Vescent SLICE-DHV User manual

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SLICE-DHV Dual-Channel High-Voltage
Amplifier
The SLICE-DHV is a low-noise, high-bandwidth, high-voltage source with DC bias control and
sweep capabilities. It is designed for controlling piezoelectric transducers used for precision
positioning, with particular application to laser frequency stabilization. The high-voltage output
can range from 0 to 200 V, has a voltage noise <500 µV rms, can drive ±200 mA, and has an
unloaded small-signal (±10 V) bandwidth >1 MHz. The SLICE-DHV also has a user-settable
voltage limit for safe operation at voltages less than 200 V.
The SLICE-DHV features two Gain values: G=1 and G=20 for the input modulation signal. When G
is set to 1, the output range is limited to ±10V from the user-settable DC bias voltage. When the
Gain is set to 20, the modulation input signal allows access to the full range of the SLICE-DHV
(0-200 V). When the Gain is set to 1, the SLICE-DHV has better noise performance than when the
Gain is set to 20.
The SLICE-DHV is not recommended for applications that require a large-signal bandwidth greater
than 20 Hz, defined for modulation amplitudes more than 10 V.
Model No. SLICE-DHV
Document Revision: 1
Document Last Updated on 2021/08/26 14:26
Please read Limited Warranty and General Warnings and Cautions prior to operating the SLICE-DHV.
Potential for electrical shock hazard. The
SLICE-DHV can deliver up to 200 V at its
output. Use caution when device is turned
on & enabled.
Useful Links
Click here for the Vescent manuals page.
Click here for the SLICE-DHV API.
Click here for the SLICE-DHV web page.
Click here for the Github page for SLICE-DHV firmware revisions
Please check back for added functionality. Contact sales [at] vescent [dot] com for questions and
corrections, or to request added functionality.

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List of Warning Symbols
Warning. Pay special attention to procedures
and notes. If procedure is not followed
carefully, damage to the SLICE-DHV or
devices connected to it may occur.
Potential for electrical shock hazard.
Important. Pay close attention to manual
instructions for optimum results and in order
to not damage the device.
Tab. 1: List of warning symbols
The SLICE-
DHV High-
Voltage
Amplifier is
intended for,
among other
tasks, driving
tuning
elements in
external cavity
diode lasers.
When using
lasers,
particular care
must be given
to avoid
radiation
exposure
hazards.
Tab. 2
Description
The SLICE-DHV (figure 1) is a high-bandwidth, low-noise, high-voltage amplifier. It is intended to
supply a voltage to a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) for precision motion control, including cavity
length control for laser frequency stabilization applications.

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Fig. 1: The SLICE-DHV
Purchase Includes
SLICE-DHV Dual-channel High Voltage Amplifier
AC power cord with appropriate wall plug for you location (if known)
Final Test Documentation
If your shipment is missing any items from the above list, please contact the factory.
Absolute Maximum Ratings and Power Input
Note: All modules have been designed to be operated in a laboratory environment as described in
table 3.
Parameter Rating
Environmental Temperature 15°C < T < 30°C
Environmental Humidity <60%
Environmental Dew Point <15°C
Maximum AC Line Input Current 2 A
Tab. 3: Absolute Maximum Ratings
The SLICE-DHV will accept input line voltages within the ranges shown in table 4. The SLICE-DHV is
powered by Vescent's proprietary power supply technology which allows a range of voltage inputs,
but retains the noise qualities of a linear supply.
Parameter Value Units
Input Line Voltage 100-240 VAC
Frequency 50-60 Hz
Phase 1 phase
User-serviceable fuse1) T 2.0 A L 250V
Tab. 4: Input Voltage Specifications
Proper Usage

