Imaging options expanded for extreme low-light environments

By Alix Paultre, contributing editor

ON Semiconductor announced the latest additions to its portfolio of Interline Transfer Electron Multiplying CCD (IT‑EMCCD) image sensors, targeting extreme low-light applications. The 8.8-megapixel KAE-08152 has a 4/3 optical format with an enhanced pixel design that doubles quantum efficiency for near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, such as 850 nm over the previous KAE-08151, while being fully drop-in-compatible, simplifying adoption.

In addition, all devices in ON Semiconductor’s IT-EMCCD portfolio are now available with packages that incorporate an integrated thermoelectric cooler. This option addresses the increased effort and potentially higher costs that camera manufacturers can incur when developing a cooled camera design to fully maximize the performance of these devices.

IT- EMCCD devices combine two established imaging technologies with a unique output structure to enable a new class of low-noise, high-dynamic range imaging. Interline Transfer CCD provides excellent image quality and uniformity with a highly efficient electronic shutter, while EMCCD excels under low-light conditions. Combining these technologies allows the low-noise architecture of EMCCD to be extended to multi-megapixel resolutions, and an innovative output design allows both standard CCD (normal-gain) and EMCCD (high-gain) outputs to be utilized for a single image capture. Engineering-grade versions of the KAE-08152 and evaluation kits are available.