CCD Detectors

CCD sensors are the candidates of choice for applications and experiments that require high sensitivity and low noise in order to deliver best SNR and limit of detection. Broadband spectroscopy applications, such Optical Emission Spectroscopy, and UV-VIS Fluorescence measurements benefit from the high QE of back-thinned CCDs, while Raman instrumentation at 785nm and above, is best configured with the NIR-enhanced version of these same sensors.

Available in front-illuminated, UV-VIS back-thinned and NIR-enhanced back-thinned versions, CCD sensors are offered in a wide variety of formats, both in terms of length, height, full well, packaging and cooling options (such as uncooled, thermally-stabilized or cooled).

Even though described as “linear” sensors, many members of these back-thinned CCD families are 2D arrays of pixels, with 1024 or 2048 pixels in the horizontal (spectral) direction and with up to 500 pixels in the vertical (imaging) direction.

tec5USA’s electronics can operate these 2D sensors in two modes: Spectral mode, where vertical pixels in a column are all shifted down and summed in the serial register prior to readout, effectively using the sensor as a linear detector; and Image mode, where the sensor is readout one row at a time, or by a given number of regions of interest, effectively constructing an image of the focal plane.

Spectral and Image modes both have their applications: Single-channel, high-speed, high frame rate spectroscopy for Spectral mode; and multi-channel / multi-input sequential and/or simultaneous spectroscopy for Image mode.

Please consult with our Spectroscopy team at tec5USA to discuss your application and explore the CCD sensor options available in terms of budget, desired SNR, signal collection, spectral range, frame rate, expose times, etc…