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New iStar ICCD - Andor Technology

1. Vo Don External Trigger 0 Ges Cur pur E Dust veel T 1 Fire was Gate Monitor Fr a ARM fies Ge Parcas DEDE 4 wed Heb Burst per Exposure Caray Chores og ieee Leen bsr Hal zn ij Gas Duipat rome ay Furti Da Fire A1 Lea iu Gate Monitor Fa na DDD apap har ARM or Uem i Fit to CCD Exposure Page 117 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 1 3 Gate Steo Enabled Description The external trigger generates one gate pulse per exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value Setup Gate step enabled output A B C disabled Titan E3 Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Settings Auto Save Spooing Crop Mode Data 4 Gate Mode DDG gt Deeley Gain 0 4095 0 Geter QutputA Output B Output C Delay CHama baliga Delay 3 2 ms Uka Fast wah 100 1 m Integrate on Lap MOC Enable Variable Step 5 m L o ima J jJ Waveforms External Trigger
2. J jJ m se jJ One pulse trigger Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor 119 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation Limitations WhEN USING EXTERNAL TRIGGER WITH IOC AND GATE STEP THE SOFTWARE HAS TO COMMUNICATE TO THE DDG IN BETWEEn scans in order to increment the gate delay The time needed is e 7 5 ms when incrementing the gate delay e 11 5 ms when incrementing the gate delay output A delay output B delay output C delay if track gate step is enabled This time is in most cases less than the time it takes to clean out the image area before each exposure Therefore precautions only need to be taken when the time to clean out the image area is less than 7 5 ms or 11 5 ms if other channels are tracking the gate step Since this clean cycle depends on the sensor and vertical shift speed combination the table below shows the recommended settings Unless stated otherwise the maximum trigger rate is to 500 kHz 5 khz for intelligate a When incrementing the gate delay only When using trigger rates less than 133 Hz the recommended setup is ay Vertical Shift Speed usecs DH334T 47 10 sensor 6 5 DH320T 30 11 sensor TIES DH340T 42 10 sensor 12 9 DH312T 77 00 sensor 6 5 When using trigger rates greater than 133 Hz the recommended setup is Vertical Shift Speed usecs Clean Cycle msecs for information only DH334T 47 10 se
3. p ANDOR Rh dE Appendix 1 2 2 The following hardware components have warranties greater than 12 months ICCD Andor provides a 2 year warranty for its ICCD products Any damage caused by laser burn bleaching of the photocathode brought about by over illumination of the cathode or ion damage of the cathode brought about by excessive numbers of photoelectrons in the Multichannel plate will not be covered by the warranty 1 2 3 The following products and parts have specific warranty limitations X RAY Cameras Andor s standard warranty terms apply to x ray cameras except for the sensor and other exposed parts which are not covered in those models a where the sensor is openly exposed typically DO DX models and or b where the sensor is used for the direct detection of x ray photons Sensor Andor does not warrant sensors to be completely free from defects Items considered as consumables are not covered under this warranty including but not limited to the following items cables fibre optics filters Third party products not manufactured by Andor are not covered under this warranty The customer will only be entitled to the benefit of any such warranty or guarantee as is given by the manufacturer to Andor unless specifically agreed in writing by both parties 1 2 4 Andor guaranties that the supplied Software substantially conforms to published specifications original license Andor does not warrant software to be err
4. Figure 11 X Calibration by Spectrograph interface Spectrograph setup and calibration will be detailed in Section 8 45 p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 4 4 Command Menu The Command drop down menu provides the following options Command Line Cre d biu pna ul Command Line Opens a dialog box to allow user to input one line commands written in Andor Basic programming language Show Mean and Standard Deviation Displays mean signal value and or standard deviation from mean in the data windows header Arithmetic Operations Allows basic arithmetic data manipulation e g addition subtraction etc Note Please also refer to the Andor Basic programming and Help sections 4 4 5 Hardware Menu The Hardware drop down menu provides the following options Setup Spectrograph Shutter Contral Temperature Ctrl T Fan Control 4 4 6 View Menu Setup Spectrograph Allows user to select setup and load calibration for the spectrograph being used in conjunction with the Andor detector Shutter Control Allows user to setup the appropriate shutter mode of operation synchronization and delays Temperature Allows user to setup the cooling temperature of the sensor Fan Control Allows user to switch the cooling fans CCD and gater On or Off The View drop down menu allows user to enable or disable quick access icon bars display on the main Solis window a
5. e In Permanently OPEN mode the shutter will be open before during and after any data acquisition However if the camera is to be left unattended for long periods it is recommended that the shutter is closed e Permanently CLOSED mode can be useful for taking a series of acquisitions in darkness background and do not require the shutter to open between acquisitions The shutter remains closed before during and after any data acquisition e Fully Auto is the simplest shutter mode as it leaves all shuttering decisions to the system When a Take Signal operation is performed the shutter opens for the duration of the CCD exposure time e f CLOSED for background mode is selected any shutter driven from the shutter output of the camera will be closed during background acquisition only e The TTL Transistor Transistor Logic buttons TTL Low amp TTL High allow user to instruct the system as to how it should control the opening and closing of the shutter i e open or closed status during high or low TTL states Note The shutter pulse is not capable of driving a shutter It is only a 5V pulse designed to trigger TTL amp CMOS compatible shutter drivers The shutter pulse from the camera ca be directly connected to Andor Shamrock spectrographs in order to control the internal shutter of these instruments or to an Andor ACC SD VDM1000 external shutter driver for stand alone shutter operation p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquis
6. p ANDOR User s Guide New iStar ICCD p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Contents SAFETY amp WARNINGS INFORMATION 12 ADDITIONAL NOTE AVOIDING DAMAGE TO THE ISTAR DETECTOR 13 SAFETY SYMBOLS 14 REGULATORY COMPLIANCE 14 SECTION 1 ABOUT THE NEW ISTAR 15 1 1 INTRODUCTION 15 1 2 Working with the user guide 15 1 3 HELP amp TECHNICAL SUPPORT 16 Europe 16 USA 16 Asia Pacific 16 China 16 1 4 DISCLAIMER 17 1 5 TRADEMARKS amp PATENT INFORMATION 17 1 6 ELECTRICAL amp ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS 18 SECTION 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW ISTAR 19 2 1 COMPONENTS OVERVIEW 19 2 2 MECHANICAL DRAWINGS 20 2 3 PLATFORM SPECIFICATIONS IMAGING SENSORS 21 2 4 PLATFORM SPECIFICATIONS SPECTROSCOPY SENSORS 22 2 5 GEN 2 INTENSIFIER SPECIFICATIONS 23 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY 2 6 2 7 2 8 2 9 2 10 2 11 2 12 2 13 2 14 GEN 3 INTENSIFIER SPECIFICATIONS DDG SPECIFICATIONS COOLING 2 8 1 Air Cooling 2 8 2 Fan Settings 2 8 3 Water Cooling 2 8 4 Condensation 2 8 5 Dew Point 2 8 6 Water Cooling Accessories CONNECTORS POWER SUPPLY UNIT PSU FUSE REPLACEMENT ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL EXTRAS SPECTROGRAPH COMPATIBILITY SOFTWARE SECTION 3 INSTALLING THE NEW ISTAR 3 1 3 2 3 3 MECHANICAL CONNECTION TO THE NEW iSTAR 3 1 1 Attaching to a Spectrograph 3 1 2 Attaching to a Lens System 3 1 3 Attaching to Mounting Posts COOLANT HOSE INSERTS
7. ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 5 4 and Gate Step Enabled Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value A The fire pulse rate cannot exceed 15 kHz in this particular mode Setup IOC enabled gate step enabled Output A enabled trackstep disabled Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averaging Filters ICP Digital Delay Generator Gater Output amp Output B Outpt E Gain 0 4095 0 Gater Output A Output B Output C 7 Enable Output Ultra Fast Width 1 us Widh 1 zm s 3 egi at Chip IOC v Enable Fit to CCD Exposure eerste O Burst 2 pomme C2 negative 100 000 kHz C Variable etur Track Step Step 5 us v Carvel Hep Fire Gate Monitor Output A Page 109 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 TRIGGERING EXTERNAL 6 2 1 Acquisition Mode Single 6 2 1 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled Description The external trigger generates one gate pulse per exposure A delay relative to the trigger can be applied to the gate pulse and output A B C Any subsequent triggers that arrive during the exposure are ignored Setup IOC disabled Cquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Setti
8. Accum Time secs 10 03300 30 303 2 Honzontal Piel Shat Readout Rale SMHzat lobe Predmp erGan 4x v 1 Cosmic Ray Removal Lac 6 1 2 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled Description One gate pulse is generated within an exposure The gate delay is the same for each of the exposures involved Setup IOC disabled gate step disabled output A enabled Waveforms Timings are the same as in kinetic series 1 accumulation standard operation IOC disabled and gate step disabled See sections 6 1 3 1 1 and 6 1 3 2 1 6 1 2 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Description Several gate pulses are generated within each exposure The gate delay is the same for each of the exposures Setup IOC enabled output A enabled Waveforms Timings are the same as in kinetic series 1 accumulation IOC enabled See sections 6 1 3 1 2 and 6 1 3 2 2 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 Acquisition Mode Kinetic 6 1 3 1 Number of Accumulations 1 A number of single images will be acquired in the series Setup Acquisition Acquisition Mode Tuggenmg Readout Mode Kinetic w intemal gt FVB gt Timings Vertical Pixel Shift Exposure Time secs 0 03300 Shift Speed usecs 6 5 Vertical Clock Voltage 8 Number of Accumulabons E RC Momal Accum Cycle Time secs 0 03300 30 303 Hz T Horizontal Pixel Shift Kinetic Se
9. ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Contents 24 25 26 26 27 27 28 28 28 29 31 31 32 32 32 33 33 33 33 38 34 35 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Contents 3 4 INSTALLING SOFTWARE AND USB DRIVERS 36 3 4 1 Minimum Computer Requirements 36 3 4 2 Installing Solis Software and Usb Driver 36 3 4 3 New Hardware Wizard 37 SECTION 4 SOLIS SOFTWARE OPERATION 38 4 1 STARTING THE APPLICATION 38 4 2 MAIN WINDOW 39 4 2 1 Main Window Status Bar 40 4 3 HOT KEYS 41 4 4 MENU SELECTION 43 4 4 1 File Menu 43 4 4 2 Acquisition Menu ed 4 4 3 Calibrate Menu 45 4 4 4 Command Menu 46 4 4 5 Hardware Menu 46 4 4 6 View Menu 46 4 4 7 Display Menu 47 4 4 8 Window Menu 47 4 4 9 Help Menu 48 4 4 10 Software Help 48 4 5 RUN TIME CONTROL 49 4 6 ANDOR BASIC 49 lt g gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Contents SECTION 5 PRE ACQUISITION SETUP 50 5 1 SETTING TEMPERATURE 50 5 2 FAN CONTROL 51 5 3 CCD SETUP ACQUISITION 52 5 3 1 Acquisition Modes amp Timings 53 5 3 1 1 Single Scan 53 5 3 1 1 1 Video 54 5 3 1 2 Accumulate 55 5 3 1 3 Kinetic Series 56 5 3 1 4 Fast Kinetics 57 5 3 1 5 Cropped Sensor Mode 58 5 3 1 6 Photon Counting 59 5 3 1 6 1 Photon Counting in Real Time 60 5 3 2 Readout Modes 61 5 3 2 1 Image Mode 61 5 3 2 1 1 Sub Image 62 5 3 2 1 1 Image Orientation 62 5 3 2 2 Multi Track Mode 63 5 3 2 3 Full Vertical Binning Fvb 64 5 3 3 Binning 65 5 3 3 1 Vertical Binning 65 5 3 3 2 Horizontal Binnin
10. Fixed Pattern Noise FPN consists of the differences in count values read out from individual pixels even if no light is falling on the detector These differences remain constant from read to read The differences are due in part to a variation in the dark signal produced by each pixel and in part to small irregularities that arise during the fabrication of the CCD Since fixed pattern noise is partly due to dark signal it will change if the temperature changes but because it is fixed it can be completely removed from a measurement by background subtraction Page 149 p ANDOR h dE Appendix QUANTUM EFFICIENOY SPEC IRAL RESPONSE The glossary refers to signals as a number of electrons More strictly speaking these are photoelectrons created when a photon is absorbed When a UV or visible photon is absorbed by the detector it can at best produce only one photoelectron Photons of different wavelengths have different probabilities of producing a photoelectron and this probability is usually expressed as Quantum Efficiency QE or spectral response QE is a percentage measure of the probability of a single photon producing a photoelectron while spectral response is the number of electrons that will be produced per unit photon energy Many factors contribute to the QE of a CCD but the most significant factor is the absorption coefficient of the silicon that serves as the bulk material of the device READOUT Readout is
11. Condensation may be seen on the outside of the camera body if the temperature of the liquid coolant is too low or if the coolant flow is too great The first signs of condensation will usually be visible around the connectors where the water tubes are attached In such circumstances system should be switched off and camera wiped with a soft dry cloth It is likely there will already be condensation on the cooling block and cooling fins inside the camera The following actions should be carried out e Camera should be set aside to dry for several hours before attempting to re use e Dry gas should then be blown through the cooling slits on the side of the camera to remove any residual moisture e Warmer water or reduced flow should then be used when the device is started again 2 0 5 Dew Point The Dew Point graph below plots the relationship between relative humidity and Dew Point at varying ambient temperature This can be used to calculate the minimum temperature the cooling water should be set to in order to avoid condensation 100 7 FL Pi ri E 90 _ _ 7 2 7 A A E y S Pd 80 gf 2 4 4 4 Kyo 64 4 x 70 E P 4 4 a 7 5 ig 9 L d gt Pd S gt oe AN d 5 E 60 Pad d 3 e Cu P P Pd a a P P a 50 T
12. Fire Gate Monitor ARM 118 lt g gt ANDOR Rh ELE Operation 6 2 2 1 4 and Gate Step Enabled 6 2 2 1 4 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger Description Several gate pulses can be generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same per every trigger within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value Every external trigger within an exposure can generate only one gate pulse Setup IOC enabled gate step output A B C disabled Acquisition Acquisitia Setup Camess Setup itin Tagger Seting FVB AuteSave Spooling Mode Dotan Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Seting Spooing 4 5 Acquaibion Mode Trigger Fesda Hode Kinetic gt External Gate DD Gain 0 4095 0 Quip OupuB Oupu C Exporane Time freca Dura and Shall Speed urecs 12 ei l uput unl Murer ol 71 Vertical Cock Volpe Insertion Delay ie Hal Deisy 1 imr Priced Shall CUa Senge Lergh 5 width 100 us Hae SMH at 1 ys hip 00 Minimum Trigger Penad recs 003509 28 438 Hz zu Predpis Gar dx Enable Advanced Flemcreal Vanshle 1 mi Wang Mimun apaiia naia oi SOURI shouid nol be
13. The external trigger generates one gate pulse per exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure in the series Setup IOC disabled gate step disabled output A B C disabled Ac gui iari x EL LL a D Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Selling FYB Aute Save Spocing Crop Mode Data 4 gt Gate Mode 006 Gan 0 4035 0 Galet QutputA Output Output C Insertion Chesley Delay 3 ms v n Fal width 100 ribs stes an Chp Enable Ep Vasisble Shep 0 cw Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Page 114 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 1 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 6 2 2 1 2 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger Description Several gate pulses can be generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same per every trigger within an exposure Every external trigger within an exposure can generate only one gate pulse Setup IOC enabled output A B C disabled Setup Setup Gang Tagger Set ngs FVE Auto Save Spooing Crop Mode Data 4 ya Gala Mode DDG w Gan 0 4095 0 Chiat Output Dupu C Delay widik 100000 n Shep nb Waning rae of SIEHE shoud not be euceaded J cw J se jJ Waveforms External T
14. Andor Technology 4F NE Sarugakucho Building Room 1213 Building B 2 7 6 Sarugaku Cho Lou Ke Time Square Chiyoda Ku No 103 Huizhongli Chaoyang District Tokyo 101 0064 Beijing 100101 Japan China Tel 81 3 3518 6488 Tel 86 10 5129 4977 Fax 81 3 3518 6489 Fax 86 10 6445 5401 CALL FREE 00 800 9027 0899 International 800 296 1579 US Customer Support Find Your Local Representative General Feedback Form Interactive World Map 9 gt oO E e E m The latest contact details for local representatives can be found on our website via the following link andor com support North America Japan 425 Sullivan Avenue 4F NE Sarugakucho Room 1213 Building B Suite 3 2 7 6 Sarugaku Cho Luo Ke Time Square South Windsor Chiyoda Ku No 103 Building Huizhongli 06074 Tokyo 101 0064 Beijing 100101 japan China Tel 44 28 9023 7126 Tel 1 860 290 9211 T ol J 2 el 81 3 3518 6488 Tel 86 10 5129 4977 Fax 44 28 9031 0792 Fax 1 860 290 9566 Fa 81 3 3518 6489 Fax 86 10 8487 1580 Andor Technology plc About News Events Press Investors areers p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY About the New iStar 1 4 DISCLAIMER The information contained herein is provided as is without warranty condition or representation of any kind either express implied statutory or otherwise including but not lim
15. and can limit both the maximum gating frequency and the minimum cooling performance achievable Once a dataset has been acquired with the fans switched off it is recommended that they be turned on again and the camera head allowed to thermally re stabilize i e dissipate the excess heat built up in the heatsinks from both the Peltier cooler and gating circuitry before the next acquisition can begin Fan control Cancel Help Figure 3 Fan control interface in Solis software 2 8 3 Water Cooling Circulating water is a very efficient method of removing heat from the heatsink The heatsink temperature will be closely coupled to the temperature of the circulating water and the cooling performance achievable will be dependent upon the water temperature Water cooling either chilled though a refrigeration process or re circulated i e water which has been forced air cooled then pumped allows lower minimum operating temperatures than air cooling The table below is a guide to the minimum CCD operating temperatures for various water temperatures Performance of individual systems will vary slightly Water Temperature CCD Temperature 18 25 10 40 35 C 15 C 38 C 33 C 20 C 36 C 31 C 25 C 34 C 29 C Table 2 New iStar water assisted cooling performance versus image intensifier size Page 27 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 8 4 Condensation
