Digital cameras add a scientific edge

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 10, 2004

The range of CCD cameras from DTA Scientific (Italy) offers excellent performance for a wide range of scientific and research applications.

The range of CCD cameras from DTA Scientific (Italy) offers excellent performance for a wide range of scientific and research applications.

Geoff Smith, Marketing Director of Alrad says: "The addition of the DTA range of products will strengthen the range of cameras Alrad are able to offer the scientific and research community in the British Isles".

"The cameras are designed for a wide range of biological, physics, X-ray and spectroscopy applications".

The camera series consists of four ranges of products.

Anyone working with MCPs or lasers and wishing to accurately synchronise the pulses with image acquisition will find the Chroma C3 an excellent camera to choose.

The camera is able to synchronise events as short as 20ns.

The Discovery series of cooled cameras is marked by high sensitivity, light weight and compact size as well as low cost.

Every component is integrated in the aluminium head: CCD, electromechanical shutter, Peltier cooling system and electronics.

Discovery cameras offer users a professional performance at an economical price.

The camera is connected to the PC by means of a bidirectional parallel port.

This series uses Kodak KAF CCD, displaying a wide range of resolutions and pixels dimensions.

The sensors are front-illuminated, and offer excellent quantum efficiency.

All of them (apart from those with the antiblooming option) can offer a 100% fill factor, allowing one to shoot marvellous images.

Among the main application fields are astronomy and plasma physics.

The HiRes series of cooled digital cameras are designed to detect extremely faint light emissions.

There are two versions: the standard HiRes IV and the advanced model HiRes IV Plus.

Both of them are constructed in two parts: the head (with CCD sensor, double-stage Peltier cooling system and electronics) and the controller that includes the power supply.

This series uses Kodak and E2V Technologies sensors, either marked by high definition or high sensitivity.

They belong to the front-illuminated kind, with thin indium electrodes able to raise the quantum efficiency in the case of shorter wavelengths, or to the back-illuminated type to make the most of the latest CCD technology.

Among the main application fields are biology, astronomy, spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, semiconductor physics, plasma physics and X-ray physics.

A line completely devoted to spectroscopy is available.

The iCAM series of cameras aims to make the most of readout speed of Kodak KAF sensors by reaching the best possible performance by exploiting its high sensitivity in the shortest possible image transfer time.

Every component is integrated in the aluminium head: CCD, electromechanical shutter, single-stage Peltier cooling system and electronics.

An external motorised filter wheel is available as an optional extra.

The camera is connected to the PC by means of a FDL interface card (alternatively, a fibre-optic connection can be made).

Thanks to its cooling method, 12bit (multirange) A/D convertor and remarkable speed during image acquisition, iCAM is the ideal solution to shoot extremely weak events, subject to quick changes.

Among the main application fields are: biology, astronomy, plasma physics and semiconductor physics.