18 Sep

New Performance-Enhanced Marana BSI sCMOS Camera

Oxford Instruments Andor, a world leader in scientific imaging solutions, has today announced the launch of a performance-enhanced back-illuminated sCMOS camera, further strengthening its broad portfolio of cameras for Physical Sciences and Astronomy.

Marana 4.2B-6 Back-illuminated sCMOS: Now Even Faster, More Sensitive and with Long Exposure Capability

The performance of the Marana 4.2B-6 back-illuminated 4.2 Megapixel sCMOS model has been significantly enhanced to widen its application appeal within Physical Sciences and Astronomy. A new Low Noise Mode reduces the read noise to 1.0e-. When combined with market-leading -45°C vacuum cooling and 95% QE, this pushes the limits of detection further, even under the most challenging, light starved imaging applications, enabling tracking of smaller Space Debris or NEOs, shorter exposures, lower illumination powers to protect photosensitive samples or the detection of trace concentrations of species.

A new High-Speed mode has been implemented to meet the needs of fast imaging applications such as trapped ion/atom quantum computing, solar astronomy, fast spectroscopy or hyperspectral imaging. By combining this mode with a 2-lane CoaXPress connection, 135 fps of sustained and stable high-speed operation is now possible.

Furthermore, a new Long Exposure Mode has been implemented which markedly enhances the exposure flexibility of Marana 4.2B-6. Amplifier glow has been a problem that has plagued most sCMOS sensors on the market. This new mode goes a long way to suppressing the effect of amplifier glow under longer exposure conditions. This is particularly relevant for fields such as astronomy and low light luminescence detection.

A ‘Global Clear’ mode has now been implemented for the Rolling Shutter sensor type. This mode purges charge from all rows of the sensor simultaneously at the exposure start. It can be used alongside a pulsed/triggerable light source, such as LED or Laser, to simulate a Global Shutter mechanism, useful for achieving tight synchronisation with other equipment and minimising exposure 'dead times'.

Dr. Colin Coates, Head of Product Management for Physical Sciences and OEM, stated:

“The new enhanced Marana 4.2B-6 represents a compelling solution to a range of imaging and spectroscopic challenges in physical science and astronomy. The accelerated frame rate capability renders the camera useful for high time resolution astrophysics, solar studies and dynamic quantum research experiments. The new Long Exposure Mode renders this model particularly compelling as a flexible workhorse detector solution for astronomy, adaptable to wavefront sensing, fast image stacking, and general photometry or astrometry across a broad range of timescales.”

Dr. Leonidas Asimakoulas, Physicist and Optical Lead for the Marana enhancement project added:

“By incorporating new advanced features and pushing the GS2020BSI sensor performance to the maximum, researchers will be able to benefit from the lower noise floor and to image at both higher speeds or longer exposures than was previously possible.”