Optical Axes

optical axis of cuvette holder
Figure: 1
The optical axes (blue) are perpendicular with a crossing point that is mutually perpendicular with the vertical mounting axis (red). With this orientation, the alignment remains unchanged even if the holder is turned. For more views, please see the Alternate Views tab above.

Features

Accommodates Micro or Macro Cuvettes
Z-Dimension Beam Height: 8.5 mm
SM1 (1.035"-40) and 30 mm Cage Compatible
Post Mountable via 1/4"-20 (M6) Tap

Designed to accommodate standard micro and macro cuvettes, the CVH100 Cuvette Holder can be used in fiber or free-space applications.The holder features four SM1-compatible (1.035"-40) light ports, thereby offering two perpendicular light paths for transmission and fluorescence measurements. Both optical axes (blue lines in the photo to the right) and the axis for the post mount (red in the photo to the right) have a common crossing intersection point, which allows the user to turn the holder while maintaining the alignment to the optical axes in free space applications.

When purchasing small volume or window cuvettes, a 'Z' dimension is often specified. This 'Z' dimension is the length from the bottom of the cuvette to the center of the sample chamber window on the cuvette. The CVH100 and the included fiber adapter are designed such that the beam height will be 8.5 mm above the bottom of the cuvette (see the Specs tab for a diagram).

Fiber Adapter
The holder is shipped with a collimating SMA-to-SM1 fiber adapter, allowing the cuvette holder to be directly connected to fiber-based light sources, detectors, or spectrometers. We recommend our multimode patch cables for interconnection. An uncoated N-BK7 collimating optic is included. Two SM1 end caps are also included so that unused ports can be covered to prevent dust from entering the optomechanical assembly.

Filter Holder
The CVH100 cuvette holder includes one CVH100-FH filter holder, which is designed to house Ø1" mounted filters measuring up to 7 mm in thickness. These filters are typically used to achieve wavelength isolation for incident or emitted radiation. The filter holder is located between the cuvette and one of the ports. Additional CVH100-FH filter holders can be ordered separately, thereby enabling quick exchange of filters.

Ports of the Cuvette Holder

Input light port with 9 mm x 14 mm slotted hole

Output light port with Ø12 mm round hole

Ports of the 2nd optical axis with Ø9 mm round hole

Mounting
All four access ports on the cuvette holder are equipped with four 4-40 taps for compatibility with our 30 mm cage systems and a single bore that has internal SM1 (1.035"-40) threading for direct mounting to our lens tubes or other SM1-compatible products such as our OSL1 white light source or our mounted high-power LEDs (MxxxL2 series). The CVH100 can be post mounted using the 1/4"-20 (M6) mounting hole on the bottom of the cuvette holder. The black anodized aluminum coating protects the mount from corrosion in typical lab environments.

Cuvettes
Thorlabs offers a selection of UV fused quartz cuvettes for use with our cuvette holder. These high-quality cuvettes transmit light down to 200 nm and are available in macro, micro, and super micro sizes for 3500 µL, 1400 µL, 700 µL, and 100 µL samples. Since these cuvettes only have two polished windows, they are not appropriate for use in fluorescence spectroscopy where it is necessary to have four polished windows to allow measurement of the fluorescence at right angles to the beam path.

Click to Enlarge
Cuvette Z-Axis (Optical Axis Height Above Base)

Item #	CVH100 (/M)	CVH100/M
Outer Cuvette Dimensions	0.49" x 0.49" x 1.77"	12.5 mm x 12.5 mm x 45 mm
Cuvette Types	Macro and Micro Cuvettes with 0.39" (10 mm) Light Path
Cuvette "Z" Dimension (Optical Axis Height Above Cuvette Base)^a	0.33"	8.5 mm
Window Sizes
Input (Main Optical Axis)	0.35" x 0.55"	9 mm x 14 mm
Output (Main Optical Axis)	Ø0.47"	Ø12 mm
Side Ports (Secondary Optical Axis)	Ø0.35"	Ø9 mm
Optical
In-Line Filter Holder^b	Mounted Ø1" (Ø25.4 mm) Filters
Filter Thickness (Max)	0.28"	7 mm
Fiber Port	SMA (removable)
Collimator Lens	Uncoated N-BK7
Mounting
Main Optical Axis	Sunk SM1 Internal Thread (Optimized for Lens Tubes)
Main Optical Axis	30 mm Cage System
Secondary Optical Axis (90° to Main Axis)	SM1 Internal Thread
Secondary Optical Axis (90° to Main Axis)	30 mm Cage System
Post Mount	1/4"-20	M6
General Specs
Material (Main Body / Collimator)	Aluminum Black Anodized / Stainless Steel
Weight	280 g
Dimensions w/o Collimator (W x H x D)^c	1.73" x 1.65" x 1.93"	44 mm x 42 mm x 49 mm
Dimensions w/ Collimator (W x H x D)^c	1.73" x 1.65" x 2.38"	44 mm x 42 mm x 60.5 mm

Dimension shown in the diagram to the right
Filters sold separately
Height with filter holder: 1.97" (50 mm)

Cross-Sections

Side view cross section showing the position of the mechanical
axis (red) and an optical axis (blue).