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If this instrument is used in a
manner not specified by the
manufacturer in this manual
or other relevant literature,
protection provided by the
instrument may be impaired.
Use caution when connecting
the SLICE-DHV to your
device. The SLICE-DHV can
output up to 200 V without an
input signal. It is advised that
you power off the device
before making connections to
it.
Always power down the SLICE-DHV completely before making connections to a laser.
Never connect or disconnect the SLICE-DHVs to/from a laser with the SLICE-DHV
energized.
As with any flexible instrumentation, improper usage can cause irreparable damage to
the device. Please take note of all warnings and cautions.
Specifications
Performance2)
Parameter Value
Number of Channels 2
Control Interfaces Touch screen, USB 2.0
Output Voltage Range 0-200 V
Gain Ranges
Unity Gain: ±10 V around a
user-settable voltage
Full Range: 0-200 V
Modulation Gains
Unity Gain
Full Range
1 V/V
20 V/V
Bandwidth
Small Signal
Large Signal
>1 MHz, unloaded
<20 Hz, Cload <0.5 µF
Performance
Output Current ±200 mA

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Modulation Input Voltage
Range ±10 V3)
Voltage Noise <450 µV rms (10 Hz - 100
kHz)
Accuracy <1%
Drift 0.2 mV/°C
Triggering 5V TTL
Tab. 5: Specifications of SLICE-DHV
Most PZTs
should not be
driven with
negative
voltages, and
the user
should consult
the specified
safe operating
voltage range
for their PZT.
Be aware that
the high-
voltage output
can be driven
to a minimum
of -10 V when
applying a
modulation.
Tab. 6
Load Capacitance Approximate Bandwidth
1 nF 200 kHz
Tab. 7: Approximate bandwidth of SLICE-DHV as a function of
load capacitance
Front Panel
An image of the front panel of the SLICE-DHV is shown in figure 2. The functions and connections are
as follows:
Channel indicator; touch for Channel parameter settings1.
High-voltage ON/OFF2.
Bias set point3.
Output voltage indicator4.
Parameter adjustment rotary knobs5.
Maximum voltage indicator4) 6.
Front-panel control signal inputs7.

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Control bar8.
Internal ramp amplitude9.
Internal sweep ON/OFF/SWEEP TUNE selection10.
Visual output voltage indicator11.
Signal monitor outputs12.
Fig. 2: Front of SLICE-DHV
Rear Panel
An image of the rear panel is shown in figure 3. The functions and connections are as follows:
Serial Number location1.
High Voltage output (CH 2; BNC)2.
Modulation input (CH 2; SMA)3.
Main On/Off power switch4.
Fuse location5) 5.
AC line power in6) 6.
Output trigger (BNC)7.
Input trigger (BNC)8.
USB port for serial communication (Type B)9.

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Fig. 3: View of rear of SLICE-DHV
Use caution
when
connecting the
SLICE-DHV to
your device.
The SLICE-
DHV can
output up to
200 V without
an input
signal. It is
advised that
you power off
the device
before making
connections to
it.
Getting Familiar with the SLICE-DHV
The SLICE-DHV is designed to be operated from the touch screen GUI and/or serial commands
delivered from a Windows® 10 PC over the USB connection on the back of the chassis. Both the touch
screen and serial commands allow access to all of the SLICE-DHV functionality.
Screen Navigation

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Home Screen
When presented with a given view, it is possible to select the functionality or edit the values in any
field bordered in blue. When a particular field is actively being edited, its border will change to yellow.
The ability to edit a yellow-bordered field will automatically time out after about 60 s and the border
will turn back to blue. The Home Screen of the SLICE-DHV is shown in figure 4 and is reached by
touching the home button (figure 5) in the upper left corner of the touch screen. From the Home
screen, summary control over each of the two channels is possible, including setting the bias voltage.
From the Home screen, you can edit the control parameters for each channel.
In general, the status displayed in an editable field is the current status (not the result of touching the
button). Touch the button to select a new value/status. For instance, in figure 4 both channels are ON.
Touching the ON button will stop voltage output to the given channel.
Fig. 4: Home screen of SLICE-DHV
Control Bar
On the left edge of the screen is the Control Bar. At any given time, these buttons will have the
following effect.
Home Button
Fig. 5: Home button Returns to Home screen.
Back Button