16. and fast kinetics acquisition modes The first exposure in a series will use the gate delay specified For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value In this way the Gate Step feature causes the image intensifier to be gated on progressively later or earlier if a negative value is entered for each acquisition in the series Step The user can enter a time which is added or subtracted incrementally to the gate delay during a series of acquisitions Gate Step per Exposure LI Venable Variable The user can also set up a variable gate step by selecting the Variable tick box on the gate step interface of the Setup Gater tab The Setup button and the Setup Variable Gate Step dialog box will open e g selup variable gate step The Variable Gate Step option allows the user to configure the gate delay such that it changes in a variable fashion between each scan of a kinetic series For example it may be desirable to have a very short gate delay at the beginning of an acquisition and a much larger delay near the end In this case it would be more suitable for the gate step to increase exponentially Three options are selectable e Exponential e Logarithmic e Linear ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier If for example the user sets up a Kinetic Series to acquire four scans during the series with an initi
17. light having been reflected from or having passed though the material being studied 5 3 6 2 Data Display and Processing Modes The data processing and display formats can be selected from the Acquisition drop down menu under Setup Data Type e g Setup Data Type Setup Data Type Data Type Data Type counts v Do Calibration Do Calibration Reflectance Transmittance Flatfield Absorbance units Absorption Coefficient Im Attenuation Data Ref The descriptions of the different available data display and processing types are shown in Table 8 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Data OPTION FUNCTION Counts Counts Bg corrected Counts per second Count Bg corrected per second Absorptance Reflectance Transmittance Flatfield Absorbance units Absorption Coefficient m Attenuation Data Ref Log 10 Radiometry Optional extra Counts represent raw digitized data i e no calculations have been performed on the data from the EMCCD detector s analog to digital A D converter Please refer to the detailed performance sheet accompanying your particular EMCCD detector for the number of electrons that correspond to 1 count Counts Background Corrected is digitized Data from the EMCCD detector s analog to digital A D converter where Background or dark signal has been removed Counts Bg Corrected Signal Backgrou
18. 1 Storage ORAM Disk Available RAM MB 2295 Compression C Available Disk Space MB 57838 File Stem spool dat Location C Documents and Settings a hopkins My Documents Lad Format unsigned 16 bit integer Open spooled data when comple Use Append Settings from Autosave tab Note Spooling large amounts of data straight to hard disk for later retrieval requires a hard disk of sufficient read write speed Andor recommends only very high speed hard disk drives be used for this type of operation and these need to be dedicated for spooling p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Data 5 3 8 2 Virtual Memory In addition to the spooling function it can also be useful to have the Virtual Memory VM function enabled This will speed up the retrieval of large data sets and allow larger data sets to be acquired This works by buffering data in the hard drive of the PC The Virtual Memory option is selected from the File menu e g Acauisition Calibrate Command Open Ctrl 0 Close Send To Color scheme Save As Export As Batch Conversion Virtual Memory Additional FITS Keys This will open the Virtual Memory dialog box e g irtual Memory v Enable Threshold MB Location C Documents and Settings a hopkins My Docu User should select the Enable box and the required Threshold level T
19. 129x 123 mm Image pixel well depth 320 000 e 100 000 e Hegister well depth 480 000 e 150 000 Head noise e 50 kHz 5 4 7 5 7 1 MHz 10 14 8 12 3 MHz 16 20 14 18 5 MHz 24 50 20 50 Maximum frame and spectral rates Frame 2 x 2 binning 15 8 fps 28 5 fps 4 2 fos 7 3 fos Crop mode frame 10 rows 633 fos 333 fos FVB 291 sps 145 sps Crop mode spectrum 10 rows 5 556 sps 3 450 sps Fast Kinetics 4 rows 22 lOO 29 850 Hz 2 rows O9 250 RZ Sensitivit 2 to 10 e count 1 to 5 e count y software selectable software selectable Linearity Better than 9996 18 mm Il 18 mm II 25 mm I Minimum temperature air cooled dark current e pixel sec 30 C 0 4 30 0 2 25 0 4 Coolant chiller 10 C 0 75 l min 40 C 0 12 40 C 0 1 35 0 15 dark current e pixel sec Note All specifications are typical unless otherwise stated lt g gt ANDOR RP Introduction to New 2 4 CCD PLATFORM SPECIFICATIONS SPECTROSCOPY SENSORS MODEL 320T 340T Total CCD matrix size pixels Fibre optic taper magnification std Effective CCD pixel size Effective active area Image pixel well depth Register well depth Read noise e 50 kHz 1 MHz 3 MHz 5 MHz Maximum frame and spectral rates Frame 2 x 2 binning Crop mode frame 10 rows FVB Crop mode spectrum 10 rows Fast Kinetics 4 rows 2 rows Sensitivity Linea
20. 4095 0 Gater Output A Output B Output C Du my 5 err Insertion Delay Geter Outpt A Output B Output C Ultra Fast Width 1 us y ne Integrate on Chip 0C Delay 5 lu V Enable width 01 lus Fit to Exposure Pokey 5 pulses per Ste 2 S C 100 000 kHz C Variable pow neg Step 0 Track Step L ok Cace Hee Fire Gate Monitor 107 ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 5 3 Gate Steo Enabled Description One gate pulse is generated within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value A The fire pulse rate cannot exceed 15 kHz in this particular mode Setup Gate step enabled Output A enabled trackstep disabled up Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averaging Filters Gate Mode DDG Delay be id Gain 0 4095 0 Gater Output Output B Output C Gates Output A Output B Output C Insertion Delay Fr EC Delay 20 n 7 Enable Output Ultra Fast Width f u v Delay 5 O Enable Width 0 1 alu SUS e Step par 9 postive negative C Variable Step 5 2 ju S CI Track Step o J e J se Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A Page 108
21. 61010 1 2 edition including Amendment 1 later version of the same standard incorporating the same level of testing requirements REGULATORY COMPLIANCE Please refer to the Declaration of Conformity in Section A1 of this User Guide lt g gt ANDOR Rh dl DC About the New iStar SECTION 1 ABOUT THE NEW iSTAR 1 1 INTRODUCTION Thank you for choosing the Andor New iStar ICCD From the outset the New iStar has been designed for ease of use providing the latest in CCD electronics and integrated ultra fast gated image intensifiers The on board Digital Delay Generator DDG provides seamless and precise control of all timings within the camera through Andor Solis software or Andor Software Development Kit SDK This camera is designed to be used in research laboratories and other controlled scientific environments If you have any questions regarding your New iStar system please feel free to contact your local Andor representative Contact details are available in Section 1 3 1 2 WORKING WITH THE USER GUIDE This User Guide is your road map to the Andor New iStar software and hardware In the software section all the controls needed for an operation are grouped and sequenced appropriately in on screen windows As far as possible the descriptions in this User Guide are laid out in sections that mirror the Windows Interface and use standard Windows terminology to describe the features of the user interf
22. A I LLLLLLLLLLL I PX Pd d T Ta 2 2 C 68 humidity with 30 ambient temperature Vt le e 40 e at 2 lt wall 23 Dew Point a ae w ai P d s eet gt Te gt 30 E wt 20 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Figure 4 Dew point graph In the relatively dry atmosphere of an air conditioned lab cooling water at 10 should not present any problems However in humid conditions such as exist in some parts of the world condensation may occur resulting in damage to the head In such conditions you will have to use warmer water 20 or even higher if it is very humid 2 8 6 Water Cooling Accessories A chiller or a re circulator unit can be used to achieve maximum cooling performance with the camera system These units circulate coolant through hoses connected to the coolant channel within the camera head Please refer to the New iStar specification sheets for further details and ordering information Page 28 lt g gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 9 CONNEC TORS Water External Output A B C trigger connection gg Arm monitor Power Direct gate connector Earthing stud USB 2 0 optional On Off switch lockable interface Figure 5 Rear amp side views showing connectors interface The user can synchronize th
23. Borosilicate glass of fibre optic plate The input window typically set the lower detection limit while the photocathode set the upper detection wavelength When an incoming photon strikes the photocathode a photoelectron may be emitted depending on the QE of the photocathode This photoelectron is drawn across a small gap towards the MCP by an electric field Gen 2 refers to multi alkali based photocathodes that present a wide wavelength coverage from UV up to 900 nm with moderate peak QE up to 25 30 The lower detection limited is set by the photocathode substrate typically Silica of Magnesium Fluoride MgF2 These photocathode are quite resistive and require a metallic underlay full or grid type to achieve nanosecond gating times at the expense of a few percent QE Gen 3 refers to Gallium Arsenide GaAs based photocathodes These are typically deposited on glass which set the lowest detection limit at 350 nm and are sensitive up to 900 nm They present peak QE up to 50 Note Please refer to sections 2 5 and 2 6 for further details on image intensifiers options Gating The voltage on the photocathode in relation to the input of the MCP can be rapidly toggled between 2 levels If the voltage of the photocathode is made positive relative to the input of the MCP then the photoelectrons will not have sufficient energy to leave the photocathode and the image intensifier will effectively be OFF By switching th
24. Demp M g Da rue Cup Dew ede D LLL pon 1 Dam LOL i MEN ie DA DELL 1 ea f E ov rain Coe aad CCP ee i bea mim mum a Tuei 1 z Sa hiemem paran ma PCR mese rar a e Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Burst per Exposure Page 122 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 1 4 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value For each exposure the external trigger generates the first gate pulse subsequent gate pulses are generated internally via a user defined frequency or period The maximum number of pulses is applied that can fit into the exposure given the final gate delay in the series or the user defines the number of pulses per exposure Any subsequent triggers that arrive during the exposure amma 0 magma oe Bani d Ki 7 2 mad Cee Geer xz b q De x AD Fire r Gate Monitor ae L T laia aa Ies i pet i pap m ARM A jL m Burst per Exposure ELE oia sd XE Tuge Lares ra ee pirg Lapide D
25. In addition to the main on line help the system provides help that relates specifically to the Andor Basic programming language When working with a Program Editor window context sensitive help is available on the reserved words of the programming language With the cursor on or immediately after a reserved word this specific help can be accessed by Ctrl F1 you have any suggestions as to how our software hardware and documentation might be improved please let us Know by contacting your local Andor representative see Section 1 3 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 5 RUN TIME CONTROL The run time control provides the user with the ability to control the following parameters in real time using slider controls e CCD exposure time e Gating mode time control e Gate width and delay OutputA OutputB OutputC e MCP gain e Output A B and C delay and width J The controls are activated by clicking the button on the main J 0 00001 window When selected the run time control appears e g MCP Gain n 1 1 Gate Mode DEG 4 6 ANDOR BASIC oolis contains an embedded programming language called Andor Basic that can be used to setup custom acquisition sequences For example to run a sequence of 100 single scans with a 1 second delay between each scan the following program can be used create 1 detectorx de
26. Optional locking connection is also available e The user can communicate with other devices by means of the 5 way receptacle Fischer P N DBP 102 A 054 130 on the rear of the New iStar The pin out of this connector is shown below 1 SHUTTER TTL CLOCK IC DATA 5 a A O N GROUND Table 3 connection facing in with pin outs e Power A 3 pin power connector is fitted for power connection with the following pinout 12V 7 ov Figure 6 Power connector pin outs Matching cable connector is 3 pin Redel PAH NO 3GL LC65G e Earthing stud Means of providing protective earth connection to camera head when it is not or cannot be provided via the 3 pin power connector Before inserting the power connector ensure that the orientation is correct Never forcibly insert the connector otherwise damage the equipment will occur lt gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 10 POWER SUPPLY UNIT PSU The New iStar system is designed to be powered from an SW4189 external PSU Andor P N PS 90 as shown below This requires an AC mains input between 100 240 V 47 63 Hz and a maximum supply current of 1 6A The output of the SW4189 is 12V DC at 9 0A maximum The SW4189 PSU is fitted with an IEC connector for the electrical supply input The connection to the New iStar is made via a 3 pin Redel cable plug Part No PAH NO 3GL
27. basic diagnostic actions in relation to the problem item 1 5 Hardware Remediation 1 5 1 If the issue cannot be resolved remotely and a fault has been diagnosed a Return Materials Authorization RMA number will be issued This RMA number will be valid for 30 days from the date of issue An RMA number must be obtained from Andor prior to the return of any material The RMA number must appear clearly on the outside of the shipping container and on return paperwork included inside the package 1 5 2 Following allocation of a RMA number by Andor the Customer shall ship the PART to Andor at customer expense The customer is responsible for return shipping and insurance costs Any products returned without an RMA number may be refused and returned to the customer at their expense Andor shall provide a single point of return for all products 1 5 3 On receipt of the part at the Andor repair facility Andor shall carry out the necessary fault diagnosis and repair and return the part to the Customer 1 5 4 The method of shipment and choice of courier for the return will be at Andor s discretion Delivery Duties Unpaid DDU Incoterms 2000 Andor does not guarantee the arrival time of the part 1 5 5 Customer must adhere to Andor packing instructions including anti static precautions when shipping the defective unit as any damage incurred during shipment to Andor will not be covered under warranty The packing instructions can be obtained from
28. equipment damage and impaired system performance 12 p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Safety and Warnings Information ADDITIONAL NOTE AVOIDING DAMAGE TO THE NEW ISTAR DETECTOR An ICCD is a very sensitive instrument though with care and good working practice it should last many years 1 There are two major potential forms of damage to be considered Bleaching of the photocathode brought about by over illuminance of this photo sensitive interface Bleaching of the photocathode reduces the Quantum Efficiency QE response it can render it completely unresponsive and permanently increases the background noise of the Image Intensifier lon damage of the cathode brought about by excessive numbers of photoelectrons in the Multichannel Plate hereinafter referred to as the MCP As a general rule of thumb when the CCD is already saturated this type of damage is liable to occur Excessive numbers of photoelectrons in the MCP brought about by excessive input light levels or moderate light levels and excessive gain can damage both the photocathode MCP or the phosphor screen If the multichannel plate is overloaded with incoming electrons it is much more likely for positive ions to be knocked out of the walls of the multichannel plate by the colliding electrons These ions are accelerated towards the photocathode and can do considerable mechanical damage Excessive electrons can also increase the outgassing rate inside the
29. number of user selected adjacent rows of pixels on the CCD sensor The rows form a single track across the full width of the CCD sensor 2 Multti Track This mode differs from single track in that user now defines two or more tracks groups of rows on the CCD from which to read out charges In processing terms each track is treated as in single track 3 Full Vertical Binning FVB Charges from each complete column of pixels on the CCD are moved down and summed into the shift register and the charge is then shifted horizontally one pixel at a time from the shift register into the output node in effect a value is read out for each complete column of the CCD sensor This mode is typically used for spectroscopy please refer to section 5 3 3 3 The example below illustrates readout of data from adjacent tracks each track comprising two binned rows of the sensor 1 Exposure to light causes a pattern of charge an electronic image to build up on the frame or image area of the CCD sensor 2 Charge in the frame is shifted vertically by one row so that the bottom row of charge moves down into the shift register 3 Charge in the frame is shifted vertically by a further row so that the next row of charge moves down into the shift register which now contains charges from two rows i e the charges are vertically binned Charges in the shift register are moved horizontally by one pixel so that charges on the endmost pixel of the shift re
