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Summary of Contents for Andor Technology iStar
- Page 1 IsCMOS Version 1.2 rev 11 Jun 2019 Hardware Guide for the iStar Intensified sCMOS camera andor.com © Andor Technology Ltd. 2019...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
2.2.1 ......................16 onnector lAte 2.2.2 (Psu) ..................18 ower uPPly SECTION 3: INSTALLATION ......................19 CONNECTING THE ISTAR SCMOS TO OTHER EQUIPMENT ..........19 3.1.1 ..................19 ttAching to A PectrogrAPh 3.1.2 ..................20 ttAching to A ystem 3.1.3 .................. - Page 3 SECTION 4: OPERATION ........................25 EMERGENCY MAINS DISCONNECTION ................25 POWER-UP SEQUENCE ......................25 POWER-DOWN SEQUENCE ....................25 USING THE ISTAR SCMOS CAMERA ................... 25 PRE-ACQUISITION SETUP ....................26 4.5.1 ................26 etting ooling emPerAture 4.5.2 ....................... 26 ontrol SETUP ACQUISITION PANEL ....................
- Page 4 4.10.4 s .......................50 oftwAre rigger 4.10.5 e ..................50 xternAl xPosure rigger 4.11 SETTING UP PIV MODE ON ISTAR SCMOS ................51 4.11.1 s Piv m ..................51 olis ettings for 4.11.2 s (ddg) ............etting uP the xternAl elAy enerAtor ....................52...
- Page 5 SECTION 6: TROUBLESHOOTING ....................54 CAMERA BUZZER DOES NOT SOUND ON START-UP ............54 CAMERA IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY PC ................54 BUZZER SOUNDS CONTINUOUSLY ................... 54 FAN NOT OPERATING AS EXPECTED ................54 CAMERA DOES NOT COOL TO THE REQUIRED TEMPERATURE ........54 PREVENTING CONDENSATION ..................
- Page 6 14. Operation of the system close to intense pulsed sources (e.g. plasma sources, arc welders, radio frequency generators, X-ray instruments, and pulsed discharge optical sources) may compromise performance if shielding of the iStar sCMOS is inadequate 15. This product is not designed to provide protection from ionising radiation. Any customer using this product in such an application should provide their own protection 16.
- Page 7 • Do not focus features of <50 μm on the photocathode (i.e. stay around the resolution limit of the iStar sCMOS). For example, a 10 μm feature might be sufficiently intense to damage the photocathode but, when it is smeared out to ~ 50 μm, it may not be saturating the sensor and therefore satisfies the general guideline above.
- Page 8 Version Released Description 19 Sep 2016 Initial Release. Limited distribution in compact format. Added additional information regarding alternative earthing requirements if the standard 06 Apr 2017 supplied power supply is not used with the product. 11 Jun 2019 Updated USA and Asia-Pacific addresses and updated back panel image.
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Page 9: Section 1: Introduction
This manual contains useful information and advice to ensure you get the optimum performance from your new system. If you have any questions regarding your iStar sCMOS, camera please feel free to contact Andor directly, or via your local representative or supplier. -
Page 10: Help And Technical Support
1.1 H elp and eCHniCal uppoRt If you have any questions regarding the use of this equipment, please contact the representative* from whom your system was purchased, or: Europe Andor Technology Ltd. Andor Technology 7 Millennium Way 300 Baker Avenue... -
Page 11: Disclaimer
Andor, the Andor logo, iStar and Solis are trademarks of Andor Technology Ltd. Andor Technology Ltd is an Oxford Instruments company. All other marks are property of their owners. Changes are periodically made to the product and these will be incorporated into new editions of the manual. New releases of the manual are available through MyAndor: https://my.andor.com/login.aspx. -
Page 12: Specifications
1.4 s peCifiCations Table 1: Technical Specifications of the iStar sCMOS Camera Parameter Specification Sensor Type Front-illuminated Scientific CMOS 2560 x 2160 pixels (W x H), 6.5 µm pixel size Ø18 mm Ø25 mm Sensor Matrix intensifier intensifier... -
Page 13: Components
1.5 C omponents The standard components supplied with the iStar sCMOS are shown in Table 2. Note that the iStar sCMOS camera requires camera control software e.g. Solis, supplied separately. Table 2: Standard Components supplied with the iStar sCMOS... -
Page 14: Ccessories
1.5.1 a CCessoRies There is a range of optional and additional accessories available for your iStar sCMOS camera including: • C-Mount Lens Adaptor Kit (P/N LM-C), comprising C-mount adaptor, spacer tubes, screws & allen key. • Nikon F-Mount Lens Adaptor (P/N LM-NIKON-F). -
Page 15: Section 2: Product Overview
The input window protects the intensifier and internal optical components from exposure to contaminants and moisture that would otherwise impact performance. Mounting Flange The mounting flange enables the iStar sCMOS to be mounted to a wide range of optical components. Refer to mechanical drawings in Appendix A. Sensor The iStar sCMOS features a scientific sCMOS sensor. -
Page 16: Power And Signal Connections
On when the input is high. User should provide (electrical) pulse width and appropriate gate pulse delay Logic Input / Output (SMA) Connections The user can synchronize the readout of the iStar sCMOS camera to external events / equipment by means of the SMA connections. The functions of each are detailed below: •... - Page 17 Earthing Stud Enables the iStar sCMOS to be connected to an external earthing point to maintain low noise and/or is used as an alternative Protective Earth Connector Terminal in the event that the Andor-supplied External Power Supply is not used, e.g.