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Fig. 6: Back button Returns to previous screen. Changes will be lost if not accepted before using the
Back button.
Lock Button
Fig. 7: Lock button (shown in unlocked mode) Locks out further modification of operation parameters.
Touch to lock or unlock parameter entry. When in lock mode, it is still possible to toggle the ramp on
and off, but it will not be possible to turn on the high voltage, change the bias voltage, or edit other
operation parameters.
I/O Button
Fig. 8: I/O button Enters the screen for programming the front-panel I/O.
System Settings Button
Fig. 9: System settings button Enters screen for system operational settings (brightness, volume,
etc.).
Entering Values
In most instances, there are two methods for entering parameter values: the physical rotary knobs on
the front panel and the pop-up keypad on the touch screen. When using the knobs to change the
value of a parameter, changes take effect immediately. When using the keypad, changes do not take
effect until the Enter key is touched.
Rotary Knobs
If you touch an editable field for a brief moment, the border of the field will change from blue to
yellow and a cursor will appear under one of the digits of the parameter value (figure 10, CH 1 DC

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Bias [V] field). By turning the right knob, it is possible to increase (cw) or decrease (ccw) the value of
the underlined digit. Turning the left knob will change which digit is editable (cw to move to the right
and ccw to move to the left). Changes made with the rotary knobs take effect immediately. Touch the
yellow-bordered field again to exit the edit mode.
Fig. 10: Knob adjustment of Bias Voltage set point for CH 1
Keypad
If you touch an editable field for a longer period of time (~3 s), a numeric keypad will appear as seen
in figure 11. You can enter in the full value of the desired parameter with this keypad. Changes
entered through the keypad are not enacted until the Enter key is touched.
Fig. 11: Pop-up Keypad
The action initiated by each button of the keypad is described below.
Escape

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Fig. 12: Escape button Exits keypad without accepting changes.
Clear
Fig. 13: Clear button Clears value in field being edited.
Delete
Fig. 14: Delete button Deletes last character entered.
Enter
Fig. 15: Enter button Accepts parameter edits and exits keypad.
Extendable Legs
The SLICE-DHV has four extendable legs (figure 16). Extending the front legs allows easy viewing from
above (figure 1) and extending the rear legs (figure 17) allows easy viewing from below, for instance,
when placed on a shelf above a laser table. Extending both the front and rear legs makes the SLICE
box look like a very strange bug.

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Fig. 16: Underside of SLICE-DHV
Fig. 17: Side view of SLICE-DHV configured for
viewing from below
SLICE-DHV Operation
The Home screen displays the status of both channels (figure 4). The data for each channel is
arranged vertically. At a glance, for each channel, the ON/OFF status, the output voltage, the nominal
bias voltage, the Sweep Range (amplitude) for the internal Sweep function, and internal Sweep
function status can all be read.
Bar Graph and Output Voltage Indicator
The blue bar graph and output voltage indicator (bubbles 11 & 4 in figure 2) report the high voltage
output. This display is intended to display the “DC” value of the output with an update rate of about 4
Hz and will not capture faster transient behavior of the output. These displays offer quick visual
identification of the output voltage and can help visualize drift in feedback control applications.
Setting the Gain on the Input Signal
The Gain on the input control signal can be set to either 1 or 20. When the gain is 1, the input
modulation signal is directly summed with the DC Bias to produce the high voltage output. This mode
is useful for limiting the voltage range of the high voltage output to ±10 V around the DC bias
operating voltage.
When the Gain is set to 20, the input signal is multiplied by 20 and then summed into the DC bias.
This mode allows the modulation input to drive the high voltage output over the entire 0 to 200 V
range of the SLICE-DHV. In this mode the DC Bias defaults to zero voltage but can be adjusted to add
a DC Bias to the modulation signal if desired. Note that the large-signal bandwidth will be limited
when the Gain is set to 20 to less than 20 Hz, but that the small-signal bandwidth (±10V) will be
identical to that when Gain = 1.

