Frequency domain approach for time-resolved pump-probe microscopy using intensity modulated laser diodes.

We present a scheme for time-resolved pump-probe microscopy using intensity modulated laser diodes. The modulation frequencies of the pump and probe beams are varied up to 500 MHz with fixed frequency detuning typically set at 15 kHz. The frequency response of the pump-probe signal is detected using a lock-in amplifier referenced at the beat frequency. This frequency domain method is capable of characterizing the nanosecond to picosecond relaxation dynamics of sample species without the use of a high speed detector or a high frequency lock-in amplifier. Furthermore, as the pump-probe signal is based on the nonlinear interaction between the two laser beams and the sample, our scheme provides better spatial resolution than the conventional diffraction-limited optical microscopes. Time-resolved pump-probe imaging of fluorescence beads and aggregates of quantum dots demonstrates that this method is useful for the microscopic analysis of optoelectronic devices. The system is implemented using compact and low-cost laser diodes, and thus has a broad range of applications in the fields of photochemistry, optical physics, and biological imaging.