30. program startup adjust the temperature either type in the new figure the Degrees box or move the slider bar down or Once the desired temperature has been selected click OK The dialog box will disappear and the Temperature Control button in the bottom left of the screen will show the current temperature highlighted in red e g This figure will change as the head cools Once the head has reached the desired temperature the highlighted area changes to blue You can also select the option to have the Cooler switched on as soon as you start the application This is selectable in the bottom left of the Temperature dialog box Note Please refer to Section 2 8 for details on minimal achievable temperatures 50 lt gt ANDOR E _ Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 2 FAN CONTROL The state of the cooling fan can also be controlled Select Fan Control from the Hardware drop down menu as shown Hardware Setup Spectrograph Shutter Contral Temperature Fan Control The Fan control dialog box will appear Fan control Select whether fans should be activated or deactivated during cooling and or acquisition p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 CCD SETUP ACQUISITION To select the mode of acquisition prior to data capture the following steps should be followed e Click the b button Calibrate Comma
31. read from the pixel Pixel noise has three main constituents e Readout noise e Shot noise from the dark signal e Shot noise from the light signal itself Shot noise cannot be removed because it is due a known noise factor derived from these signals Most simply defined shot noise is the square root of the signal or dark signal measured in electrons READOUT NOISE Readout noise is due to the amplifier and electronics it is independent of dark signal and signal levels it is only very slightly dependent on temperature and it is present on every read as a result of which it sets a limit on the best achievable noise performance e Shot noise is dependent on the dark signal The dark signal is itself dependent on the exposure time and is very dependent on the temperature e Shot noise from the signal is additionally dependent on the signal level itself either the signal or the dark signal falls to zero their respective shot noise also falls to zero The total pixel noise is not however simply the sum of the three main noise components readout noise shot noise from the dark signal and shot noise from the signal Rather the Root Sum Square r s s gives a reasonable approximation thus total sqrt readnoise darkshot sigshot where total is the pixel noise readnoise is the readout noise darkshot is the shot noise of the dark signal sigshot is the shot noise of the signal
32. shutter is recommended tet camera is not used to protect the photocathode from passive photo bleaching The New iStar series is also fully compatible with Andor s Shamrock spectrograph 163 303 500 and 750 mm focal lengths family and Mechelle 5000 Echelle spectrograph for broadband LIBS Spectrograph mounting flanges and software control are available for a wide variety of 3 party spectrographs including McPherson JY Horiba Pl Acton Chromex Bruker Oriel Newport Photon Design Dongwoo Bentham Solar TII and others Please contact your local representative for further details If ordered Andor Solis Software or Andor Software Development Kit SDK is supplied on a CD and provides full control of the New iStar camera system including acquisition set up signal aquisition and data manipulation Solis and SDK provide simultaneous control of the Andor New iStar Andor Shamrock and Andor Mechelle as well as a range of 3 party motorized spectrographs For further details of how to use the Solis software package please refer to Section 4 lt g gt ANDOR DC Installing the New iStar SECTION 3 INSTALLING THE NEW ISTAR Prior to commencing installation user should refer to the safety and warning information at the beginning of this manual 3 1 MECHANICAL CONNECTION TO THE NEW ISTAR 3 1 1 Attaching to a Spectrograph The New iStar can be easily connected to Andor s Shamrock spectrograph If the New iStar a
33. side the CCD chip within the New iStar camera head to its hot side the built in heat sink Therefore the minimum absolute operating temperature of the New iStar sensor depends on the temperature of the heat sink The advanced thermal design of the New iStar means that a maximum temperature difference of over 60 C can be achieved The maximum temperature difference that a TE device can attain is dependent on the following factors e Heat load created by the CCD sensor fiber optic coupling to the intensifier and camera head design e Number of cooling stages of the TE cooler e Operating current e Operating temperature of TE cooler The minimum temperature to which the sensor within the New iStar can be cooled will be dependent on either the room temperature when air cooling is employed or the coolant temperature circulating through the heat sink when liquid cooling is utilized 2 8 1 Air Cooling Air cooling is the most convenient method of removing heat from the detector head but it will not achieve as low an operating temperature as water cooling Even with a fan a heat sink typically needs to be 10 C hotter than the ambient room temperature to transfer heat efficiently to the surrounding environment Therefore the minimum CCD temperature that can be achieved will be dependent on the room temperature The table below is a guide to the minimum achievable cooling for various ambient temperatures Performance of individual
34. start 1 Horizontal end 512 Data Horizontally There are two modes of operation i e Standard or Custom e n Standard mode the user defines the Number of tracks the Height amp Offset The software automatically calculates the position of the tracks by distributing them evenly across the sensor e In Custom mode the user has the ability to define the tracks as required e g Data Horizontally The user can also save the position of the individual tracks to a file that can be reloaded later The Load and Save buttons are used to achieve this The user can also utilize the Insert and Delete buttons to define or remove tracks If the Advanced button is clicked the Advanced Multi track options dialog box appears Fip Data Horizontally __ This allows the user to define the horizontal binning and position of all the tracks The Transfer button can be used to quickly load the automatically calculated tracks from the standard mode setup into custom mode 63 p ANDOR 5 Ae Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 2 3 Full Vertical Binning FVB FVB allows the user to operate the CCD chip as a linear image sensor a photodiode array typically for spectroscopy applications The charges from each column of pixels each column being the chip height are combined or binned on the chip to give one single sign
35. systems will vary slightly Air Temperature CCD Temperature 18 mm 25 mm 20 C 30 C 25 C 30 C 25 C 20 C 40 C 20 C 15 C Table 1 New iStar air cooling performance versus image intensifier size Notes 1 The relationship between the air temperature and the minimum CCD temperature in the table is not 1 1 This is because TE coolers become less efficient as they get colder 2 System cooling performance should be considered in terms of the minimum dark current achievable rather than absolute temperature For dark current specifications please refer to the specification sheet for your camera Page 26 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 8 2 Fan Settings The cooling fans can be switched On or Off simultaneously which is useful if working with experimental configurations which are extremely sensitive to vibration The vast majority of applications including LIBS or plasma imaging or spectroscopy set ups can be used with the integral fans running since the associated vibrations impact are negligible However some applications can be extremely sensitive to even the smallest of vibrations such as when combining an optical set up with Atomic Force Microscopy AFM and it can be useful to temporarily turn off the fans for the duration of the acquisition A If the fans are turned off the usable range of acquisition parameters will be reduced depending on the ambient conditions
36. temperature 20 C to 55 C Operating relative humidity lt 70 non condensing Overvoltage category CAT Il Pollution degree 2 Ingress protection rating IP20 This is a Class A product In a domestic environment this product may cause electromagnetic interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures Cooling vent clearance 100 mm minimum Dimensions W x D x H 110 7 x 231 0 x 137 2 mm 4 36 x 9 09 x 5 40 inches Weight 4 2 kg 9 Ib 4 oz power supply 0 65 kg 1 Ib 4 oz Note Specifications are subject to change without notice lt g gt ANDOR Rh dE DC Introduction to New SECTION 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW iSTAR 2 1 COMPONENTS OVERVIEW THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF THE ANDOR NEW ISTAR SYSTEM ARE AS FOLLOWS iStar camera head see Figure 1 below which contains the following items CCD sensor with integrated drive and readout electronics Image Intensifier tube with associated drive and gating circuitry Digital Delay Generator DDG Thermoelectric cooling interface Input amp output connectors including USB triggering and gating signal monitoring 1x USB 2 0 cable for connection to PC 2x BNC to SMA cables for synchronization with external events equipment 1x Gate monitor cable Power Supply Unit PSU PS 90 PowerPax SW4189 Model STD 12090 with 3 pin Redel Connector Fitted Soft
37. tube to the point where the vacuum is seriously diminished The protection circuitry in the New iStar monitors the current drawn by the phosphor which is indirectly linked to the incident signal intensity as seen through the MCP gain chain Above a certain level the high voltage power supply at the MCP shuts down to prevent damage However when only a sub section of the phosphor photocathode is illuminated damage can occur without the high voltage supply shutting down Applications involving focusing of strong spectral line features or confined bright spots in a imaging scenario must therefore be treated with appropriate caution The following best practices should be observed Always maintain the measured signal below the saturation level of the CCD This should constitute a safe operating condition in most circumstances Do not focus features of 50 um on the photocathode i e stay around the resolution limit of the New iStar For example a 10 um feature might be sufficiently intense to damage the photocathode but when it is smeared out to 50 um it may not be saturating the CCD and therefore satisfies the general guideline above This applies to images and to spectra Be particularly careful with automatic spectrographs that reset themselves with the brighter zero order on the center of the focal plane Always keep the photocathode covered when the detector is not in use the photocathode will degrade even when switched off This c
38. ul oe h eai Te ea ee pka Dep raje i ime External Trigger eji ce a Chater C remote H mens min X5 a Lie Fan wh 2 Fire Gate Monitor F Erbie Dim To FE ia OLD pe E ri 10 mim per rs kr ARM Fit to CCD Exposure Page 136 p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 4 3 Gate Step Enabled Description The external trigger generates one gate pulse per exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value A The external trigger rate can not exceed 15 kHz Setup Gate step output A B C disabled Setup Acquisition _ X Setup Camera Selup Gating Tiger Settings Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averagin gt Gate DDG Delay Esenerator Gain 0 4095 0 gt Gater Output A Output B Output C Insertion Delay Delay 0 Ukra Fast Width 1 us Integrate on Chip IOC Enable She per E Variable Step 5 us ow L ok j ces J He Waveforms Page 137 lt g gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 4 4 and Gate Step Enabled 6 2 4 4 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger This mode is not supported with fast kinetics However IOC and gate step is available in internal trigger mode 6 2 4 4 2 Adv
39. 45 Exposure Time 145 Keep Cleans 145 Image Intensifiers 146 Photocathodes and windows 146 Internal reflection in the input Window 147 Micro Channel Plate MCP 148 Phosphors 148 Coupling to the sensor 148 Noise 149 Pixel Noise 149 Readout Noise 149 Fixed Pattern Noise 149 Quantum Efficiency Spectral Response 150 Readout 150 10 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Contents Saturation 151 Scan Types Keep Clean amp Acquired 151 Shift Register 151 Shot Noise 151 Signal to Noise Ratio 151 A2 TERMS amp CONDITIONS 152 A3 STANDARD WARRANTY AND WARRANTY SERVICES 152 A4 THE WASTE ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT REGULATIONS WEEE 2006 155 11 lt g gt ANDOR Rh dl DC Safety and Warnings Information SAFETY amp AND WARNINGS INFORMATION PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION FIRST A 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 To ensure correct and safe operation of this product please read this guide before use and keep it in a safe place for future reference If the equipment is used in a manner not specified by Andor the protection provided by the equipment may be impaired Before using the system please follow and adhere to all warnings safety manual handling and operating instructions located either on the product or in this User Guide The New iStar camera is a precision scientific instrument containing fragile components always handle with care Do not expos
40. 5 um 35 Phosphor type P43 P46 P43 P43 P43 P43 P43 decay time to 10 2 ms 200 ns 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms Minimum optical gate width ns U Ultrafast lt 2 E lt 5 lt 2 lt 3 F Fast lt 0 5 ED S f H High QE lt 50 lt 100 Maximum relative gain gt 1000 gt 500 gt 1000 gt 850 gt 500 gt 300 gt 1000 Maximum photocathode repetition rate with Intelligate OFF 500 kHz continuous Maximum photocathode repetition rate with Intelligate ON 5 kHz continuous Equivalent Background pix sec lt 02 Gen2 UW H 83 V2 2e 9p8900 Be apod addo Gen 2 WE AGT E3 Gen2 W AGT 03 pav Z N WO Y TAM X UE 76 Gen 2 WR 13 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 Wavelength nm p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 6 S INTENSIFIER SPECIFICATIONS 18 63 18 73 18 93 18 A3 18 C3 Useful aperture 018 mm Input window Glass Glass Glass Glass cin umogen Photocathode type HVS VIH NIR EVS BGT Peak QE room temperature 47 5 Zou 4 40 17 Wavelength range nm 280 760 280 910 380 1090 280 810 200 910 Image intensifier resolution limit 30 um 30 um 30 um 30 um 40 um Phosphor type 243 decay time to 10 2 ms Minimum optical gate width ns U U
41. A Output B Output C Insertion Delay Normal Delay 0 Ims Ultra Fast Width 1 Integrate on Chip IOC C Enable C Variable Step 0 Ok Cancel Hee Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM 133 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 4 2 Integrate on Chip Enabled 6 2 4 2 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger Description Several gate pulses can be generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same per every trigger within an exposure Every external trigger within an exposure can generate only one gate pulse Setup IOC enabled output A B C disabled pet up ACU ian fx Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Setting Auto Save Spoolng Crop Mode Data Averagie 4 DOG gt MCF aal Delay senrierabor Gain 0 4095 0 Gaer Quipu Output C Delay cC Lia Faz width 1 a us tagala on Chip Zn Variable Siep n j Warning Masamum repetition rate of should not be exceeded L Ok J Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Page 134 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 4 2 2 Advanced Burst pulses per trigger Description The user can select for multiple pulses per trigger The external trigger generates the first pulse subsequent pulses are generated internally by a user defined period freq
42. Andor as part of the part request procedure 1 5 6 If the part is not economically repairable then a replacement part new or refurbished will be supplied at Andor discretion and expense 1 5 7 In case of replacement the replacement unit becomes the property of the Customer on an exchange basis 1 5 8 In case of misuse the Customer will be contacted to decide the course of action These actions may include e Scrapping the part e Return of the defective unrepaired part to the Customer e Replacement with a new or refurbished part Andor will invoice the customer the full merchandise contracted customer price of the unit 1 5 9 Unless elsewhere agreed between the Customer and Andor this service does not include root cause analysis the provision of fault reports or lead time and performance metrics 1 6 Software Remediation 1 6 1 During Warranty Customers have access to the Service Desk at andor com support to report product defects A Customer who has purchased their product via a reseller or third party and who believes they have a software warranty defect should in the first instance contact a representative of their seller s product support team 1 6 2 Where as a result of the process described in 1 3 2 above it is determined that the defect relates to software a trouble ticket will be logged in respect of the software issues observed 1 6 3 Under the warranty provisions of the supply contract we will not provide the customer with a guara
43. CMOS level reference signal for beginning and end of individual CCD exposure e 5V CMOS level reference signal to indicate when system is ready to accept external triggers Signal goes high Arm monitor when system is ready to accept external triggers after a complete readout has finished including keep clean and goes low when the exposure is finished Gate amp output A B and C jitter e 35 ps rms relative to external trigger signal TRIGGER INPUTS e Trigger input for CCD and Digital Delay Generator e Up to 500 kHz for Integrate On Chip mode External trigger e Software configurable polarity termination and trigger threshold e Fast external software option for most rapid camera response to external trigger CCD keep clean interruption no need for pre trigger pulse Direct gate e TTL input for exact external control of photocathode width and timing with smallest insertion delay ADDITIONAL CONTROLS Gate monitoring e AC coupling from photocathode to monitor exact photocathode On Off switching and timings Insertion delay e lt 19 ns direct gate operation p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 8 COOLING The New iStar detector is cooled using a thermoelectric TE cooler which is a small electrically powered devices with no moving parts making it very reliable and convenient A TE cooler acts as a heat pump i e it achieves a temperature difference by transferring heat from its cold