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Page 18: P Ower S Upply U Nit (Psu)
Camera Power Input (12 V DC) The iStar sCMOS camera is powered by a external 12 V DC Power Supply Unit (PSU). The iStar sCMOS camera is connected to the PSU via a 3 pin Redel cable plug (Part No. PAH.N0.3GL.LC65G). -
Page 19: Section 3: Installation
The iStar sCMOS can be easily connected to an Andor spectrograph. If the iStar sCMOS and Andor’s spectrograph have been ordered at the same time, the system will arrive already pre-aligned and integrated. If this is not the case, such as matching the iStar sCMOS to an existing, or third-party spectrograph - the following general guidelines should be observed. -
Page 20: A Ttaching To A L Ens S Ystem
The iStar sCMOS can also be easily connected to a lens system for imaging purposes. Your local Andor representative can supply details of the available adaptors for connecting the iStar sCMOS to various manufacturers’ lenses. The... -
Page 21: C Onnecting The I S Tar S Cmos C Amera To The Pc
Connect the USB 3.0 cable from the iStar sCMOS Camera to a suitable USB 3.0 slot on the control PC USB 3.0 connection between camera and PC Version 1.2 rev 11 Jun 2019... -
Page 22: Cooling
3.3 C ooling onneCtoRs There are two connectors to allow connection of the iStar sCMOS to a water cooler, or re-circulator. Hose inserts are provided to enable connection to coolant hoses. Water Connections on rear panel Coolant Hose Connectors: Two barbed coolant hose inserts are supplied as standard, suitable for connection to 6 mm (0.25”) internal diameter soft PVC tubing / hose. -
Page 23: Connecting The Liquid Cooling System
3.4 C onneCting tHe iquid ooling ystem An overview for connecting an liquid cooling system is outlined below- please refer to the information supplied with your cooling system for information specific to its operation. 3.4.1C onneCting tHe oolant oses 1. -
Page 24: 3.5 Installing Software And Usb Drivers
When the iStar sCMOS camera is connected to a PC for the first time, the New Hardware Wizard screen will appear. 1. Select the ‘No, not this time only’ option then click Next>. 2. Select the ‘Install from a list or specified location (Advanced) option then click Next>. -
Page 25: Section 4: Operation
This section provides an overview of how to set up and use the basic functions of the iStar sCMOS camera in Solis. On-line help is built into Solis and available through the Solis Help Menu. This provides a full description of the features available. -
Page 26: Pre-Acquisition Setup
4.5.1 s etting ooling empeRatuRe The iStar sCMOS has a default cooling temperature set at 0 4.5.2 f an ContRol The cooling fan can also be turned Off or On in the software. 1. Select Fan Control from the Hardware drop-down menu. -
Page 27: Setup Acquisition Panel
SETUP ACQUISITION PANEL The Setup Acquisition Panel (shown below) covers a range of set-up options for the camera- these functions and settings are detailed in the following sections. Version 1.2 rev 11 Jun 2019... -
Page 28: 4.7 Acquisition Modes
4.7 aCquisition modes The following acquisition modes can be supported: • Single Scan • Kinetic Series • Accumulate • Run Till Abort NOTES: The term ‘User Frame’, in this section refers to a reference/image frame pair. The term ‘valid trigger’ refers to a trigger that is applied when the camera is ready to accept it. -
Page 29: Un Ill Bort Cquisition
4.7.4 R BoRt Cquisition Run Till Abort refers to an acquisition in which an infinite number of user frames can be transmitted from the camera and the acquisition will continue to run until it is aborted. One user frame will be output from the sensor on receipt of each valid trigger of the selected type. All valid triggers will output another user frame from the sensor. -
Page 30: Rame Ate Ontrol
The signal captured by a 2D sensor can be read in several different ways, adapted to specific experimental configurations. A typical set-up for the iStar sCMOS is as shown below: Pixel Readout Rate: 560Mhz - fastest readout Sensitivity / Dynamic Range: 16-bit (low noise & high well capacity) -
