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The Most Advanced EMCCD Cameras ever Built!
PixCellent Imaging Ltd have created the CCD6200 photon counting CCD camera to offer advanced users the fastest, most capable and most flexible camera systems ever. The principal characteristics are:
- Fastest read-out rates, up to 30 MHz pixel rate with E2V Technologies CCD 201 (three times the maximum rate possible with most other commercially available cameras). Frame rates may be boosted by eliminating a smaller part of the detector for the fastest read-out in specific applications.
- The choice of megapixel back illuminated CCD201(13 µ pixels, so 13 mm x 13 mm active area), or the quarter megapixel CCD97(16 µ pixels so 8 mm x 8 mm active area) either back illuminated or front illuminated.
- Maximum pixel rates may be specified in the range 10-30 MHz for the CCD201, and 10-22 MHz for the CCD97.
- High sensitivity with back illuminated CCD technology.
- Deepest cooling to -120°C, eliminating dark current and dramatically reducing clock induced charge to negligible levels. The CCD6200 offers the lowest clock induced charge of any commercial offering.
- Cameras are optimised for work at the very lowest light levels particularly in photon counting mode. The intrinsic readout noise is particularly low allowing photon counting over a range of gain levels.
- The gain tables may be calibrated dynamically with low level illumination (some manufacturers offer internal gain calibration that depends on spurious dark current and/or clock induced charge signals. These spurious noise levels are so low in the CCD6200 that this calibration technique cannot be used). The gain is directly selectable from within the data acquisition and interactive display package, PixCel.
- Advanced users have access to all aspects of the control of the CCD camera and so those wishing to develop novel systems have a very high degree of control available.
- High-speed data acquisition for 1-4 cameras in parallel under Windows 7 with wide bandwidth PCI express data capture cards.
The CCD6200 camera systems were originally developed for demanding applications in astronomy. They have been used to take the highest resolution images ever taken on any telescope in the visible or the infrared and routinely provide Hubble Space Telescope resolution images from telescopes on the ground. They use electron multiplying CCDs (EMCCDs) manufactured by E2V Technologies (Chelmsford, UK) to give the highest possible performance.
- For further information or quotations please contact PixCellent Imaging Ltd directly at sales@pixcellent.com
The PixCellent Imaging Ltd ultrahigh performance liquid nitrogen cooled CCD6200 camera head.
The information on this site covers a wide range of subjects. It includes:
A general description (Click Here) of the overall structure of the PixCellent Imaging Limited CCD 6200 imaging systems including overall performance specifications.
A technical summary (Click Here) of the properties of the electron multiplying CCDs used by PixCellent Imaging Limited, including access to copies of the E2V Technologies Ltd datasheets for the CCD97 and the CCD201.
Technical description (Click Here) of the high performance liquid nitrogen cooled vacuum dewars used by PixCellent Imaging Limited.
Description (Click Here) of the two software packages needed to drive these cameras, LuckyConsole that allows all the camera parameters to be set up and adjusted and PixCel which is used for data capture, data display and archiving.
Access (Click Here) to a copy of the current system software and hardware manual as provided with a complete electron multiplying camera system. Includes safety information, detailed description of both software packages and information on installation, computer specification requirements and advice on the reduction of data taken with the camera system. Please note that this manual is regularly updated with additional information arising from user experiences.
PixCellent are working with XCAM Ltd to develop a range of cameras and applications around these remarkable detectors.
The XCAM web site can be found here: www.xcam.co.uk
Visitors who wish to access information about the PixCellent legacy systems should click here where they will find information on the older Capella 4100 14-bit and 12-bit high-speed controllers and the Antares 4200 16-bit precision CCD controllers together with associated camera heads, the CCD selection guides and software support information.