Top view cross section showing ray trace of beam through system and possible signals for spectroscopic measurements.

Exploded View

Lens Selection for CVH100-COL Fiber Adapter

Lens Item #	Material	Transmitted Wavelengths	Spacer
LA1074	N-BK7	350 nm - 2.0 μm	6.8 mm
LA4647	UV Fused Silica	185 nm - 2.1 μm	6.8 mm
LA5315	CaF₂	3 - 5 μm	6.8 mm
LA0506-E	BaF₂	3 - 5 μm	9.6 mm
LA8126-E	Si	3-5 µm	9.6 mm
LA7733-F	ZnSe	8-12 µm	9.6 mm
LA9015-F	Ge	8-12 µm	9.6 mm

The CVH100-COL Fiber Adapter holds a Ø1/2" singlet lens. Two spacers, 6.8 mm and 9.6 mm thick, allow for the use of many different lenses. Recommended 20 mm focal length lenses, and the appropriate spacer to be used, are given in this table. Please note that plano-convex lenses should be mounted with the plano side facing the fiber.

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Posted Comments:

Poster: jvigroux

Posted Date: 2012-07-02 11:32:00.0

A response from Julien at Thorlabs: Thank you for your positive feedback! We are more than happy to have been able to provide you with a product that can reduce the effort required to perform your measurement. This is what we strive for!

Poster: cbrideau

Posted Date: 2012-06-29 20:33:15.0

I just wanted to say how happy our lab has been with this product. We use it frequently for fluorescent dye characterization. The flexibility of the 4 ports has been a big help for coupling different light sources into the cube. Also, I've bought quite a few of those spare filter holders and they are proving very convenient!

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-10-05 17:58:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you so much for your feedback! We will definitely keep it in mind as we continue expanding our product line of Microscopy products.

Poster: mmancini

Posted Date: 2011-10-05 15:37:03.0

I love this product and have recommended it to several people already. It's compact, flexible to meet my changing experimental needs, integrates wonderfully with my other optical components, and looks and acts more expensive than it sells for. Bravo.

Poster: jjurado

Posted Date: 2011-07-18 11:03:00.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to damien.decourten: Thank you very much for contacting us. For this application, it may be recommendable to use an achromatic doublet lens to increase the collection efficiency, and to achieve a tighter focus spot onto the active area of the photodiode. The CVH100 features four SM1-threaded light ports, to which you can couple a lens tube for housing the lens, and an adapter for the photodiode. I will contact you directly to discuss the details of your application. Achromatic lenses: http://www.thorlabs.com/navigation.cfm?Guide_ID=12

Poster: damien.decourten

Posted Date: 2011-07-13 15:03:37.0

Hi, I bought this device that works great. But I need now to implement it with very low light intensity. I would like to use this device directly with a (preamplified) photodiode for 90° fluoreseence measurements. What are your recommandations using a colimating lens before the photodiode for collecting as much emitted light as possible and a cage system/lens tube for holding everything together? Thanks

Poster: jjurado

Posted Date: 2011-03-29 17:43:00.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to cbrideau: Thank you very much for your feedback. We can certainly offer additional filter cartridges for this cuvette holder. I will contact you directly with a quotation.

Poster: cbrideau

Posted Date: 2011-03-29 14:41:42.0

I bought this device and it is working out quite well. Would I be able to get additional filter cartridges? The 1" filter holder works quite well, but when I need to change filters I would prefer to have them pre-mounted in additional cartridges. Can you offer the 1" filter holder as a separate item so I can buy more?

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-03-08 12:06:00.0

Response from Buki: Thank you for your feedback. The CCS series of USB spectrometers come with an SMA connectorized fiber that can be connected to the CVH100 cuvette holder via an SMA to SM1 fiber adapter included with the CVH100. Alternatively, you can connect the SMA connectorized fiber to the CVH100-COL, an SMA to SM1 adapter that lets you mount a lens of your choice. More information is available in the Overview section of this page: http://www.thorlabs.com/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=4982. Please contact TechSupport@thorlabs.com with additional questions you may have.

Poster: lmorgus

Posted Date: 2011-03-07 14:29:00.0

A response from Laurie at Thorlabs to the previous poster: Thank you for letting us know that one of the links on our website was broken. The box on our visual navigation system now links to the appropriate page. I apologize for the inconvenience of needing to find the product through a different search mechanism.

Poster:

Posted Date: 2011-03-07 13:35:59.0

Link to this, from the 30-mm cage system page, is broken

Poster:

Posted Date: 2011-03-07 11:23:02.0

How can the CVH100 be used with the USB spetrometer? Thanks!

Poster: Thorlabs

Posted Date: 2010-07-30 13:54:35.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to jhsu: Thank you for your feedback. We currently do not offer an FC version of the CVH100-COL. I will discus the development of this product with our design engineers, and keep you informed of the status.

Poster: jhsu

Posted Date: 2010-07-29 23:59:50.0

Dear Thorlabs: Its great to know that you release new product: Cuvette Holder with Four Light Ports. Can you also have the option of FC conenctor port. Thanks. Ray

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