Page 31: B Inning /Roi
4.8.1 B /Roi inning Binning is the procedure of combining the signal from a number of adjacent pixels into an output for a single pixel (super-pixel). For 2x2 binning, an array of 4 pixels becomes a single larger pixel, reducing the overall number of pixels that need to be readout and also reducing the resolution available. -
Page 32: Rientation
4.8.2 o Rientation The orientation tab provides options to rotate or flip the image: 4.8.3 a Cquisition and ypes eleCtion Some acquisitions, such as quantitative measurements or absorption / transmission / reflection require a degree of data processing which can be executed and displayed seamlessly in Solis. -
Page 33: Ata Isplay And Rocessing Odes
4.8.3.2 D isplay anD rocessing oDes The data processing and display formats can be selected from the Acquisition drop down menu under Setup Data Type, e.g.: oPtion function Counts (per second) Counts ÷ Exposure Time. Count (Bg corrected per second) Counts (Bg corrected) ÷... -
Page 34: A Utoscale A Cquisition
The illustration below shows a typical use of Background, Reference and Signal for computations such as %Absorptance or %Transmittance: For example, the % Absorption will be computed as: 100 x (1 - (Signal - Background) / Reference) The default data type (used when capturing data and having not explicitly made a selection from the Data Type dialog box) is counts. -
Page 35: Ata Ile Andling
4.8.5 d andling 4.8.5.1 s pooling pooling Andor Solis software has an extensive range of options that allows user to spool acquisition data direct to the hard disk of your PC. This is particularly useful when acquiring a series of many images. The amount of data generated by a kinetic series of, for example 1,000 acquisitions, is huge and more than most PC RAM can handle. -
Page 36: A Uto -S Ave
4.8.5.3 a Auto-Save allows user to set parameters and controls for the auto saving of acquisition files thus removing the worry of lost data and files. Selection of this mode is accessible under the Auto-Save tab on the Setup Acquisition dialog box. -
Page 37: Gating And Image Intensifier Settings (Gating)
This section details the different image intensifier modes of operation relative to ‘gating’ and signal amplification that are found under the Gating tab. 4.9.1 g odes In the Acquisition Setup interface, under the Gating tab, a drop-down menu allows the user to select the gate mode:... - Page 38 Valid options are: GATE MODE DESCRIPTION CW On The photocathode is continuously in the ON state CW Off The photocathode is continuously in the OFF state. Fire only Photocathode is switched on only when the Fire pulse is high.
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Page 39: U Sing The G Ate M Onitor
The gate monitor connection, on the side of the main block of the iStar sCMOS enables the temporal position of the photocathode switching On (negative spike) and Off (positive spike) to be monitored. A cable is supplied with the iStar sCMOS, which has a BNC connector on one end for attaching to an oscilloscope. -
Page 40: Mcp G Ain
Long Gate Widths (>1 us) For example: 100 us gate width: Set input impedance on oscilloscope to 1 MΩ. Set Voltage amplitude to 500 mV 4.9.3 mCp g The gain of the Micro-Channel Plate (MCP) in the image intensifier can be varied through software from a setting of 0 to 4,095. -
Page 41: I Nsertion D Elay
4.9.4 i nseRtion elay Insertion delay refers to the propagation delay of a trigger source (External Trigger, Internal Trigger (Fire pulse) or Direct Gate) to travel through the electronics and open the image intensifier. A radio button allows the user to select between ‘Normal’... - Page 42 Fire pulse to intensifier opening using DDG Ultra Fast ≈ 50 ns Normal ≈ 150 ns Direct Gate to intensifier opening Ultra Fast ≈ 20 ns Normal ≈ 120 ns Version 1.2 rev 11 Jun 2019...