44. DOR TECHNOLOGY Appendix A2 GLOSSARY The glossary that follows will help familiarize the users and potential users with the design philosophy and some of the key terminology associated with the new iStar 142 p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Appendix CCD Intensified Charge Coupled Devices ICCD comprise of a Gated Image Intensifier and a CCD Sensor A Charge Coupled Device CCD is a silicon based semiconductor chip bearing a two dimensional matrix of photo sensors or pixels This matrix is usually referred to as the image area The pixels are often described as being arranged in rows and columns rows running horizontally columns vertically The CCD in your detector is a scientific slow scan device in contrast to the fast scan CCD used in video cameras to capture moving images An example of a typical layout is shown here Typical CCD Chip specification size of pixels etc vanes with model 256 elements rows Shit i Register Amplifier output node V 26 square micron element Charge hot is oui Inm fhe shit register or pixel may summed on of off chip depending on the chip model The shift register runs below and parallel to the light collecting rows It has the same number of pixels as a light collecting row but is itself masked so that no light can fall on it When light falls on an element electrons photoel
45. Fiter None e The Edit amp Search menus and their associated buttons appear only when a Program Editor Window is active e g Ka Andor SOLIS ALPHA for Spectroscopy CCD 12003 File Acquistion Calbrate Command Hardware View Windo H 2 m 38888 8 Autoscale Max 3 3511022 1022 Single Scan Counts BMHz at 16 4x Conventional Fier None 4 2 1 Main Window Status Bar The following information is displayed on the bottom line of the display e Current temperature status e Autoscale acquisition status e Sub area dimension and location e Acquisition mode e Data type e Readout speed No of bits and amplifier in use p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 3 KEYS Hot keys or shortcuts are shown in the following tables enabling user to work with the system directly from the keyboard KEY STROKE S DESCRIPTION F5 Take signal F6 Autoscale acquisition Ctrl Take background Ctrl R Teke 1515151105 ESC Abort acquisition Table 5 Data acquisition Hot Keys KEY STROKES DESCRIPTION ENCHCT Expand Stretch data axis Contract Shrink data axis If maintain aspect ratio off expand x axis L If maintain aspect ratio on expand x axis and y axis id d i Del If maintain aspect ratio off contract X axis If maintain aspect ratio on contract x axis and y ax
46. LC65GZ Figure 7 PS 90 power supply for the New iStar Important notes 1 The electrical mains lead should be certified for in the country of use and when applicable the plug must be fitted with a 240 V 5A fuse 2 If users use any other power supply they do so at their own risk 3 The SW4189 is for use with telecommunications computer industrial controllers amp OA systems and must only be used indoors 4 The PS 90 is the only external power supply recommended for use with the New iStar camera If this unit fails or is damaged the local Andor representative should be contacted for a replacement 2 11 FUSE REPLACEMENT The camera itself does not have a fuse However if a U K BS 1363 mains lead has been supplied it contains a fuse whose characteristics are as follows e Rated Current 5 A e Type BS 1362 e Rated Voltage 240 Vac e Size 0 25 x 1 inch p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New A lens instead of a spectrograph may be connected to the ICCD detector for imaging applications The following items are recommended for connection of standard lens types e C Mount Lens Adaptor Kit P N LM C comprising C mount adaptor spacer tubes screws amp allen key e Nikon F Mount Lens Adaptor P N LM NIKON F e Nikon F mount adaptor with shutter P N LMS NIKON F NS25B ma HERE Note Although ICCDs efficiently act as optical shutters the use of a mechanical
47. Level The trigger threshold can be programmed from 0 25 to 3 3 V When using external trigger the user may find it useful to monitor the Arm output at back of the detector head When the Arm is high the system will accept external triggers For lowest jitter the user may need to adjust the input impedance and or trigger threshold to set the trigger level to the steepest part the input edge typically 1 3 to 1 2 of the peak amplitude Tigges bea Faia Ede le 60 ohm apa ccr m T iue ped D e DM lt g gt ANDOR Rh ELEC Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier 5 5 3 Fast External Fast External Trigger is for the most part identical to external trigger It differs in only one key aspect In fast external trigger the camera will not wait for a sufficient number of keep clean cycles to have been completed to ensure the image area is completely clean of charge before accepting an external trigger event but instead will allow a trigger event to immediately start the acquisition process after performing a 1 vertical 1 horizontal keep clean cycle As a result fast external trigger allows a higher frame rate than standard external trigger The Arm is set low and the Fire pulse high approximately one keep clean cycle later If one is monitoring on the oscilloscope the external trigger with respect to the Fire pulse the jitter of one keep clean cycle will be seen Note tha
48. NDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 1 2 Integrate On Chip Enabled Description Several gate pulses are generated within the exposure A delay relative to the rising edge of the Fire pulse can be applied to the gate pulse and output A B C Setup IOC enabled output A enabled Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating FYB Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Step n Glue DataAve gt GateMode 006 J Digital Delay Generator rm 0 Tu eM Output Output Output Insertion Delay if TET Enable Output Ukra Fast Width 1 Sle 5 0 0 1 a ir on Chip IOC Delay 3 5 Es E Enable lu 1 Fit to Exposure Width 0 1 Burst gt 220 pulses per TIE Polarity 500 000 kHz el uw O positive CO negative Track Step J Carnet Hee Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 2 Acquisition Mode Accumulate A number of individual frames will be added together to produce the final accumulated image setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating FVB AutoSave Spocling Crop Mode Data Averaging Fikers Acquisition Mode Triggering Readout Mode Accumulale Internal PN Vertical Pixel Shit Exposure Time secs 0 03300 Shit Speed l5 Number of ccumulabions 3 finer eee
49. Setup Data Type Ctrl D Notify On Completion Take Signal F5 Take Background Ctrl B6 Take Reference Ckrl R Abort Acquisition Esc Sutoscale Acquisition e With autoscale acquisition deselected the display will remain the same size regardless of brightness settings etc When not selected the 18 button appears e With autoscale acquisition selected the system will configure the acquisition window if necessary adjusting its scales in real time so that all data values are displayed as they are acquired The button appears when selected on The data are displayed in accordance with the selection made on the Rescale Data Mode on the Display Menu Window Help Change Display Mode b ice Add Data Window m m Preferences 1 Axis Setup Sequence options Rescale Data Mode Adjust Brightness Contrast D Max Data Histogram 0 16383 Scale to Active Ctrl F9 Min 16383 Region of Interest 0 65535 65535 Base Max 99 1 Contrast Custom Different scaling modes are available as follows e Minimum amp maximum Min Max e Zero amp maximum 0 Max e Zero amp 16383 0 16383 e Minimum amp 16383 Min 16383 e Zero amp 65535 0 65535 e Minimum amp 65535 Min 65535 e Custom setting as required user selectable min and max display range H gi Note The histogram icon ill can be used to
50. TION DELAY INTELLIGATE BB iove 1 40 03 2 5065 5 7 1 007 I ETE 40 015 1 00 40 0ns 10k points Direct Gate to intensifier opening Ultra Fast 20 ns Normal 120 ns p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier 5 4 5 Intelligate 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 CCD sensor The ability of the Image Intensifier to reject photons when it is switched off becomes worse in the UV so the On Off ratio of the tube is compromised The solution to this as utilized by Andor s Intelligate function is to gate the MCP as well as the photocathode A checkbox is accessible under the Gating tab of the Setup Acquisition menu allows the user to apply the Intelligate function The gating electronics will output a fast rising edge that is sent to the MCP After a 100 ns delay which allows the MCP voltage to rise and settle the photocathode will open The MCP will remain at the gain value as set by the user in the software for the duration of the gate width and then the MCP will decay rapidly This method of gating eliminates the need for a pre
51. TRIGGER integrate on Chip 0 Enable Software calculates the maximum number of pulses that can fit into the exposure The Fire pulse generates the first pulse 9 Fit to CCD Exposure Fit to CCD exposure determined by the delay and width fields subsequent pulses Burst Pulses per are generated internally in the DDG by a user defined period m Exposure frequency pulses per Exposure 500 000 2 T mas Same as Fit to CCD exposure but the user can chose the Burst number of gate pulses per exposure Note A default minimum of 20 ns delay applies when Integrate on Chip is selected and when the DDG generates the pulse train internally by a user defined frequency or period This is a characteristic of the DDG and it is related to its ability to set the period between pulses in 20 ns intervals This delay is in addition to the inherent insertion delay EXTERNAL TRIGGER Integrate on Chip cable Default Standard mode of operation in external trigger Every external i One pulse per Trigger trigger will generate only one gate pulse pulses per Trigger Advanced The user can select for multiple pulses per trigger The external Pulses per Trigger Burst pulses per trigger generates the first pulse subsequent pulses are trigger generated internally by a user defined Period Frequency Integrate an Chip IOC Enable _ Default lt lt Software calculates the maximum number of p
52. U SELECTION 4 4 1 Menu Open Opens a selected data file or program file Open Chrl 2 Close Send To Send To Allows user to send selected sif or program files by e mail Color scheme Close Closes a selected data file or program file Color scheme Setup of alternative color for background acquisition window data Save Chrl 5 set or program window Save Os MS Save Saves a selected data file or program file with a default or current filename Batch Conversion Virtual Memory Save As Saves a selected data file or program file with a user defined filename Additional FITS Keys Export As Allows user to export sif files to alternative formats e g JPEG TIFF Configuration Files Batch Conversion Allows simultaneous conversion of large batches of data files from a Mew Program Ctrl M n ss specified location to a particular format and a specified location Run Program Ctrl E Run Program by Filename Virtual memory Presets the disk storage system memory buffer size for extended Custom Program Button Start Program Setup Remove Start Program Additional FITS Keys Allows addition of user s own FITS information Print Preview Print Ctrl P Page Setup New Program Launches a program editor window for Andor Basic Setup Footnotes Configuration Files Loads or saves custom acquisition mode settings Run Program Runs Andor Basic program in active window Select anoth
53. Ultra Fast Width 100 s us Integrate on Chip IOC Delay 5 C Enable Width 10 positive negative J Step 5 2 ms iv zt E Track Step o c Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A Page 99 ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 1 4 IOC and Gate Step Enabled Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value Setup IOC enabled gate step enabled output A enabled trackstep disabled etup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating FVB Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averaging Filters Gate Mode DOG v Delay Generator a m Digital Delay Generator Gain 0 4095 0 Gater Output A Output B Output C ici cou RE SS Insertion Delay Gater utput Output B Output C O Normal Delay 20 n EE gt Enable Output 9 Ukra Fast Width 100 Siu 7 Integrate on Chip IOC Delap me 7 Enable Fit to CCD Exposure width 100 Lee yf Burst L 2 pulses per Pola hy 0 09901 kHz C Variable a i positive negative O Step 5 Tm C Track Step J cm Fire Gate Monitor Output A Page 100 ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 2 Number of Accumulations gt 1 A number of accumulated ima
54. a file is saved Any combination of these may be selected by activating the relevant tick box e g Setup Acquisition Setup Camera FYB Auto Save Spooling Data Averaging Filters v Enable Auto Save FileType sit OFits File Stem Untitled sif Location Append L autelnerement C Date C Computer Name Start Value e Pad Width C Time 1 Separator nt Example Untitled sif Come ro Note This function will only auto save single scan kinetic series or accumulated images p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier 5 4 IMAGE INTENSIFIER SETTINGS This section details the different image intensifier modes of operation relative to gating and signal amplification 5 4 1 Gate Modes In the Setup Acquisition interface under Setup Gating tab a drop down menu allows the user to select the gate mode used for data acquisition Valid options are GATE MODE DESCRIPTION Setup Acquisition q Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Setti Fire and Gate Photocathode is switched on only when both the Fire amp Direct Gate input are high Gale Mode i Fire only Photocathode is switched on only when the Fire pulse is high Gate only Photocathode is switched on only when the Direct Gate input is high CW On The photocathode is conti
55. abled Output A enabled Setup Acquisition Gm Selup Camera Setup Galmg FYB Auto Save Spooling Crop Made Data Averaging Filters Gate Mode DOG 4C Digital Delay Generator Digital Delay Grenerabor Gain 0 4095 0 Gater Qutput A Output B Output C Gater Output A Output B Output C Delay w Enable Outpul Normal Delay 20 IE 0 Uka Fast width 100 ju Delay 5 Integrate on Chap IOL Fit to CCD Exposure M Burst as 2 pulses Ex Gate Step per Exposure positive 4 C2 negative 0 09901 kHz Variable Step ms Track step Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A 98 ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 1 3 Gate Steo Enabled Description One gate pulse is generated within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value Setup Gate step enabled Output A enabled trackstep disabled etup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating FVB Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averaging Filters Gate Mode DDG v ain Digtal Delay Generato Gain 0 4095 0 Gater Output A Output Output C ee Insertion Delay Gates B Output C Normal Delay 0 v Enable Output
56. ace If user is unfamiliar with Windows the documentation supplied with the Windows installation pack will provide users with a more comprehensive overview of the Windows environment Should this User Guide be misplaced or an electronic copy be required please visit MyAndor at andor com my and follow the download instructions log in is required TECHNOLOGY Welcome Guest Login Scientific Cameras Microscopy Systems Spectrographs Software Accessories Support Andor com Welcome to MyAN DOReeta discover new ways of seeing online Email Password Remember me next time Don t have an account Register now Login Forgot your password Change Password 2011 Andor Technology plc About News Events Press Investors Careers Learning Downloads Ex Demos Sitemap Links Contact 15 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY About the New iStar 1 3 HELP amp TECHNICAL SUPPORT For have any questions regarding the use of this equipment please contact the representative from whom the system was purchased or alternatively use the following details Europe USA Andor Technology plc Andor Technology 7 Millennium Way 425 Sullivan Avenue Springvale Business Park Suite 3 Belfast South Windsor 12 7AL CT 06074 Northern Ireland USA Tel 44 0 28 9023 7126 Tel 1 860 290 9211 Fax 44 0 28 9031 0792 Fax 1 860 290 9566 Asia Pacific China Andor Technology Japan
57. ad out See Readout previously In this User s Guide scan generally refers to an acquired scan unless the context specifically indicates otherwise SHIFT REGISTER The Shift Register usually consists of a single row of elements or pixels running parallel to and below the bottom row of light gathering pixels the image area on the CCD sensor The shift register is protected from light by an aluminum mask The elements in the shift register have a greater capacity to store charge a greater well depth than the other pixels on the CCD sensor SHOT NOISE Shot Noise is due to basic physical laws and cannot be removed Any signal whether it be a dark signal or a light signal will have shot noise associated with it Most simply defined elf the signal or dark signal N electrons the shot noise is the square root of You can do nothing about the shot noise of your signal but by choosing minimum exposures and operating the CCD at suitably low temperatures the dark signal and hence the noise from the dark signal can be reduced SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO The Signal to Noise Ratio S N is the ratio between a given signal and the noise associated with that signal Noise has a fixed component and a variable component shot noise which is the square root of the signal Thus the Signal to Noise Ratio usually increases improves as the signal increases The maximum Signal to Noise Ratio is the ratio between the maximum sign
58. adjust conveniently and in real time signal display scaling 75 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Data 5 3 8 Data File Handling 5 3 8 1 Spooling The 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 To select click on the Spooling tab and the Spooling dialog box appears e g Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Binning Auto Save Spooling Image Orientation Video Mode Data Averaging Fitters C Enable Spooling Update Display During amp cquisition Acquisition Size 0 Available RAM 0 Available Disk Space 0 unsigned 16 bit integer Ce With the spooling function enabled data is written directly to the hard disk of you PC as it is being acquired The Enable Spooling function should be selected as shown below and user should enter the relevant stem name and location root e g Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Binning Auto Save Spooling Image Orientation Video Mode Data Averaging Filters 18 v Enable Spooling Binay Sif v Update Display During Acquisition Oris OTi Acquisition Size MB
