Detector | Slim CCD | Compact CMOS | HiRes CMOS | Fast CMOS | # FS14 | # FS60 | A383L+ | ## LF40+ | PCO.2000 | #VS60 | CMOS7.1 | PCO.edge gold 4.2 | COSMOS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Interline CCD ICX829ALA |
Pregius CMOS IMX249 |
Pregius CMOS IMX183 |
Pregius CMOS IMX432 |
Interline CCD ICX825ALA |
Interline CCD ICX694ALG |
FullFrame CCD KAF8300 |
Interline CCD KAI04022 |
Interline CCD KAI04022 |
Interline CCD ICX694ALG |
Pregius CMOS IMX428LLJ |
Scientific sCMOS CIS2020 |
CMOS IMX455 |
Resolution pixel | 752 x 580 | 1920 x 1200 | 5472 × 3648 | 1600 x 1100 | 1392 x 1040 | 2759 x 2200 | 3326 x 2504 | 2048 x 2048 | 2048 x 2048 | 2759 x 2200 | 3208 x 2200 | 2048 x 2048 | 9576 x 6388 |
Image diag. mm | 8 (1/2") | 13 (1/1.2") | 15.9 (1") | 17 (1.1") | 11 (2/3") | 16 (1") | 22.5 (4/3") | 21.4 (4/3") | 21.4 (4/3") | 16 (1") | 17 (1.1") | 18.8 (4/3") | 43.3 (35mm) |
Image area mm | 6.46x4.81 | 11.25x7.03 | 13.13x8.75 | 14.4x9.9 | 8.98x6.71 | 12.53x9.99 | 17.96x13.52 | 15.16x15.16 | 15.16x15.16 | 12.53x9.99 | 14.4x9.9 | 13.3 x 13.3 | 36.07 x 24.05 |
Pixel size µm* | 8.6 x 8.3 | 5.86 x 5.86 | 2.4 x 2.4 | 9.0 x9.0 | 6.45 x 6.45 | 4.54 x 4.54 | 5.4 x5.4 | 7.4 x7.4 | 7.4 x7.4 | 4.54 x 4.54 | 4.5 x 4.5 | 6.5 x 6.5 | 3.75 x 3.75 |
Quantum effic* | ~75% | ~80% | ~79% | ~72% | ~70% | ~70% | 55% | 55% | 55% | ~70% | ~75% | >70% | 87% |
Fullwell e- ** | ~40,000 | ~30,000 | ~15,000 | ~80,000 | ~20,000 | ~20,000 | ~30,000 | ~40,000 | ~40,000 | ~20,000 | ~20,000 | ~30,000 | ~50,000 |
Read noise e- ** | 10 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Dark c. e-/pix/s | <0.1@25°C | ~1.0@45°C | ~2.0@45°C | ~2.5@45°C | 0.001@-10°C | 0.0004@-10°C | 0.01@-20 °C | 0.01@-20°C | 0.01@-20°C | 0.0004@-10°C | 0.03@-10°C | <0.02@-30°C | |
Peltier Cooling | uncooled | uncooled | uncooled | uncooled | Δ -27 °C | Δ -27 °C | Δ -40 °C | Δ -40 °C | Δ -50 °C | Δ -35 °C | Δ -35 °C | Δ -30 °C | Δ -35 °C |
Read time (s)*** | 0.3 | 41 fps | 18 fps | 69 fps | 1 to 3 | 1 to 3 | 6 to 10.5 | 3 to 6 | 0.5 to 0.2 | 0.1 to 1 | 30 fps | 40 fps | 0.5 |
A/D Readout** | 16-bits | 12-bits | 12-bits | 12-bits | 16-bits | 16-bits | 16-bits | 16-bits | 14-bits | 16-bits | 12-bits | 16-bits | 16-bits |
Binning h,v | x1 x2 x4 x8 | software | software | software | x1 x2 x4 x8 | x1 x2 x4 x8 | x1 x2 x4 x8 | x1 x2 x4 x8 | x1 x2 x4 x8 | x1 x2 x4 x8 | sofware | x1 x2 x4 | x1 x2 |
Mount | CS-mount | C-mount | C-mount | C-mount | C-or F-mount | C-or F-mount | F-mount | F-mount | F-mount | C- or F-mount | C- or F-mount | C- or F-mount | F-mount |
Trigger signals | Software | Software | Software | Software | Software | Software | Software | Software | GPIO | GPIO | software | GPIO | Software |
Interface*** | USB 2.0 | USB3 or GigE | USB3 or GigE | USB3 or GigE | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 3.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 3.0 | USB 3.0 | USB 3.0 |
Relative cost | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3.5 | 5 | 20 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 16 | 8 |
#   The VS14 and VS60 are faster readout cameras with the same 2/3" or 1" Sony EXview HAD II (ICX) CCDs as the less expensive FS14 and FS60.
