US-based optoelectronics firm JDSU has announced that it has shipped more than 1,000 Xcyte ultraviolet (UV) lasers for application in the biotech industry.
Optimised for use in molecular biology, pathology, immunology and plant and marine biology, the cell sorting lasers use quasi-continuous wave UV light at high peak power to maximise tag fluorescence efficiency.
This allows users to minimise the concentration of fluorescence tags, which are expensive and can potentially damage cells.
Additionally, the short pico-second pulse widths are believed to reduce the risk of unravelling live cell DNA strands.
"The reliability and efficiency of the Xcyte laser has made it the de-facto standard for high-accuracy cell sorting applications," commented Victor David, product line manager at JDSU's Communications and Commercial Optical Products business segment.
In June JDSU provided key optical components known as electro-optic modulators to the new National Ignition Facility laser system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the world's highest-energy laser system.