59. al i e the saturation level and the noise associated with that signal At near saturation levels the dominant source of noise is the shot noise of the signal Page 151 p ANDOR Rh dE Appendix A2 TERMS amp CONDITIONS 1 In these Conditions BUYER means the person who accepts a quotation of the Seller for the sale of the Goods or whose order for the Goods is accepted by the Seller GOODS means the goods including any instalment of the goods or any parts for them which the Seller is to supply in accordance with these Conditions SELLER means Andor Technology plc CONDITIONS means the standard terms and conditions of sale set out in this document and unless the context otherwise requires includes any special terms and conditions agreed in writing between the Buyer and Seller CONTRACT means the contract for the purchase and sale of the Goods WRITING includes telex cable facsimile transmission and comparable means of communication 2 Any reference in these Conditions to any provision of a statute shall be construed as a reference to that provision as amended re enacted or extended at the relevant time 3 The headings in these Conditions are for convenience only and shall not affect their interpretation AG STANDARD WARRANTY AND WARRANTY SERVICES 1 1 Introduction 1 1 1 This document describes the general Andor Standard Warranty policy and procedures as it relates to serv
60. al Trigger T ign 2056 1 n eer Cine Oupure rrien DeLay O Hama etes 4 pi 1 Fire 7 Erat EEA Gate Monitor Fit 1e GED I pulsed per pees a 200000 3 w E Fit to CCD Exposure Page 139 lt g gt ANDOR RP DC Appendix APPENDIX A1 DECLARATION OF CONFORMI IY Belfast Office Corporate Headquarters 7 Millennium Way Springvale Business Park Belfast BT12 7AL Northern Ireland Tel 44 28 9023 7126 Fax 44 28 9031 0792 Web www andor com p ANDOR discover new ways of seeing Description of Equipment The following product is manufactured in the United Kingdom by Andor Technology plc USB iStar ICCD Intensified Charge Coupled Device Camera DH340T EU Declaration of Conformity EMC Andor Technology plc hereby declares under its sole responsibility that the aforementioned product meets the requirements of EU EMC Directive 2004 108 EC by means of conformity to the following harmonised standards e EN 61326 1 2006 Electrical equipment for measurement control and laboratory use EMC requirements Part 1 General requirements Class A e EN 55011 2007 Industrial scientific and medical ISM radio frequency equipment Electromagnetic disturbance characteristics Limits and methods of measurement Class A e EN 61000 4 2 2009 Electromagn
61. al gate delay of 10 000 ps and with variable gate step conditions as shown in the dialog box below then slup pale Gate ep epi 20 ips bgt 3 000 500 x i The gate pulse delay will be increased by a gate step of 1 000 5 000 1 6 000 ps after the first scan in the kinetic series i e the gate delay changes to 16 000 ps The Gate Delay will be increased by a further 1 000 5 000 2 11 000 ps after the second scan i e the gate delay changes to 27 000 ps and by 1 000 5 000 3 16 000 ps after the third scan i e the gate delay changes to 43 000 ps This means that the gate delay for the final scan in the series is 33 000 ps 6 000 11 000 16 000 larger than the gate delay for the first scan in the series Note In fluorescence lifetime measurements gate delay and gate step parameters can be set to allow a series of decay curves to be built up automatically Note The Andor Basic command KineticSlice allows the extraction of pixel column signal intensity throughout a kinetic series and plots this intensity versus time in a separate display window p ANDOR LY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 5 TRIGGERING MODES THE TRIGGERING MODES ARE SELECTED FROM A DROP DOWN LIST ON THE SETUP ACQUISITION DIALOG BOX 5 5 1 Internal Trigger Camera acts as a timing master for any external device and also triggers both CCD and intensifie
62. al value per column FVB mode is selected in the Setup Acquisition dialog box as shown below Setup Acquisition Setup Camera FYB Auto Save Spooling Data Averaging Filters Acquisition Mode Triggering Readout Mode Single vj w Fe Timings Vertical Pixel Shift Exposure Time secs 0 00107 Shift Speed usecs 0 45 v Vertical Clock Voltage Amplitude Normal Horizontal Pixel Shift Readout Rate 1MHz at 16 bit Pre Amplifier Gain 15 Output Amplifier Electron Multiplying Conventional Isolated Crop Mode Baseline Electron Multiplier EM Gain v Baseline Clamp Enabled Baseline Offset counts D Electron Multiplier Gain Level 2 Opt cquire Active Mode No Mode Active For some spectrographs it may be necessary to change the direction in which the data is displayed on screen This is accessible in the setup acquisition dialogue in the FVB tab as shown below Setup Acquisition Setup Camera FVB Auto Save Spooling Data Averaging Filters Flip Horizontal binning 1 v Horizontally In some instances spectral rate can be more important than spatial spectral resolution For such applications horizontal binning can be applied by setting the desired binning format in the Horizontal Binning section of the acquisition setup interface see section 5 3 3 1 to a value greater than one p ANDOR C echnotoay Pre Acquisiti
63. an be facilitated by using a mechanical shutter whenever possible If user is unsure of the signal levels to be detected one should start with low signal levels and build up At minimum gain the sensitivity of the New iStar is similar to a front illuminated CCD so if necessary use a CCD detector to check the signal level User should protect the New iStar from mechanical shock both in use and in transit as damage to the intensifier tube may result from sharp jolts p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Safety and Warnings Information 2 remove dirt or fingerprints on the input window of the image intensifier please contact your local Andor representative for advice on how to best clean this interface 3 Turning off the New iStar camera through mains or camera On Off switch during acquistion or cooling may result in damage to the camera When possible ensure sensor cooling temperature should be gt 0 C after switching Off the cooler before turning off the camera 4 Prior to mounting the camera on an optical system the black grommet which covers the image intensifier and protects it from unwanted photo bleaching must be carefully removed without the use of any tools such as screwdrivers SAFETY SYMBOLS The following are explanations of the safety symbols found on this product A C Caution potential hazard Caution risk of electric shock This product has been tested to the requirements of CAN CSA C22 2 No
64. anced Burst Pulses per Trigger This mode is not supported with fast kinetics However IOC and gate step is available in internal trigger mode Page 138 ANDOR TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 4 4 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value For each exposure the external trigger generates the first gate pulse subsequent gate pulses are generated internally via a user defined frequency or period or the user defines the number of pulses per exposure The maximum number of pulses is applied that can fit into the exposure given the final gate delay in the series Any subsequent triggers that arrive during the exposure are ignored The external trigger rate cannot exceed 15 kHz ur VM ee Setup Setup Dang Tapa Sete Aue aep Sposi Crop Mode 4 zl ate Mae Do External Trigger CES Lester Ougu Dim kemen Debary Ci 5 m Libra Fast ahah 1 zr Gate Monitor E E nai lt lt CO Fi ie COD E Burst a mips Eai ras 200 000 kHr w Livas ARM Ce Cc wm Burst per Exposure mm a Setup Camedia Setup Gtr Semi dita Spade Cep ode 4 2 Gare Menke gt Extern
65. and Conditions 155
66. ata acquisition based on the current CCD amp Intensifier Abort Acquisitior Esc acquisition parameters Aukoscale Acquisition Take Background Instructs the system to acquire raw background data based Temperature Warnings on predefined shutter or image intensifier settings Take Reference Instructs the system to acquire reference signal from external light source Abort Acquisition Stops the existing acquisition sequence Autoscale Acquisition Configures the acquisition window to scale automatically during acquisition sequence when selected v Temperature Warnings Displays any messages associated to setups or processes incompatible with the standard operation of the temperature control e g starting acquisition while sensor is still cooling down only active when selected v Selecting the Setup Acquisition menu brings the following interfaces which will be described and detailed throughout Section 5 Setup Acquisition Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Binning Auto Save Spooling Image Orientation Video Mode Setup Camera Setup Gating Binning Spooling Image Orientation Video Mode Acquisition Mode Triggering Readout Mode Single Internal v Image Gate Mode DDG C Optical width MCP Digital Delay Generator Gain 0 4095 Gater Output Output B Output C Timings Vertical Pixel Shift E
67. ate Use only the power supply cord provided with the system for this unit Should this not be correct for your geographical area please contact your local Andor representative Only the correctly specified mains supply and fuse must be used Make sure the electrical cord is located so that it will not be subject to damage Always disconnect the power supply from the product before replacing a fuse The camera should be mounted so that mains supply can be easily disconnected in case of emergency There are no user serviceable parts beyond the specified user accessible areas of the product and the enclosure must not be opened Only authorised service personnel may service this equipment If the head is opened warranty will be void Always ensure that the temperature of liquid coolant circulated through the camera head is above the dew point as defined by the environment the camera will be subjected to Use of coolant at below the dew point will result in permanent damage to the camera head due to formation of condensation on internal components Leakage spillage of coolant onto system components could result in permanent damage The user should routinely check all coolant hoses and connections for signs of leakage damage or wear All seals must be intact before powering on camera system and any worn damaged items must be replaced immediately Users must be authorised and trained personnel only otherwise this may result in personal injury and or
68. bled Description One gate pulse is generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure within an accumulated image The gate delay is incremented for every accumulated image that is returned Setup Gate step enabled Output A enabled trackstep disabled Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A 103 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 2 4 IOC and Gate Step Enabled Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure within an accumulated image The gate delay is incremented for every accumulated image that is returned Setup IOC enabled gate step enabled output A enabled trackstep disabled Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A Page 104 lt g gt ANDOR DC Operation 6 1 4 Acquisition Mode Photon Counting oame as Acquisition Mode Kinetic operation Please refer to section 5 3 1 6 to set up the appropriate counting thresholds 6 1 5 Acquisition Mode Fast Kinetics setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averaging Filters Acquisition Mode Tnggering Readout Mode Kinetics w Internal Firal Shalt Exposure Time usecs 150 Shift Speed 165 v Sub area height 2 eee Noma ME Number of senes S Horizontal Pixel S
69. cilloscope to 50 Set Voltage amplitude to 500 mV Fire Pulse Blue Gate Monitor Yellow Output A Green Long Gate Widths 1 us For example 100 us gate width Set input impedance on oscilloscope to 1 MO Set Voltage amplitude to 500 mV Page 80 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier 5 4 8 MCP Gain The gain of the Micro Channel Plate MCP in the image intensifier can be varied through software from a setting of O to 4 095 By increasing the gain the voltage across the MCP is increased and hence the signal reaching the CCD sensor is amplified The value can be entered in the MCP Gain text box of the Setup Gating tab of the Setup Acquisition dialog box It can also be selected on the Run time control dialog box e g MCP Gain 0 4095 o Insertion Delay Normal Intelligate Ultra Fast The graph below shows typically how the signal level on the CCD sensor varies with increasing gain setting PAG 4x counts per photoelectron 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 MCP Gain DAC Setting Note MCP gain versus DAC settings is reported for each system on the associated performance sheet p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier 5 4 4 Insertion Delay Insertion delay refers to the propagation delay of a trigger source External Trigger Internal Trigger Fire pulse or Direct Gate to travel through the electronic
70. dard Operation IOC Disabled And Gate Step Disabled 97 6 1 3 1 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 98 6 1 3 1 3 Gate Step Enabled 99 6 1 3 1 4 IOC and Gate Step Enabled 100 6 1 3 2 Number of Accumulations gt 1 101 6 1 3 2 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled 101 6 1 3 2 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 102 6 1 3 23 Gate Step Enabled 103 6 1 3 24 IOC and Gate Step Enabled 104 6 1 4 Acquisition Mode Photon Counting 105 6 1 5 Acquisition Mode Fast Kinetics 105 6 1 5 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled And Gate Step Disabled 106 6 1 5 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 107 6 1 5 3 Gate Step Enabled 108 6 1 5 4 IOC and Gate Step Enabled 109 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Contents 6 2 TRIGGERING EXTERNAL 110 6 2 1 Acquisition Mode Single 110 6 2 1 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled 110 6 2 1 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 111 6 2 1 2 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger 111 6 2 1 2 2 Advanced Burst of Pulses per Trigger 112 6 2 2 Acquisition Mode Kinetic 113 6 2 2 1 Number of Accumulations 1 113 6 2 2 1 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled 114 6 2 2 1 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 115 6 2 2 1 2 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger 115 6 2 2 1 2 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger 116 6 2 2 1 2 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure 117 6 2 21 3 Gate Step Enabled 118 6 2 2 1 4 IOC and Gate Step Enabled 119 6 2 2 1 4 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger 119 6 2 2 1 4 2 Advanced Burs
71. e of coolant during connection removal of hoses or spillage of any residual coolant contained within the camera head once the hoses have been removed Removal of the coolant hoses is achieved by slightly pulling the barbed connector whilst at the same time depressing the collar on the quick release couplings which releases the hose insert as shown below Figure 8 Removal of coolant hose inserts from quick release couplings on camera head Some mains supply water are heavily mineralized i e Hard which could cause deposits in the water circuit inside the camera This can reduce the flow rate and affect the cooling preformance It is therefore recommended to use de ionized water without additives as the coolant The specified cooling performance of the camera can be achieved with coolant flow rates of 0 75 litres per minute and the maximum recommended pressure of coolant circulating through the camera head is 2 bar In the event that replacement hose inserts barbs are required the local Andor representative should be contacted Important note The temperature of liquid coolant circulated through the camera head should always be above the dew point Use of coolant at or below the dew point will result in permanent damage to the camera head due to formation of condensation on internal components Section 2 8 5 provides further details on this point Page 34 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Installing the New iSta
72. e per Trigger Description Several gate pulses can be generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same per every trigger within an accumulated image The gate delay is also the same for every accumulated image that is returned Every external trigger within an exposure will generate only one gate Setup IOC enabled output A B C disabled Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM One Pulse per Trigger 125 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 2 2 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger Description The user can select for multiple pulses per trigger The external trigger generates the first pulse subsequent pulses are generated internally by a user defined period frequency Diea Tea Asie Dm ime Elie Chala io lri TET m T d Bs v Nus mig imam m Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Burst per Trigger 126 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 2 2 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure within an accumulated image The gate delay is also the same for every accumulated image that is returned For each exposure the external trigger generates the first gate pulse subsequent gate pulses are
73. e readout of the New iStar camera to external events equipment by means of the SMA receptacles The functions of each are detailed below e Ext Trig External Trigger TTL compatible input which is used to initiate data acquisition by the camera e Digital Delay Generator Outputs A B amp C Programmable 5V CMOS level outputs used to synchronize external events equipment with operation of the New iStar e Fire 5V CMOS level reference signal relating to the CCD exposure time This output remains high during the charge signal accumulation period i e the time during which charge from the image area is not being read out e Arm 5V CMOS level reference signal to indicate when system is ready to accept external triggers Signal goes high when system is ready to accept external triggers after a readout sequence has finished and goes low when the exposure 1 finished e Direct Gate TTL compatible input used to directly gate the photocathode of the image intensifier tube i e switch it On and Off The photocathode is On when the input is high User should provide electrical pulse width and appropriate gate pulse delay e Gate Monitor Enables user to monitor the accurate actual On and Off switching of the photocathode Page 29 lt gt ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New The other connection points are as follows e USB 2 0 A USB 2 0 compatible cable can be connected between the USB socket and a PC
