Experimental Procedures for Fluorescent Lifetime Measurements with Customized Embedded DSP Systems and Adaptive Algorithms

This paper describes a method of utilizing UV lasers, detectors, and a high-speed digital signal processor (DSP)-based digitizer to measure the fluorescence lifetime of fluorophores. The aim of the design is to create a low cost compact device which guarantees ease of use while not compromising performance. An ultrafast photomultiplier tube coupled with an excitation light filter is used to characterize accurately the fluorescence emission from the sample. The results obtained from several material specimens are presented.