     Our larger "Kodak" (KAI) CCDs are read out more slowly to reduce noise. They are also used in much more expensive cameras with faster readout.
##  The LF40+ is no longer available, but can be replaced in the same camera box by the A383L+ which has similar performance.
     The collimation and quality of your neutron beam-line will usually be the limiting factor for neutron imaging, not the camera.
*   Light capture per pixel is proportional to the pixel area and its quantum efficiency (at 525nm)
     Fullwell Capacity is the number of electrons that can be stored without overflow (blooming)
     Fullwell Capacity is also proportional to pixel area, but also depends on anti-blooming design
     Noise can be "Dark current" due to thermal energy, or "Read noise" due to electronic readout
     Dark Current can be reduced by cooling for long exposures. Modern Sony ICX CCDs have exceptionally low dark current.
**  Dynamic range is the ratio of Fullwell capacity to Noise, & is lower than the 16-bit (65,536) readout
     Dynamic Range in Decibels DR= 20log (Fullwell capacity/Noise)dB eg typically DR= 5,000= 74dB
     Dynamic Range is often exagerated by neglecting dark noise (true only for very short exposures)
     Note that electron- or photon-multiplied cameras generally have a low dynamic range eg DR= 1,500= 64dB
     A high dynamic range means that contrast between slightly different intensities is better, important for imaging
*** USB 2.0 is limited in practice to ~280Mbits/s i.e for a 2048x2048x16 bit camera to ~4 frames/sec (fps)
     USB 2.0 is also sufficient for the 1920x1200 12-bit Sony Pregius CMOS camera up to 10 frames/sec (fps) over >10m active cables
     USB 3.0 is limited in practice to ~4000Mbits/s i.e for a 2048x2048x16 bit camera to ~64 frames/sec (fps) with short ~3m cables.
In our "interline" CCDs, charge accumulated by photo-sensitive columns is quickly transferred to adjacent storage columns. The advantage is that smearing is avoided during readout, so a mechanical shutter is not needed. Some of the chip area is used for storage, but that is compensated by using micro-lenses over every pixel. Sony sensors are typically ~75% sensitive to the mainly green (540nm) light emitted by neutron scintillators, and at that wavelength there is little advantage for more expensive "back-illuminated" CCDs. This explanations is simplified, but summarises why we use "slow" readout CCDs for neutron imaging.
Of the high-end cameras, the PCO.2000 uses the same Kodak KAI-4022 interline CCD as our LF40+ and has similar imaging performance, except that it uses more expensive electronics with faster readout. Our VS60 is a less-expensive fast readout CCD alternative to the CIS2020 sCMOS camera, whose main advantage is faster readout for lower readout noise (but higher dark current, which limits exposure times). The sCMOS camera is then best suited for fast imaging on high flux sources, while our cooled CCD cameras are best suited for lower flux imaging with longer acquisitions (>1s).
Our small cameras use Sony EXview HAD CCDs, which are very efficient, with low noise; the chips are also small, limiting imaging area but permitting the use of inexpensive fast C-mount lenses. Our f/1.0 lens is twice as fast as an f/1.4 lens. More important than the efficiency of the CCD itself, the efficiency of the camera is proportional to the ratio of the CCD to scintillator area, so our smaller CCDs are matched to our smaller cameras.