74. e scan and updates the data display Exposure Time 0 3 Delay 15 Exposure I L Note This is a useful mode for focusing the New iStar and for watching experimental events happening in real time However this mode will not allow to save any of the acquired images or data except for the last frame of the sequence When the Video Mode tab on the setup acquisition dialog box is selected the video mode dialog interface appears e g Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Binning Auto Save Spooling Image Orientation Video Mode gt C Use Settings From Setup CCD Allow Spooling in Video Mode Delay secs 0 10499 Setup Exposure Time Exposure Time secs 0 00100 Sub Image Binning owns MM 512 x 128 O2x2 256 x 64 O4x4 128 x 32 O8x8 Custom 16 16 Custom Left 1 Bottom 255 1 x 1 The following parameters can then be set e Exposure Time e Delay The interval required between scans Note When entering too low a value the system will default to a minimum delay e Resolution sub image area Size of the sub image in pixels e Binning pattern Super pixel size in pixels Note When the Use Settings From Standard Setup option is selected these parameters cannot be altered The system will acquire data only as quickly as these can be displayed If Take Background or Take Reference in video mode are the c
75. e start of two consecutive scans within a kinetic series e Number in Kinetic Series The number of scans taken in the kinetic series KINETIC SERIES Exposure Time 0 35 Exposure Time Kinetic Cycle Time 3s p No in Kinetic Series 3 H H H H H H H H H H H H Kinetic Cycle Time This mode is particularly well suited to recording the temporal evolution of a process and can also be used in conjunction with accumulation mode for further signal to noise ratio enhancement Note If External trigger is selected the Kinetic Cycle dialog box will indicate the maximum achievable frame rate Page 56 p ANDOR 5 ae Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 1 4 Fast Kinetics Fast Kinetics mode allows access to exposure times and time resolution on a microsecond timescale i e in the order of magnitude of the CCD vertical shift speeds However in the case of ICCDs the ultimate time resolution will be dictated by the photocathode gate time In Fast Kinetics the signal to be recorded is imaged across a certain section of the CCD typically across the top rows of the CCD sensor The non illuminated part of the CCD is used for storage of the consecutive images part of the same acquisition sequence before readout The overall sequence is recorded in one single acquisition window T1 CCD keep clean sequence is interrupted and useful signal builds up on the user defined top portion of a sensor T2 At the end
76. e the product to extreme hot or cold temperatures outside of the storage and operation specifications Ensure that a minimum clearance of approximately 100 mm 4 is maintained in front of all ventilation slots and the fan inlet and outlet Cooling performance cannot be guaranteed unless these criteria are observed To prevent accidental internal damage to the camera objects small enough to enter the slots on the sides and top of the camera should be placed well away from these interfaces Do not expose the product to open flames Do not allow objects to fall on the product Do not expose the product to moisture wet or spill liquids on the product Do not store or place liquids on the product If spillage occurs on the product switch off power immediately and wipe off with dry lint free cloth If any ingress hasoccurred or is suspected unplug mains cable do not use and contact Andor Customer Service The product contains components that are extremely sensitive to static electricity and radiated electromagnetic fields and therefore should not be used or stored close to EMI RFI generators electrostatic field generators electro magneticor radioactive devices or other similar sources of high energy fields 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 to the New iStar is inadequ
77. e voltage the intensifier can be turned ON and OFF This process is referred to as Gating Gating periods in the nanosecond scale billionth of a second can be readily achieved making the image intensifier one of the fastest optical shutters available Page 146 p ANDOR TECHNOLOGY Appendix INTERNAL REFLECTION IN THE INPUT WINDOW Data acquired from ICCDs with a 25 mm intensifier tube may exhibit an artifact due to light that has entered the camera obliquely and has been internally reflected in the input window The effect is generally not significant but a brief explanation may be appropriate nonetheless At the center of the photocathode the internally reflected rays may coincide with each other and with light falling on the photocathode directly The result is a signal around 596 higher than average at the center of the photocathode The phenomenon appears as a slight peak in the middle of a 2D trace or as a slight cone in the middle of an image The aperture in the faceplate is left deliberately large to fully accommodate the light cone from lenses and spectrographs If an aperture of 25 26 mm diameter is placed in front of the input window the range of angles at which light can enter is reduced and the peak or cone effect disappears There may then however be a vignette effect as light from the outside of the light cone emerging from lenses or spectrographs is blocked Figure X Internal reflection in the I
78. ectrons are produced and in normal operation these electrons are confined to their respective elements Thus if an image or any light pattern is projected on to the array a corresponding charge pattern will be produced To capture the image pattern into computer memory the charge pattern must be transferred off the chip and this is accomplished by making use of a series of horizontal i e parallel to the rows shift register transparent electrodes that cover the array By suitable clocking these electrodes can be used to shift transfer the entire charge pattern one row at a time down into the shift register The shift register also has a series of electrodes which are vertical i e parallel to the columns which are used to transfer the charge packets one element at a time into the output node of the on chip amplifier The output of the amplifier feeds the analog to digital A D converter which in turn converts each charge packet into a 16 bit binary number Page 143 p ANDOR TECHNOLOGY Appendix ACCUMULATION Accumulation is the process by which data that have been acquired from a number of similar scans are added together in computer memory This results in improved signal to noise ratio ACQUISITION An Acquisition is taken to be the complete data capture process that is executed whenever you click Take Signal Take Background or Take Reference on the Acquisition Menu or whenever you click
79. eneral requirements identical to IEC 61010 1 Additional EMC Standards This product also complies with the following e FCC Part 15 Subparts A and B Code of Federal Regulations Title 47 Telecommunications Part 15 Radiofrequency Devices Class A e EN 61000 3 3 2008 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Limits Limitation of voltage changes voltage fluctuations and flicker in public low voltage supply systems for equipment with rated current S 16 A per phase and not subject to conditional connection e DD ENV 50204 1996 Radiated electromagnetic field from digital radio telephones Immunity test Criterion B Additional Safety Standards This product also complies with the following e All national deviations listed under the IEC CB Scheme for IEC 61010 1 for those countries that require them currently Australia Canada Japan Korea Switzerland and USA including the following amongst others 1 UL 61010 1 Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement control and laboratory use Part 1 General requirements 2 Edition 2004 O CSA C22 2 No 61010 1 04 Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement control and laboratory use Part 1 General requirements 2 Edition CE Mark CE Mark first applied to this product in the year 2011 LES Gary Wilmot Director of Engineering 18 February 2011 gt discover new ways of seeing www andor com Page 141 p AN
80. enerated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure within an accumulated image The gate delay is incremented for every accumulated image that is returned For each exposure the external trigger generates the first gate pulse subsequent gate pulses are generated internally via a user defined frequency or period The maximum number of pulses is applied that can fit into the exposure given the final gate delay in the series or the user defines the numbers of pulses per exposure Any subsequent triggers that arrive during the exposure are ignored Teki amma Cmn rg leina aem nda oni adim ua i ve Haje Lu External Trigger ie p AD a Se Geek feel Gael eu b T 1 5 f a Fire Gate Monitor ae agam LE JL pee JL pe Saip nig Tage e ram Sees eg Lapi abs Pf Do External Trigger ame B papai Che E madii L Luar 1 Fire T Tmgd Gate Monitor ES mpm puma pua D gees ARM Fit to CCD Exposure Page 131 lt g gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 3 Acquisition Mode Photon Counting Same as Acquisition Mode Kinetic Please refer to section 5 3 1 6 to set up the appropriate count
81. er closed state and the commencement of the data being read out as shown in the following example diagram Signals and Delays Shutter Time Exposure Time um Shutter Output Fire Output j Read Time Trigger Fire Pulse Duration Time to Open Time to Close Shutter Transfer Time Shutter Transfer Time A Important note If no shutter is connected the time to open or close should be set to 0 Setting the Time to open or close to any other value will insert extra delays into cycle time calculations Page 71 lt g gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Data 5 3 6 Acquistion and Data Types Selection 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 5 3 6 1 Definitions of Data Data processing and display involves the following bassline information e Signal Uncorrected raw data acquired via Take Signal Signal as used in the definitions of the calculations refers to raw data from the detector and should not be confused with the possibly processed data to be found under the Sig tab of the Data window e Background Data in uncorrected counts acquired in darkness e Reference Background corrected data Reference data is normally acquired from the light source without the
82. er system En RES Run Program by Filename Runs an Andor Basic program from a specific location Custom Program Button Adds or removes button shortcut for specific Andor Basic programs Start Program Setup Allows automatic loading of Andor Basic program from a specific location on Solis software launch Remove Start Program Deactivates automatic program loading on Solis software startup Print Preview Allows preview of a sif or program file prior to printing Print Prints a selected sif or program file Page Setup Allows setting of document printing characteristics Setup footnotes Allows setting of footnotes associated with data file to be printed Select another system Allows toggling between several Andor detectors connected to the current PC laptop platform Exit Exits the Solis software Page 43 p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 4 2 Acquisition Menu The Acquisition drop down menu provides the following options Setup Acquisition Allows user to set up the CCD amp Intensifier acquisition Setup Acquisition Setup Data Ctrl D Setup Data Type Allows user to select the data windows X axis unit display Notify On Completion l m Notify On Completion Allows user to either start an application exe file or play Take Signal FS a user defined sound on completion of an acquisition sequence Take Background Take Reference Chl B Take Signal Starts a d
83. es External Trigger n i M Ge i 1 i Law Cau Cel crus pha 1 Lilo Fini e Fire A Gate Monitor cr pee FAG pE Larm ma i pr wei Fit to CCD Exposure Page 123 lt g gt ANDOR Rh ELE Operation 6 2 2 2 Number of Accumulations 1 etup Acquisition CO Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Settings FVB AutoSave Spoolng CropMode Data 4 gt Acquisition Mode Triggering Readout Mode Kinetic v External v FYB T Exposure Time secs 0 02000 Shift Speed usecs 16 5 Number of amp ccumulations 2 Vertical Clock Voltage v Amplitude Normal Kinetic Seties Length 3 Readout Rat Hz at 1 amp bi v Minimum Trigger Period secs 0 06106 16 377 Hz amena ua Pre Amplifier Gain 4x Cace Hee 6 2 2 2 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled Description The external trigger generates one gate pulse per exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure within an accumulated image The gate delay is also the same for every accumulated image that is returned Setup IOC disabled gate step disabled output A B C disabled WAVEFORMS External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Page 124 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 2 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 6 2 2 2 2 1 Default One Puls
84. etic compatibility EMC Testing and measurement techniques Electrostatic discharge immunity test Criterion A e EN 61000 4 3 2006 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Testing and measurement techniques Radiated radio frequency electromagnetic field immunity test Criterion A e EN 61000 4 4 2004 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Testing and measurement techniques Electrical fast transient burst immunity test Criterion A e EN 61000 4 5 2006 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Testing and measurement techniques Surge immunity test Criterion A e EN 61000 4 6 2009 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Testing and measurement techniques Immunity to conducted disturbances induced by radio frequency fields Criterion A e EN 61000 4 11 2004 Electromagnetic compatibility EMC Testing and measurement techniques Voltage dips short interruptions and voltage variations immunity tests Criterion A Offices in North America Japan China Co Reg No NI 22466 VAT No GB 517 1829 44 140 p ANDOR Rh dE Appendix EU Declaration of Conformity LVD Andor Technology plc hereby declares under its sole responsibility that the aforementioned product meets the requirements of EU Low Voltage Directive 2006 95 EC by means of conformity to the following harmonised standards e EN 61010 1 2001 Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement control and laboratory use Part 1 G
85. g 66 5 3 4 Ccd Clocking Speed 67 5 3 4 1 Vertical Pixel Shift 67 5 3 4 2 Horizontal Pixel Shift 68 5 35 Shutter 69 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY 5 4 5 5 5 3 5 1 5 3 6 5 3 6 1 5 3 6 2 5 3 7 5 3 8 5 3 8 1 5 3 8 2 5 3 8 3 Shutter Transfer Time Acquistion and Data Types Selection Definitions of Data Types Data Display and Processing Modes Autoscale Acquisition Data File Handling Spooling Virtual Memory Auto Save IMAGE INTENSIFIER SETTINGS 5 4 1 5 4 2 5 4 3 5 4 4 5 4 5 5 4 6 5 4 7 5 4 7 1 5 4 7 2 5 4 7 3 5 4 7 4 Gate Modes Using Gate Monitor Mcp Gain Insertion Delay Intelligate Integrate on Chip loc Digital Delay Generator Ddg Gater Output B amp C Optical Width Gate Step TRIGGERING MODES 5 5 1 5 5 2 5 5 3 5 5 4 Internal Trigger External Trigger Fast External External Start Contents 71 72 72 72 75 76 76 77 78 79 79 79 81 82 84 85 87 87 87 87 88 90 90 90 91 92 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Contents SECTION 6 OPERATION GATING TRIGGERING amp SYNCHRONIZATION 93 6 1 TRIGGERING INTERNAL 93 6 1 1 Acquisition Mode Single 93 6 1 1 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled 93 6 1 1 2 Integrate On Chip IOC Enabled 94 6 1 2 Acquisition Mode Accumulate 95 6 1 2 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled 95 6 1 2 2 Integrate on Chip IOC 95 6 1 3 Acquisition Mode Kinetic 96 6 1 3 1 Number of Accumulations 1 96 6 1 3 1 1 Stan
86. game controllers EH System devices Universal Serial Bus controllers 114 7 The New iStar is now ready to be used Page 37 lt gt ANDOR Solis Software Operation SECTION 4 SOLIS SOFTWARE OPERATION 4 1 STARTING THE APPLICATION On the computer laptop desktop click on the lt icon The following Solis splash screen appears ANDOR A tecHnoroey Solis Data Acquisition and Analysis for Imaging and Spectroscopy The Main Window then appears e g de alib command 9 8 COOBORR 1 0008 W a Autoscale Min Max 38 3 321022 1022 Single Scan Counts 2 at 16 bit 4x Conventional Filter None p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 2 WINDOW The Main Window is the user entry point to the system The menu options allow user to either execute specific functions directly or launch further windows dialog boxes to access more comprehensive functionalities Some menu options on the Main Window are also accessible through quick launch buttons as shown in the table below TITLE ICON TITLE TITLE Open file program Select sub image area al Image display mode Print Select autoscale area EZ Change display color palette Save Reset scale Time s
87. generated internally via a user defined frequency or period The maximum number of pulses that can fit into the exposure is applied or alternatively the user defines the numbers of pulses per exposure Any subsequent triggers that arrive during the exposure are ignored Waveforms x p Caen ee r ka er Lem eee i ma van BE Sen External Trigger i OF Em Domui ee Fire Lilia Pani x Gate Monitor ires EE Eom bar I miem i anguem ARM 1 RIEN IL DT p T Burst Exposure amp BUG edem Hog lgem External Trigger mou d AS Cui ara Fire 2 Gate Monitor ILLE J ARM PET EEE E in d Fit to CCD Exposure Page 127 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 2 3 Gate Steo Enabled Description The external trigger generates one gate pulse per exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure within an accumulated image The gate delay is incremented for every accumulated image that is returned Setup Gate step enabled output A B C disabled Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Page 128 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 2 4 and Gate Step Enabled 6 2 2 2 4 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger Description Several gate pulses can be generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same per every trigger w
88. ges will be acquired in the series gt Acquisition EI Setup Camera Setup Gating FVB Auto Save Spooling Mode Data Averaging Filters Acquisition Mode Triggering Readout Mode Kinetic v Intemal v FVB Exposure Time secs 0 03300 Shift Speed 6 5 v Number of Accumulations 2 Vertical Clock Voltage N Amplitud omal 1 zontal Pixel Shift Kinetic Series Length 3 Readout Rat 5MHz at 16 bi v Kinetic Cycle Time secs 0 06600 15 152 Hz Y I Pre Amplifier G ain 4x v 6 1 3 2 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled Description One gate pulse is generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure within an accumulated image The gate delay is also the same for every accumulated image that is returned Setup IOC disabled gate step disabled Output A enabled Waveform Fire Gate Monitor Output A Page 101 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 2 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure within an accumulated image The gate delay is also the same for every accumulated image that is returned Setup IOC enabled Output A enabled Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A 102 ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 2 3 Gate Step Ena