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To change the Gain, touch the CH 1 (or CH 2) field at the top of the channel column. You will be
presented with figure 18. Touch the Modulation Mode field to drill down to figure 19 and select either
G=1 V/V; Range = ±10 V or G=20 V/V; Range = 0-200.
Fig. 18: Setting parameters of individual channel
Fig. 19: Select modulation mode
Setting the Voltage Limit
The user can set the maximum voltage output on a given channel so as not to exceed the rated
maximum for their device. From the Home screen, touch the CH 1 (or CH 2) field to see figure 18.
Touch the Voltage Limit [V] field to set the maximum voltage output. The bar graph output indicator
on the Home screen will scale automatically with the maximum voltage set point.
This voltage limit circuit in the DHV hardware limits the voltage (including the modulation input) to
the user defined limit when using the G=20 V/V mode. However, this hardware limit does not cap
the modulation input in the G=1 V/V. Therefore, when operating in the G=1 V/V mode, if the user
were to set the nominal voltage set point to the user-defined maximum voltage output point, the
output with a +10 V modulation input would exceed the user-defined limit by 10 V
Setting the Bias Voltage

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To set the bias voltage about which the SLICE-DHV will operate on a given channel, touch the DC Bias
[V] field on the Home screen. Depending on the length of the touch, either a view similar to figure 10
allowing rotary knob input or a keypad similar to figure 11 will be displayed. Set the nominal bias
voltage.
Turning on the High Voltage
The SLICE-DHV can output up to 200
V without an input signal. It is
advised that you power off the
device before making connections to
the high voltage output.
To turn on (turn off) the high-voltage output touch the HV OFF (HV ON) field on the Home screen.
Internal Ramp Function
The SLICE-DHV has an internal ramp function for sweeping the voltage output. The ramp is a sawtooth
wave.
To set the sweep rate7) of the ramp, touch the CH 1 (or CH 2) field to see figure 18. Touch the Sweep
Rate [Hz] field and set the desired rate.
To set the amplitude of the ramp8), touch the Range [V] field on the Home screen and set the desired
ramp amplitude.
To turn on (or turn off) the ramp, touch the Sweep OFF (or Sweep ON) field to see figure 20. Choose
the desired operation mode.
Fig. 20: Controlling the internal ramp

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Sweep Tune Mode of Internal Ramp
The Sweep Tune mode allows interactive control over the internal ramp parameters. This mode can
be used to center the output of the SLICE-DHV on a particular feature of the experiment.
When in Sweep Tune mode, the Home screen will change to appear similar to figure 21, with an R in a
red circle in the DC Bias field and an L in a blue circle in the Range field. In Sweep Tune mode, the
user can turn the right knob to actively adjust the bias and the left knob to actively adjust the range.
The rotary knob will affect the underlined digit in the respective parameter field. To change which
digit is affected by rotation of the knob, push to click the knob and the cursor under the active digit
will cycle through from right to left, selecting the next most significant digit after each click.
Fig. 21: Sweep Tune mode
Only one Channel can have Sweep Tune mode active at any given time.
When in Sweep Tune mode:
The rotary knob edit method is not available for the DC Bias and Range fields. Only keypad
editing is allowed.
DC Bias and Range readouts for the channel react to rotary knob actions while the Settings
menu is displayed but no rotary edit is in progress on that menu.
Modulating the SLICE-DHV Output
The user can input an analog voltage signal to control the output of the SLICE-DHV. Before introducing
a modulation signal, make sure you have selected the desired modulation gain.
The default modulation input port is the SMA connector on the rear panel (bubble 3, figure 3). The
user can also program the SLICE-DHV to accept the modulation signal from the front-panel INPUT A
for Channel 1 and INPUT B for Channel 2. Only one modulation input for a given channel can be active
at any given time. To toggle between modulation input locations touch the I/O icon on the control bar
and then the relevant INPUT field (A for CH1 or B for CH 2; figure 23). Select OFF for rear-panel input
or Modulation Input for front-panel input.
While similar in performance, the rear-panel SMA input will have minimum noise. Use this input when

