The iXon Ultra EMCCD camera from Andor Technology (Belfast, Northern Ireland) offers a 512 × 512 back-illuminated sensor that facilitates overclocking of pixel readout speed to 17 MHz, and delivers a maximum frame rate of 56 fps. The company's Cropped Sensor Mode further boosts frame rates from a user-defined sub-region, such as pushing a 128 × 128 area to 595 fps. A Camera Link output enables direct interception of data for 'on the fly' processing in applications such as adaptive optics. Additional applications include single-molecule detection and super-resolution microscopy, among others.
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PRESS RELEASE
ANDOR TECHNOLOGY LAUNCHES IXON ULTRA - MARKET LEADING EMCCD NOW OVER 60 PERCENT FASTER
Belfast, Northern Ireland, 19th January 2012 – Andor Technology plc (Andor), a world leader in scientific imaging and spectroscopy solutions, today announced the launch of the iXon Ultra high-performance EMCCD camera. Building on a rich history of first to market innovation, the ‘supercharged’ iXon Ultra represents the next generation of the marketing-leading iXon platform.
The iXon Ultra, launching on the popular 512x512 back-illuminated sensor format, has been fundamentally re-engineered to facilitate overclocking of the pixel readout speed to an unprecedented 17MHz, delivering a maximum frame rate of 56 fps, whilst maintaining single photon sensitivity and superb quantitative stability. Furthermore, Andor’s unique Cropped Sensor Mode can be employed to further boost frame rates from a user defined sub-region, for example pushing a 128 x 128 area to 595 fps.
Additional new features of the iXon Ultra include USB connectivity, a lower noise CCD mode and an additional Camera Link output, offering a unique ability to directly intercept data for ‘on the fly’ processing, ideally suited to applications such as adaptive optics. Simultaneously, the iXon Ultra maintains all the advanced performance attributes and rich customer requested feature set that have defined the iXon range to date, such as deep vacuum cooling to -100 0C, extremely low spurious noise and EM Gain calibration. Count Convert functionality allows real time data acquisition in units of electrons or incident photons and OptAcquire facilitates one-click optimisation of this versatile camera to a variety of application conditions.
Dr Colin Coates, Imaging Product Manager within Andor Technology, said; "EMCCD technology excels in applications that require low light sensitivity at speed, and it remains the superior technology for dynamic, ultra-low light applications. Andor have made great strides over the years in pushing sensitivity to the limit through minimizing noise sources, but we felt there was still some room for innovation on the speed front, so we took up that challenge. We see the enhanced frame rate performance of the iXon Ultra being well utilised across the majority of EMCCD-enabled applications, for example in single molecule detection, super-resolution microscopy, astronomy, ion signalling and cell motility measurements.”
For more information, please visit www.andor.com/ixonultra
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