89. gister are moved into the i output node of the amplifier 5 The charges in the output node of the amplifier are passed to the analog to digital converter and are read out digitized 6 Steps 4 and 5 are repeated until the shift register is empty The process is repeated from Step 2 until the whole frame is read out Page 65 p ANDOR E aC Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 3 2 Horizontal Binning In this configuration charges from two or more pixels in the serial register are transferred into the output amplifier and read out as one combined data value Thus the charges from two or more of the horizontal elements are effectively summed into the output amplifier before being readout In the example below where each superpixel is of dimensions 2 x 2 pixels charges from two rows is first binned vertically into the shift register then charges from two pixels of the shift register are binned horizontally into the output node of the amplifier The effect of the combined binning processes is a Summed charges equating to a 2 x 2 superpixel Since this example initially involves binning charge from two rows the process begins in the same way as the previous example see Steps 1 4 of Vertical Binning section Vertical amp Horizontal Binning 2x2 Superpixels Only subset of pixels shown 1 to 4 ane as for pan Vertical 1M __ Binning gt di Two Rows Charges fro
90. ground corrected signal counts Log Base 10 10910 Signal Background Allows you to calculate values for radiance or irradiance The system requires that you supply calibration details This option must be ordered separately Table 8 Data type and display available in Solis p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Data The illustration below shows a typical use of Background Reference and Signal for computations such as Absorptance or Transmittance j Sample Light Source assi em Empty Reference x e Empty Signal 9 gt gt Andor CCD On Full USE OF BACKGROUND REFERENCE amp SIGNAL Example Transmittance Absorptance 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 If any data type other than counts or counts Bg Corrected are selected user will have to perform Take Background and Take Reference in that order before performing Take Signal lt g gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Data 5 3 Autoscale Acquisition Prior to the Take Signal function being activated autoscale acquisition can be selected from the Acquisition drop down menu as shown below or F6 on the keyboard Calibrate Command Setup Acquisition Chri
91. h the sub image will be drawn The Dow button displays the Draw tool on the full resolution image Note Restore Absolute Co ordinates in Data Set allows user to retain actual pixel X Y co ordinates on the CCD 5 3 2 1 2 Image orientation In image mode the data can also be orientated in a specific way as they are acquired The orientation of the image data is accessible from the Image Orientation tab on the Setup Acquisition dialogue box e g Flip C Horizontally Vertically Page 62 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 2 2 Multi track Mode Multi track mode allows creation of one or more individual aquisition tracks that can be defined in rows by the height of each track and the offset on the CCD chip which in effect raises or lowers the pattern of tracks from which the charges will be read out In this way the position of the tracks can be adjusted to match a light pattern produced on the CCD chip by a fiber optics bundle for example To define multiple tracks on the CCD chip can be defined under the Multi track section from the Readout Mode drop down menu in the Setup Acquisition dialog box Multitrack v By clicking the button the following Setup Multi track dialog box opens e g Tracks Start Row End Row Loac 1 a Save Insert 3 Delete Horizontal binning 1 Horizontal
92. hall Binning 1 i Readout Aate 5MHz ot 16 be trom bottomiow E Lui i Pre Amplifser Gain dx 105 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 5 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled Description One gate pulse is generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure in the series Setup IOC disabled gate step disabled Output A enabled t gui Won Setup Camera Setup Gating Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averaging Filters Gate Mode DDG v Gain 0 4095 0 Gater QutputA Output B Output C Gale Llutput Output Output Insertion Delay ra f gl POET S rz T Enable Output Ultra Fast Width 1 ius Delay F us A Integrate on Chip IOC Width 01 8 postive C negative 7 Variable Step 0 Bw Track Step o Fire Gate Monitor Output A Page 106 ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 5 2 Integrate on Chip Enabled Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure in the series Setup IOC enabled Output A enabled acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averaging Filters Gate Mode DDG v MCF gital Delay Generator Gain 0
93. he exposure time All CCD produce a dark current an actual current that is measurable in typically tenths of milliamps per pixel The dark signal adds to your measured signal level and increases the amount of noise in the measured signal Since the dark signal varies with temperature it can cause background values to increase over time It also sets a limit on the useful exposure time Reducing the temperature of the CCD reduces dark signal typically for every 7 C that temperature falls dark signal halves CCD readout noise is low and so as not to compromise this by shot noise from the dark signal it is important to cool the detector to reduce the dark signal If you are using an exposure time of less than a few seconds cooling the detector below 0 C will generally remove most of the shot noise caused by dark signal DETECTION LIMIT The Detection Limit is a measure of the smallest signal that can be detected in a single readout The smallest signal is defined as the signal whose level is equal to the noise accompanying that signal i e a signal to noise ratio S N of unity Sources of noise are e Shot noise of the signal itself e Shot noise of any dark signal e Readout noise If the signal is small we can ignore its shot noise EXPOSURE TIME The Exposure Time is the period during which the CCD collects light prior to readout In the Andor system it is marked by a pulse on the Fire output Pin 11 of the Controller Card s au
94. he data is normally saved to the default directory shown in the Location field Alternatively user can click on the ES button and choose a different area to save the data Note It is recommended to have the option activated for images 50 MB 77 lt g gt ANDOR IDE Pre Acquisition Setup Data 5 3 8 3 Auto Save 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 The Auto Save dialog box appears e g Setup Acquisition Setup Camera FVB Auto Save Spooling Data Averaging Filters C Enable Auto Save File Type Sif Fits iff File Stem Untitled Location Example Untitled sif If selected acquisitions will be saved automatically after each individual one is completed Each subsequent auto saved file will over write the previously auto saved one In the Auto Save dialog box a Stem Name may be entered This is the main root of the name that the acquisition is to be saved as The Stem Name can be appended with a number of details e g e Operator name supplied by user e Computer name e Camera type e Date e Time An auto increment On Off tick box allows a number to also be entered to the main stem name This number is automatically incremented each time
95. hosen mode of operation the system will perform one scan only New data will continue to be acquired and displayed until one of the following actions is being carried out e Select Abort Acquisition from the Acquisition Menu button e Click the e Press the lt ESC gt key Page 54 p ANDOR C Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 1 2 Accumulate Accumulate mode allows user to add together in the computer memory the data from a number of scans to create an accumulated scan e g ACCUMULATED Example Exposure Time 0 3s Exposure Time Accumulated Cycle time 1 5s B Np of Accurnulations 3 TM Accumulated Cycle Time The following parameters can be entered in the Setup Acquisition dialog box e Exposure Time e Accumulated Cycle Time The period in seconds between each scan This parameter is only available when internal triggering is selected e of Accumulations The number of scans to be added together Note This mode can be used to effectively improve the acquisition signal to noise ratio 55 lt g gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 1 3 Kinetic Series Kinetic series mode allows user to run record and save a sequence of consecutive acquisitions in a single working window The following parameters are used to configure the acquisition e Exposure Time e Kinetic Cycle Time The time between th
96. ice obtained by a Customer under warranty It does not replace or supersede any Product or Customer specific Warranty terms and conditions 1 1 2 Warranty is a guarantee of quality of supplied goods Software amp Hardware It is an obligation to rectify or replace product defects during an agreed period of time 1 2 Standard Warranty Policy 1 2 1 Andor s Limited Standard Warranty Policy on Hardware warrants all new products to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for 12 months from the date of dispatch Exceptions to the standard hardware warranty offer exist and are shown in 1 2 2 1 2 3 below Within this period Andor will at its sole option repair or replace any components which fail in normal use Such repairs or replacements will be made at no charge to the Customer for parts or labour however the Customer shall be responsible for any transportation and insurance costs from the Customer premises to the Andor designated point of return Andor shall be responsible for transportation and insurance costs related to returning the repaired or replacement unit to the Customer The customer shall be responsible for any import duties taxes and customs clearance fees associated with the return of the unit This warranty does not cover failures due to abuse misuse accident or unauthorized alterations or repairs Andor assumes no responsibility for special incidental punitive or consequential damages or loss of use Page 152
97. ing thresholds 6 2 4 Acquisition Mode Fast Kinetics Allows the user to acquire a short kinetics series with a rapid cycle time The image is captured on a sub section of the sensor array with the remainder of the array being used as a storage area until the data series is readout The user can specify the exposure time for each frame within the series in seconds the size of the sub section capturing the image in rows and the binning pattern The number in the series can also be entered but is limited to a maximum value equal to the number of rows in the sensor array divided by the number of rows specified in the sub section Setup Acquisition Vertical Poel Shalt Exposure Time usecs Shit Speed urets 65 v Sub area height Tur Ep vole v Number of zemes POR Horizontal Pixel Shit Binning a Readout Rate 5 at 164 v PreAmpliier Gain dx 132 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 4 1 Standard Operation Disabled and Gate Step Disabled Description The external trigger generates one gate pulse per exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure in the series Setup IOC disabled gate step disabled output A B C disabled Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Settings AutoSave Spooling Crop DataAveragin lt gt Gate Mode DDG Gain 0 4095 0 Gater Output
98. initial focusing and alignment of the camera or to increase the frame or spectral rate user may select a sub image of the CCD chip When the camera is running in sub image mode only data from the selected pixels will be read out and data from the remaining pixels will be discarded To read out data from a selected area or sub image of the CCD the radio buttons should be toggled to select the required resolution as shown below Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Binning Auto Save Spooling Image Orientation Video Mode Data Averaging Fiters Sub Image Binning 512 x 512 Full 1 1 256 256 2 2 128 128 4 4 64 64 8 8 Custom Q 16 16 Custom Left Right 171 Bottom Top 183 2 v Retain Absolute Coordinates in Dataset gt gt Perform binning in software o Note The standard choices of sub image configuration will vary with the CCD matrix used A custom sub image can also be used to set a specific size and location of the desired aquisition area on the CCD chip To user define a sub image the custom radio button should be selected so that the co ordinate fields appear Draw In addition to the previous methods of defining a sub image on the sensor a Draw option can be used to graphically select the size and location of the sub image A full resolution image must first be acquired to provide the template on whic
99. is On image if maintain aspect ratio off expand y axis On image if maintain aspect ratio on expand x axis and y axis Home Move cursor furthest left v v v End Move cursor furthest right v v v PgUp Scroll up through track Y v PgDn Scroll down through tracks v v v Shift PgUp Move to next image in series v v v Shift PgDn Move to previous image in series Y v v Left Arrow Move cursor left v v v Right Arrow Move cursor right v v v Up Arrow Scroll trace up on image move cursor up v v v Down Arrow Scroll trace down on image move cursor down v v v Shift Left Arrow Scroll trace image left v v v Shift Right Arrow Scroll trace image right v v v Ctrl Left Arrow Peak search left v v v Ctrl Right Arrow Peak search right v v v Toggle Palette v F8 Reset v v v Rescale v v v Alt F9 Toggle Rescale Mode v v v Ctrl F9 Scale to Active see Section 4 Displaying Data section v v v F10 File information Table 6 Data window Hot Keys lt g gt ANDOR Rh dE DC Solis Software Operation KEY STROKE S DESCRIPTION Ctrl N New program Ctrl Run program Esc Abort acquisition program Ctrl L Command line Context sensitive help on reserved words in the Andor Basic programming language Ctrl F1 Program Editor Window must be active Cun Save Ctrl P Print Table 7 Andor Basic Programming Language Hot Keys p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 4 MEN
100. ited to any warranty of merchantability non infringement or fitness for a particular purpose In no event shall andor be liable for any loss or damage whether direct indirect special incidental consequential or otherwise howsoever caused whether arising in contract tort or otherwise arising out of or in connection with the use of the information provided herein COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTIVE NOTICES The copyright in this document and the associated drawings are the property of Andor Technology plc and all rights are reserved This document and the associated drawings are issued on condition that they are not copied reprinted or reproduced nor their contents disclosed The publication of information in this documentation does not imply freedom from any patent or proprietary right of Andor Technology plc or any third party 1 5 TRADEMARKS amp PATENT INFORMATION Andor the Andor logo New iStar amp Solis are trademarks of Andor Technology plc 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 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY About the New iStar 1 6 ELECTRICAL amp ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS PARAMETER SPECIFICATION Power supply ratings 100 240 V 50 60 Hz 1 6 A Power consumption 85 W continuous Location to be used Indoor use only Altitude Up 2 000m Operating temperature range 0 to 40 C Storage
101. ithin an accumulated image The gate delay is incremented for every accumulated image that is returned Every external trigger within an exposure can generate only one gate pulse Setup IOC enabled gate step enabled output A B C disabled Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM One Pulse per Trigger 129 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 2 4 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger Description The user can select for multiple pulses per trigger The external trigger generates the first pulse subsequent pulses are generated internally by a user defined period frequency A gate delay is applied that is the same per every trigger within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value LLLI al fhe amma HAD berg Tages bees Pal eve foede Coc eet Dla d Herde Hpi Gan Leber Cage Bt lose olay Parra E Uiha taidi n a Fis COD E penam ope mmus Joo wm i Pel vain ri una el 1 Burst per Trigger External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Page 130 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 2 4 3 Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure Description Several gate pulses are g
102. ition Setup Shutter 5 3 5 1 Shutter Transfer Time Shutters take a finite time to open or close and this is sometimes called the Shutter Transfer Time STT This is typically in the order of a few tens of milliseconds and will vary from one shutter type to the other The STT should give enough time for the shutter to open before acquisition starts and enough time to close after acquisition finishes and before readout commences Note Mechanical shutters are limited to repetition rates of a few Hz for correct opening and closing A operation This frequency will vary from one shutter type to the other If acquisition rate of the CCD exceeds the maximum recommended shutter rate then this will cause partial operation of the shutter blades and potential damage to the device At that stage shutter should either be left fully opened and image intensifier photocathode becomes the sole signal shuttering interface in the system or CCD acquisition rate should be decreased By default the value entered in the exposure time text box on the Setup Acquisition dialog box determines the length of time the shutter will be in the open state However to accommodate the transfer time the rising edge of the shutter output is sent before the Fire output signal by an amount equal to the preset STT The system automatically adds the transfer time to the end of the acquisition sequence introducing an appropriate delay between the start of the shutt
