The Ultimate in Scientific ICCD Technology0 pages

Technical Note

em

IMAGING GROUP

emICCD: The Ultimate in Scientific ICCD Technology
Single-Photon Detection Capability
and <500 psec Time Resolution

Introduction

With the rapid expansion of research in areas such as
nanotechnology, quantum computing, and combustion, the
development of higher-performance time-gated cameras is
becoming a necessity. This technical note describes the latest
breakthrough in scientific intensified CCD (ICCD) technology:
the world’s first emICCD.

© 2013 Princeton Instruments, Inc. All rights reserved.

Current Technologies: ICCDs and EMCCDs

In ICCD cameras, ultra-low-light detection is achieved by
high amplification of incoming photons by an intensifier (see
Figure 2). Time resolution is possible due to the fact that the
intensifier can be switched on and off (gated) in very short
intervals.
Electrical Connection Rings

Princeton Instruments’ new emICCD technology combines
the benefits of an intensifier and an electron-multiplying
CCD (EMCCD) in order to deliver single-photon detection
capability and <500 psec time resolution.* This innovative
technology, available exclusively in the renowned Princeton
Instruments PI-MAX®4 camera platform (see Figure 1),
is ideal for a broad range of applications, including
fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), combustion,
planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), photon counting,
and time-resolved imaging and spectroscopy.

Photocathode
Microchannel Plate
Incident Light
Intensified Image

Phosphor Screen
0V

8 kV
600 V
-200 V

Figure 2. Cross-section view of an image intensifier tube utilized in a
Princeton Instruments ICCD camera.

Figure 1. The new Princeton Instruments PI-MAX4:512EM is the first
scientific camera on the market to utilize revolutionary emICCD technology.

The intensifier consists of a photocathode, a microchannel
plate (MCP), and a phosphor screen. A fraction (the quantum
efficiency, or QE) of the photons incident on the photocathode
is converted into electrons. Single photoelectrons are
converted into clouds of electrons by the MCP, which acts
as a distributed electron multiplier. The electrons released
from the MCP then strike the fluorescent screen (phosphor)
and cause it to emit far more photons than were incident on
the photocathode.
In the traditional ICCD configuration, the voltage between
the photocathode and the input of the MCP is used to switch
the intensifier on and off. If the photocathode is electrically

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