CH250 Photometrics Digital CCD Camera

The Teledyne / Roper Scientific / Photometrics Series 200 Digital CCD Camera System consists of three major components: camera controller, electronics unit, and CCD camera head. Each component is a modular building block that provides for flexibility in application. Three camera controllers support all series 200 camera heads. The CC200 is a standalone intelligent controller that contains image storage memory and can perform image arithmetic. The CC200 can be operated off-line with a terminal or can transfer images to and from your host computer through a built-in IEEE-488 (GPIB) interface. Data can also be transferred to the host over a 16-bit wide DMA (direct memory access) output port at a pixel clock rates.

As alternatives to the CC200 the VME200 and Nu200 controller boards provide CCD camera control on a printed circuit board integrated into VME-based or Macintosh II computers, respectively. This software enables camera control and image acquisition, display, and storage on the host computer. Images may be stored in full 12-, 14-, or 16-bit format, or in standard 8-bit TIFF format.

The series 200 system offers a selection of CCD imagers for each camera head. CCD selection is based on specific user applications. Camera head selection is based on the level of cooling required and the selected CCD. A cryogenically cooled camera head provides the lowest possible dark current for applications where low light levels require exposures up to hours in duration, such as astronomy and Raman spectroscopy. Other Photometrics camera heads are cooled using three-stage thermoelectric coolers. These camera heads are ideal for applications where exposures are relatively short and extremely low cooling temperatures are not required.

All series 200 camera heads digitize 12, 14, or 16 bits per pixel at rates from 50 to 500 kHz. They provide a cooled, dust-free environment for the CCD array and feature a UV-transparent window with an antireflective coating, a 50 mm, f/1.8 Nikon lens, a high speed shutter with 6 ms open and 5 ms close times, and a convenient mounting flange. Camera head options include a METACHROME II coating (to extend UV sensitivity down to 180 nm), fiber optic input window, and custom CCD masking for high-speed imaging.