends on the wavelength of the light and the design of the photocathode.

2. Electron bombardment gain.

Photoelectrons from the cathode are now accelerated into the silicon. The first signal amplification occurs when the accelerated electrons hit the silicon, causing the release of additional electrons.  This step has the highest gain of the two amplification steps.

3. Avalance photodiode (APD) gain.

The electrons multiplied by the first step are now further amplified by the sensor's avalanche photodiode.

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