Search

  • Live Cell Fluorescence Microscopy

    The lab of Prof. Osman’s at the Ludwig-Maximilian University in München, Germany is interested in understanding the power plants of cells – mitochondria – and the way their functionality and network activity is maintained during cell division.

  • Photon Conversion and Anti-Reflection Coatings: Improving UV Sensitivity Above 200 nm

    The majority of camera sensors are silicon-based, such as CCD sensors. Although silicon-based sensors have high quantum efficiency (QE) in the visible wavelength range, they are much less sensitive to wavelengths in the ultraviolet (UV) range (100-400 nm).

  • EMCCDs: The Basics

    Electron-multiplying CCDs (EMCCDs) are a variant of silicon-based CCDs that use electron multiplication to elevate electron signal greatly above the read noise floor to maximize sensitivity for low-light imaging. Photons are collected on EMCCD sensors in a similar way to CCD sensors, however, the addition of an EM-gain register allows photoelectrons to be amplified before being read out.

  • Pixel Size and Camera Resolution

    A pixel is the part of a sensor which collects photons so they can be converted into photoelectrons. Multiple pixels cover the surface of the sensor so that both the number of photons detected, and the location of these photons can be determined.

  • Scientific Camera Noise Sources

    Variation in the signal resulting in uncertainty in the image data is referred to as noise. It can be produced by the sensor, surrounding electronics, temperature of the system and via natural fluctuation.

  • Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)

    Signal to noise ratio (SNR) is defined as the relationship between the signal and the noise generated within a pixel. If the sample signal is weak in comparison to the noise associated, it can be difficult to detect.

  • New Scientific CMOS Cameras with Back-Illuminated Technology

    Low-light scientific cameras are behind many revolutionary discoveries, ranging from quantum imaging to astronomy. For more than five decades, CCD cameras and their variants — electron-multiplying CCD (EMCCD) and intensified CCD (ICCD) cameras

  • The Art and Science of Being Cool

    Many low-light imaging and spectroscopy applications rely on highly sensitive silicon- or InGaAs-based scientific detectors.

  • Introduction to X-ray Scattering

    When a sample is illuminated by x-rays, these incident x-rays can be deflected and scattered by the sample, producing complex patterns. Analysis of these patterns, their intensities as well as the angle of scatter (incident vs scattered x-rays), changes in polarization, wavelength, and/or energy, can reveal structural, elemental and atomic information about the sample, and are known as x-ray scattering techniques.

  • Introduction to X-ray Microscopy

    The ability to image smaller and smaller samples allows us to see the previously unseen and analyze even the smallest parts of the universe, from viruses to proteins and even the atomic structure of materials.

  • Fundamentals behind modern scientific cameras

    Scientific cameras are essential for taking images of scientific research to understand the phenomena surrounding us. A key aspect of scientific cameras is that they are quantitative, with each camera measuring the number of photons (light particles) which interact with the detector.

  • Camera Gain

    When a sensor detects a photon, photoelectrons are released within the pixel (for more information, see our fundamentals page). The number of photoelectrons is measured at the end of exposure and a digital number produced. This is called the analog-to-digital unit (ADU) or the ‘gray level’.