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Page 43: I Ntelligate
4.9.5 i ntelligate With traditional Image Intensifier gating the photocathode of the tube is switched on and off. But even when the photocathode is switched off, some photons can still pass through it and reach the Microchannel Plate (MCP). UV photons can be energetic enough to be converted into photoelectrons that are amplified by the MCP in the normal way, and are then detected by the sensor. -
Page 44: I Ntegrate O N C Hip (Ioc)
Hence noise will only be generated from a single readout. The signal-to-noise ratio achieved while operating the iStar’s sCMOS IOC function is better than that obtained while operating the system in accumulate acquisition Mode. This is because during accumulate mode, the sensor is read out a number of times and accumulated in the computers memory. - Page 45 INTERNAL TRIGGER IOC OPTIONS DESCRIPTION Software calculates the maximum number of pulses that can fit into the exposure. The Fire pulse generates the first Fit to Exposure pulse determined by the delay and width fields, subsequent pulses are generated internally in the DDG by a user defined period/ frequency.
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Page 46: D Igital D Elay G Enerator (Ddg) S Tep ( Including G Ate S Tep )
4.9.7 d (ddg) s igital elay eneRatoR inCluding The DDG Step feature is available for use with the kinetic series acquisition mode. A check box under the heading “Step” is use to determine which signals (Gater and/or Output A/B/C) use the DDG step feature. - Page 47 The gate delay will be stepped by a constant 500 ps i.e. the first frame will have a step value of 0 and frames two to five will have a step value of (frame number - 1)*500 ps, therefore the gate delay values for each frame will be:...
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Page 48: S Tep U Pload
4.9.7.2 s pload The stepped delay/width values for each frame of the kinetic series have to be uploaded to the camera before an acquisition can be performed. This is done automatically when the start acquisition is pressed. However, this can be a slow process therefore a DDG step upload button is provided to allow these values to be uploaded prior to starting an acquisition. -
Page 49: Triggering Modes
4.10 T RiggeRing modes The triggering modes are selected from a drop-down list on the Setup Acquisition dialog box. 4.10.1 i nteRnal RiggeR Camera acts as a timing master for any external device, and also triggers both the sensor and the intensifier. The camera determines the exact time when an exposure happens, based on the acquisition settings entered by the user. -
Page 50: E Xternal S Tart
4.10.3 e xteRnal taRt External Start is a mixture of External and Internal Trigger. In this mode the camera will wait for one external trigger event to occur. Once this external trigger event has occurred the camera will switch to internal trigger and the acquisition will progress as if the camera was in internal trigger mode. -
Page 51: Setting Up Piv Mode On Istar Scmos
4.11 s piv m Cmos etting up ode on i taR s 4.11.1 s piv m olis ettings foR Select the following settings in Solis: 1. Select External Exposure Trigger Mode, with Overlap Enabled. 2. Select PIV Mode from the submenu. -
Page 52: Etting Up The Xternal Elay Enerator
4.11.2 s (ddg) etting up tHe xteRnal elay eneRatoR foR two input signals Set up an External Delay Generator to provide two input signals to the camera: Pre-Trigger: 1. The period of this signal determines the sCMOS exposure time. -
Page 53: Section 5: Maintenance
SECTION 5: MAINTENANCE THERE ARE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE THE CAMERA. DAMAGE CAUSED BY UNAUTHORISED MAINTENANCE OR PROCEDURES WILL INVALIDATE THE WARRANTY. 5.1 R egulaR HeCks • The state of the product should be checked regularly, especially the integrity of the External Power Supply and the mains cable. -
Page 54: Section 6: Troubleshooting
SECTION 6: TROUBLESHOOTING This section provides useful information and solutions for some troubleshooting scenarios. If you have an issue that you are unable to rectify using this section, please contact Andor Technical Support for further advice. 6.1 C ameRa BuzzeR does not sound on staRt The camera buzzer should be audible momentarily when the camera is switched on. -
Page 55: Preventing Condensation
6.6 p Reventing ondensation NEVER USE WATER THAT HAS BEEN CHILLED BELOW THE DEW POINT OF THE AMBIENT ENVIRONMENT TO COOL THE CAMERA. You may see condensation on the outside of the camera body if the cooling water is at too low a temperature or if the water flow is too high. -
Page 56: Appendix A: Mechanical Drawings
APPENDIX A: MECHANICAL DRAWINGS Version 1.2 rev 11 Jun 2019... -
Page 57: Appendix B: Dew Point Graph
Appendix APPENDIX B: DEW POINT GRAPH To avoid issues with condensation the coolant temperature must be set above the dewpoint- the temperature at which condensation (dew) will form. In the relatively dry conditions of an air conditioned lab, or a cool dry climate, use of a coolant temperature of 10 C should not cause any problems. -
Page 58: Appendix C: Intensifier Information
APPENDIX C: INTENSIFIER INFORMATION Gen 2 Image Intensifier Information •1 Photocathode model 18*-03 18*-04 18*-05 18H-13 18H-83 18*-E3 † Useful aperture Ø18 mm (Ø25 mm options also available) Input window Quartz Quartz Quartz Quartz Quartz Photocathode type W-AGT... - Page 59 Gen 3 Image Intensifier Information Photocathode model 18*-63 18*-73 18*-93 18*-A3 18*-C3 •5 Useful aperture Ø 18 mm (Ø25 mm options also available) + F/O + Input window Glass Glass Glass Glass Lumogen Photocathode type Peak QE @ room temperature •1...