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possible.
Programmable Input & Output
The SLICE-DHV has two programmable inputs (labeled A & B, bubble 7 in figure 2) and two
programmable outputs (labeled 1 and 2, bubble 12 in figure 2) on the front panel. It also has a rear-
panel trigger input and trigger output. Touching the I/O icon on the control bar will open a screen
similar to that seen in figure 22
Fig. 22: I/O programming window
Programmable Input
From figure 22, it is possible to assign the front-panel input as the source of the modulation/control
input signal (normally assigned to the SMA connector on the rear panel of the SLICE-DHV). Touching
the A Input field displays the menu seen in figure 23. From here, rear-panel modulation input (default;
blank field) or front-panel modulation can be selected.
Fig. 23: I/O programming window

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Only one modulation/control input can be active at any given time for a given Channel. If the front-
panel modulation/control input is activated, the rear panel modulation/control input is deactivated &
vice versa.
Programmable Output
The front-panel output can be programmed to deliver a monitor of the high voltage output (figure 24).
The transfer function is Vmonitor = 0.05 * Voutput
Fig. 24: Output programming window
These front-panel inputs and outputs are mainly intended for monitoring the performance of the
SLICE-DHV and as such have slower, less quiet performance than the rear-panel connections.
CH 1 can only be assigned to Input 1 and Output A. Likewise CH 2 can only be assigned to Input 2 and
Output B.
Triggering
Input Trigger
The HV output can be remotely activated and deactivated by a TTL trigger introduced at the back
panel of the SLICE-DHV (bubble 8, figure 3). If the Trigger In on the back side of the SLICE-DHV is
activated, the high-voltage output can be shut off by pulling the input low and turned on by allowing
the input to go high. (With no input, this signal is pulled high and so the HV out is active.)
In order to activate the Trigger In, touch the I/O icon on the control bar to see the I/O screen
(figure 22). Touch the blue field labeled Trigger In on the selection screen in figure 25 and select
which channels you wish to control with the input trigger.

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Fig. 25: Trigger In controls both CH 1 and CH 2
Output Trigger
A TTL trigger output in sync with either of the internal ramps can be obtained at the Trigger Out
(bubble 7, figure 3). Touch the I/O icon on the control bar to see the I/O screen (figure 22). Touch the
blue field labeled Trigger Out for the selection screen in figure 26 and select the ramp from which
channel the trigger out signal shall be derived. The end of the ramp is in sync with the falling edge of
the trigger.
Only a single Channel may be chosen for outputting a trigger at any given time.
Fig. 26: Trigger Out is in sync with CH 2 ramp s
System Settings
Touching the System Settings button on the Control Bar (figure 9) will open the System Settings
screen as seen in figure 27.

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Fig. 27: User-programmable system settings
Screen Brightness and Volume Adjustment
From this screen, adjustments to the brightness of the screen and the volume of the audio feedback
can be made.
Input Impedance
Change the input impedance of the two front-panel input ports. Select either 50 Ω or 1 MΩ. For most
applications of the SLICE-DHV, a 1 MΩ impedance should be chosen.
SLICE Firmware
From time to time, Vescent will upgrade the firmware for controlling the SLICE-DCC. The procedure to
upgrade the SLICE-DHV firmware is given here.
Using the PC Host GUI
Coming soon, please check back later.
Firmware Update
From time to time, Vescent will upgrade the firmware for controlling the SLICE-DCC. The procedure to
upgrade the firmware is given here.
Serial API
It is possible to control the SLICE-DHV through serial commands. Click here to access the SLICE-DHV

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API.
Please contact sales [at] vescent [dot] com for information.
Maintenance
There are no user-serviceable parts inside this instrument. Refer all repairs to the manufacturer. Work
performed by persons not authorized by Vescent Photonics may void the warranty.
1)
Located in power receptacle on rear panel, bubble 5 in figure 3
2)
Subject to change without notice
3)
see note in table 6
4)
as set by User
5)
User-serviceable fuse: T 2.0 A L 250V
6)
See table 4 for acceptable input ranges
7)
0-30 Hz
8)
0-200 V
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