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Page 60: Appendix D: Ddg Information
APPENDIX D: DDG INFORMATION The iStar sCMOS holds a fully integrated software-controlled digital delay generator (DDG) with the following specifications: • Adjustable from 0 ns to 10 s in 10 ps steps Gate pulse delay & width • Software controlled, pre-programmed or real-time TRIGGER OUTPUTS •... - Page 61 D.1 iMaGE intEnSiFiErS An Image intensifier is an evacuated, proximity-focus device that amplifies the intensity of an incoming signal. The device is small, typically 1-2 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. As well as amplifying incoming signal, an image intensifier can rapidly be switched on and off, allowing it to be used as a very fast optical shutter in the nanosecond time regime.
- Page 62 This is why ICCDs replaced Intensified Photodiode Arrays (IPDAs) as the detector of choice. iStar sCMOS now further extends sensitivity through the use of a sCMOS detector. This enables higher speeds at high resolution and with high dynamic range capacity.
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Page 63: Appendix E: Scmos Structure And Operation
This technology previously used in the Andor Zyla and Neo is now utilised in the iStar sCMOS. APS with column A/D... - Page 64 E.2 u cMoS nDErStanDinG oiSE in S sCMOS technology boasts an ultra-low read noise floor that is significantly that of even the best CCDs, and at several orders of magnitude faster pixel readout speeds. For those more accustomed to dealing with CCDs, it is useful to gain an understanding of the nature of read noise distribution in CMOS imaging sensors.
- Page 65 E.3 S PuriouS oiSE iltEr The Spurious Noise filter corrects for pixels that would otherwise appear as spurious ‘salt and pepper’ noise spikes in the image. The appearance of such noisy pixels is analogous to the situation of Clock Induced Charge (CIC) noise spikes in EMCCD cameras, in that the overall noise of the sensor has been reduced to such a low level, that the remaining small percentage of spurious, high noise pixels can become an aesthetic issue.
- Page 66 E.5 D MPliFiEr ynaMic anGE The Dual Amplifier architecture of the sCMOS sensor eliminates the need to choose between low noise or high capacity, in that signal can be sampled simultaneously by both high gain and low gain amplifiers. As such, the lowest noise of the sensor can be harnessed alongside the maximum well depth, affording the widest possible dynamic range.
- Page 67 The method of combining signals from two 11-bit ADCs can be divided into four basic steps. At the end of the analog chain the “Signal” voltage is applied to two independent amplifiers: the high gain amplifier and the low gain amplifier. This results in two separate digital data streams from the sensor The camera selects which data stream to use on a pixel per pixel, frame by frame basis using a threshold method The data is then compensated for DC offset and gain.
- Page 68 The iStar sCMOS offers the user a choice of two 12-bit gain channels (i.e. high or low gain) or a combined ‘16-bit’ setting. The user can choose to stay with 12-bit single gain channel data if dynamic range is not critical, resulting in smaller file sizes.
- Page 69 E.10 G loBal huttEr Global shutter mode, which can also be thought of as a ‘snapshot’ exposure mode, means that all pixels of the array are exposed simultaneously. In most respects, global shutter can be thought of as behaving like an Interline CCD sensor.
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Page 70: Appendix F: Other Information
APPENDIX F: OTHER INFORMATION Terms and Conditions of Sale and Warranty Information The terms and conditions of sale, including warranty conditions, will have been made available during the ordering process. The current version may be viewed at: http://www.andor.com/pdfs/literature/Andor_Standard_Warranty.pdf Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Regulations 2006 (WEEE) The company’s statement on the disposal of WEEE can be found in the Terms and Conditions.