103. l be replaced Any warranty obligation contained in an Andor supply contract will be carried out in accordance with this Repair Service 1 3 2 In order to be eligible for warranty repair or replacement the equipment must be suffering a defect which meets the criteria set out in the supply contract and must be within its specified warranty period Services such as upgrades to Hardware and Software are excluded from the scope of this service description and should be ordered separately 1 4 Access to Service 1 4 1 A Customer who has purchased their product via a reseller or third party and who believes they have a warranty defect should in the first instance contact a representative of their seller s product support team Customers who have bought products directly from Andor can access the Service Desk at www andor com contact us support request 153 p ANDOR Rh dE Appendix 1 4 2 The Customer should indicate that they are pursuing a warranty claim and specify the equipment type and the contract under which it was supplied The Service Desk representative will then work with the Customer to establish the nature of the defect and to determine whether the reported defect is one which meets the criteria under the supply contract for warranty remediation This process will comprise question and answer between Service Desk and Customer and the Service Desk operative may at their sole discretion ask the Customer to perform some
104. le time Note Other modes such as photon counting or fast kinetics will be detailed specifically in following sections of this user guide p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 1 Acquisition Modes amp Timings An acquisition is taken to be the complete data capture process that is executed whenever user selects Take Signal Take Background or Take Reference from the acquisition menu or whenever user clicks the Take Signal button By contrast a scan an acquired scan in the definitions that follow is a single readout of data from the CCD chip Several scans may be involved in a complete data acquisition The minimum time required for an acquisition is dependent on a number of factors including the exposure time i e the time in seconds during which the CCD collects light prior to readout and the triggering mode Triggering modes are described in more detail later in this section 5 3 1 1 Single Scan Single scan is the simplest acquisition mode in which the system performs one scan of the CCD SINGLE SCAN Example r1 Exposure Time 0 35 Exposure Time B The following parameters can then be changed e Exposure Time Note Should user attempt to enter too low a value the system will default to a minimum exposure time p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 1 1 1 Video If user selects the button the system repeatedly performs a singl
105. lock unwanted light falling on to the storage part of the sensor Page 57 p ANDOR E C Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 1 5 Cropped Sensor Mode If an experiment demands the fastest image or spectrum acquisition rates but cannot be constrained by the maximum storage size of the sensor as is the case for Fast Kinetics Mode a specific Cropped Sensor Mode can be set up through the main acquisition set up window e g Setup Acquisition Setup Gating Auto Save Spooling Image Orientation Crop Mode Data Averaging Filers Enable Crop Mode Crop Settings Left 1 500 Bottom 1 Top 10 Ensure that no light falls on the excluded region otherwise it will result in corrupted results Binning Settings HBin 1 In this mode the user defines a sub array size from within the full image sensor area such that it encompasses the region of the image where change is rapidly occurring The sensor subsequently imagines that it is of this smaller defined array size achieved through software executing special readout patterns and reads out at a proportionally faster frame rate The smaller the defined array size the faster the frame rate achievable The cropped area must be positioned in the bottom left of the sensor thus the subject of study should be first positioned in this area rather than centrally located N
106. ltiplicative noise Photon Counting mode does not measure the exact intensity of a single photon spike but instead registers its presence above a threshold value It does this for a succession of exposures and combines the individual binary images to create the final image As such this mode of operation is not affected by the multiplication noise which otherwise describes the distribution of multiplication values around the mean multiplication factor chosen The end result is that low light images acquired through this mode of acquisition are improved by a factor of x2 2 5 Signal to Noise compared to a single integrated image with the same overall exposure time To successfully photon count with ICCDs there has to be a significantly higher probability of seeing a photon spike than seeing a darkcurrent EBI noise spike The lower the contribution of this dark noise sources to a single exposure within the accumulated series the lower the detection limit of photon counting and the cleaner the overall image will be Page 59 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 1 6 1 Photon Counting in Real Time As the ICCD is continually scanned the signal builds up in computer memory and can be viewed live on the screen Photon Counting can be selected and configured from the Acquisition Mode drop down menu of the dialog box e g Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Photon Counting Thre
107. ltrafast lt 2 F Fast e Maximum relative gain 200 Maximum photocathode repetition rate with Intelligate OFF 500 kHz continuous Maximum photocathode repetition rate with Intelligate ON Equivalent Background 01 03 en lt 02 lt 03 100 Gen 3 FL HVS 63 A Gen 3 FL EVS A3 ww we Gen3 FL 73 10 a z 5 Gen 3 FL BGT C3 1 f i 7 InGaAs NIR 93 1 3i af O d 1 1 I 0 1 1 L i 1 0 01 200 300 400 500 600 Wavelength nm 800 900 1000 1100 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 f DDG SPECIFICATIONS THE NEW ISTAR HOLDS A FULLY INTEGRATED SOFTWARE CONTROLLED DIGITAL DELAY GENERATOR DDG WITH THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATIONS e Adjustable from ns to 10 s in 10 ps steps Gate pulse delay amp width e Software controlled pre programmed or real time TRIGGER OUTPUTS 3x output 5V CMOS level with 50 source impedance can drive 5V into a non terminating load or 2 5V into 50 load output synchronized triggers for auxiliary equipment e g lasers flash lamps or National Instrument hardware Output A B and C e Individual delays control from ns to 10 s in 10 ps steps e Configurable polarity e Software controlled pre programmed or real time Fire e 5V
108. m two rows have already been vertically binned into the shift register Charges in the shift register are now moved horizontally by one pixel so that charges on the endmost pixel of the shift register are moved into the output node of the amplifier Charges in the shift register are again moved horizontally so that the output node of the amplifier now contains charges from two pixels of the shift register i e the charges have been horizontally binned 6 The charges in the output node of the amplifier are passed to the analog to digital converter to be read out gt Steps 4 to 6 are repeated until the shift register is empty The process is repeated from Step 2 in Vertical Binning section until the whole frame is read out lt g gt ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition SetipnC ie 5 3 4 CCD Clocking Speed 5 3 4 1 Vertical Pixel Shift Shift speed Shift Speed usecs specifies the time taken clock shift charges from one row on the CCD sensor to the next Speeds which appear un bracketed in the drop down list are guaranteed to meet all the system specifications In some instances using a slightly slower vertical shift speed may result in a slight increase in the single well capacity for imaging applications However it may also reduce the maximum frame spectral rates achievable Bracketed vertical shift speed values are also available CCD model dependant to achieve even faster acquisition rates However with this
109. n Setup Image Intensifier 5 5 4 External Start External Start is a mixture of External and Internal Trigger In this mode the camera will perform a sequence of External Keep Clean Cycles while waiting for one external trigger event to occur and then start the acquisition process going 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 lt g gt ANDOR Rh ELEC Operation SECTION 6 OPERATION GATING TRIGGERING amp SYNCHRONIZATION 6 1 TRIGGERING INTERNAL 6 1 1 Acquisition Mode Single 6 1 1 1 Standard Operation Disabled Description One gate pulse is generated within the exposure A delay relative to the rising edge of the Fire pulse can be applied to the Gate pulse and output A B C Setup IOC disabled output A enabled Acquisition 4 Setup Setup Gating FYB Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data Averaging Filters Gate Mode 006 v C Optical Width Digital Delay Generate Digtal Delay Denerator aes 0 Gater Output Output B Output Gater up A B Output Normal 7 Dew 2 Siu v Enable Output Ultra Fast Width 1 zu Integrate on Chip IOC Delay 35 Lic C Enable Width 01 jv 9 positive CO negative FI Track Gate Step o we Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A A
110. nd Counts Exposure Time Counts Bg corrected Exposure Time Represents the light absorbed by an object If Reference is the background corrected incident intensity and Signal Background the transmitted intensity i e the intensity of light which has passed through the material being examined then 26 Absorptance 100 x 1 Signal Background Reference Hepresents the light reflected by an object If Reference is the background corrected incident intensity and Signal Background the reflected intensity i e the intensity of light which has been reflected from the material being examined then 26 Reflectance 100 x Signal Backgroung Reference Represents the light transmitted by an object If Reference is the background corrected incident intensity and Signal Background the transmitted intensity i e the intensity of light which has been transmitted through the material being examined then 26 Transmittance 100 x Signal Background Reference Flatfield is used to remove any pixel to pixel variations that are inherent in the ICCD sensor If Reference is the background corrected incident intensity the Signal is divided by the Reference so Flatfield 2 M x Signal Reference Where M is the Mean of Reference A measure of light absorbed by an object i e they represent the object s Optical Density OD If Reference is the background corrected incident intensity and Signal Background the transmi
111. nd Andor s spectrograph have been ordered at the same time the system will arrive already pre aligned and integrated Outside this scenario including matching the New iStar to a third party spectrograph the following generic instructions should be followed 1 Bolt the detector to the camera mounting flange ensuring that the head is correctly orientated and that the appropriate O ring is inserted at the front of the detector head 2 Attach the camera mounting flange to the spectrograph ensuring that the appropriate O ring is in place between both detector flange and spectrograph flange 3 Secure all four attachment screws so that the detector head the flanges and the spectrograph are fitted together securely in order to allow correct grounding through the connector cable Good grounding maintains the low noise performance of the detector and in severe environments may prevent the instrument from damage 3 1 2 Attaching to a Lens System The Andor New iStar can also be easily connected to a lens system for imaging purposes Andor local representative can supply details of the available adaptors for connecting the detector head to various manufacturers lenses The following general instructions should be followed 1 When attaching the New iStar to a lens adaptor C Mount or F Mount for example ensure first that the adpater is correctly orientated and aligned Ensure that the appropriate O ring is inserted between the camera front
112. nd He Setup Acquisition in Ctrl A Setup Data Ctrl D See m Notify On Completion e Select Setup Acquisition from the Acquisition drop down menu _2_ 5 Take Signal F5 Take Background Take Reference Ctrl F Abort Acquisition Esc w Autascale Acquisition F wf Temperature Warnings The Setup Acquisition dialog box appears e g Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Binning Auto Save Spooling Image Orientation Video Mode Acquisition Mode Triggering Readout Image Timings Vertical Pixel Shift Exposure Time secs 0 00001 Shift Speed usecs 6 5 Number of amp ccumulations 1 Vertical Clock Voltage Amplitude Normal Accum Cycle Time secs Horizontal Pixel Shift Kinetic Series Length 10 Readout Rate 3MHz at 16 bit Kinetic Cycle Time secs 0 40247 2 4847 Hz Pre Amplifier Gain 1 Cosmic Ray Removal Note Exposure Time Fire pulse length As user selects an acquisition mode additional acquisition related parameter fields will appear The following matrix lists the acquisition modes and the key set able parameters exposure CI AES CYCLE KINETIC TIME ACCUMULATIONS TIME SERIES Single Scan v Accumulate v v Kinetic v v v v Note The value entered in one field e g exposure time may affect the value in another field e g acquisition cyc
113. nes Length 3 Kinetic Cycle Time secs 0 03300 30 303 Hz Hearn pan 5MHz at 16b Pre Amplifier Gain A L Cosmic Ray Removal Lo J J me ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 1 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled Description One gate pulse is generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure in the series Setup IOC disabled gate step disabled output A enabled Setup Acquisition EJ Setup Camera Setup Gating FVB AutoSave Spocling Crop Data Averaging Fiers Gate Mode DDG MP Jug ad Dea Gererabce Gain 0 4035 0 Output Output Output C m Inserts Delay d x C Normal talig Dew 0 Su Gater OuipatA Ouiput B Output C Ukia wise 100 Siu ig nate en Lap MUL Output C Enable Dalay 5 ms Width 100 M i ike Stoppar Polanty Variable pm P a Step D pasina C2 negative _ Track Step ce Hee Waveforms Fire Gate Monitor Output A p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 1 3 1 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure in the series Setup IOC en
114. ng options Cascade All data windows appear overlaid and offset within the Solis software frame Cascade Tile Horizontal Arranges selected data windows along the horizontal direction within the Solis Tile Horizontal software frame Tile Vertical Tile Vertical Arranges selected data windows along the vertical direction within the Solis Close All software frame Copy to Clipboard Close All Closes all currently opened data windows Copy to Clipboard Copies the active data set into Windows clipboard for pasting to a particular program e g Word Paint etc wv 1 0 Acquisition p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 4 9 Help Menu The Help drop down menu provides the following options Solis Help Opens the Andor Solis Help dialog Solis Help Andor Basic Help Opens the Andor Basic Help dialog incor Sh k Help Opens the Andor Sh k spect hs Help dialog if availabl Shamrock Help amrock Help Opens the Andor Shamrock spectrographs Help dialog if available About About Provides information on the Solis version number About LibTIFF About LibTIFF Provides information on the TIFF library version integrated in Solis 4 4 10 Software Help The Andor Solis software provides on line help based on the same format as typical of Windows applications When the application is running click the button or press F1 key should used to access the Andor Solis help dialog
115. ngs Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode DataAveragire lt gt Gate Mode 00G 2x Gain 0 4095 0 Gater Output Output Output C Insertion Delay Normal Delay 3 im v 9 Uka Fast Width 100 u Enable Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM 110 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 1 2 Integrate on Chip Enabled 6 2 1 2 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger Description This is the standard mode of operation in external trigger Every external trigger within an exposure will generate only one gate pulse A gate delay is applied that is the same per every trigger within an exposure Setup IOC enabled output A B C disabled Setup Setup Camera Setup Gating Tagger Setting Audo Save Spocing Mode Data 4 gt Hate Mode Dna i Gates Output B Output C Insertion Delay Moral Deby 0 Una Fen wash 100 A HEURE Advanced Hapana repetition rate of shouid nol be exceeded Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM One Pulse per Trgger Page 111 lt g gt ANDOR Rh ELE Operation 6 2 1 2 2 Advanced Burst of Pulses per Trigger Description The user can select for multiple pulses per trigger The external trigger generates the first pulse subsequent pulses are generated internally by a user defined
116. nsor 6 5 19 5 DH320T 30 11 sensor 22 5 9 3 DH340T 42 10 sensor 12 9 10 DH312T 77 00 sensor 12 9 8 8 Page 120 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation b When incrementing the gate delay output A delay output B delay output C delay and track gate step is enabled When using trigger rates less than 87 Hz the recommended setup is IE IL Vertical Shift Speed psecs DH334T 47 10 sensor 6 5 20 30 11 sensor lee DH340T 42 10 sensor 12 9 DH312T 77 00 sensor 6 5 When using trigger rates greater than 87 Hz the recommended setup is Vertical Shift Speed clean cycle msecs for information only DH334T 47 10 sensor 6 5 19 5 DH320T 30 11 sensor 22 5 107 Hz maximum A 9 3 DH340T 42 10 sensor 25 7 16 6 DH312T 77 00 sensor 25 7 15 4 Note This mode is not supported in fast external trigger or when using fast kinetics However IOC and gate step are available in internal trigger mode 121 ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 1 4 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger Description The user can select for multiple pulses per trigger The external trigger generates the first pulse subsequent pulses are generated internally by a user defined Period Frequency A gate delay is applied that is the same per every trigger within an exposure For every successive exposure in the series the gate delay applied is incremented by the gate step value bmp
117. nstall from a list or specified location Advanced option then click Next gt Navigate to the directory where the Andor Solis software was installed to on the PC then click Next so that the Installation Wizard can start When the hardware installation has been completed the following screen will appear Found New Hardware Wizard Completing the Found New Hardware Wizard The wizard has finished installing the software for Andor USB iStar Click Finish to close the wizard Cancel Click the Finish button to complete the installation Note If the camera is connected to a different USB port steps 1 5 will have to be repeated on the first connection only 6 Check that the New iStar is correctly recognized and installed by opening the Device Manager in Windows System Properties section The New iStar will be showing under the LibUSB root as highlighted below Device Manager File Action Help e a UKOO764 dl Batteries P Computer we Disk drives 3 Display adapters d DVD CD ROM drives 39 Human Interface Devices amp 3 IDE ATA ATAPI controllers amp IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers H gt Keyboards LibUSB Win32 Devices ce Andor USB iStar Mice and other pointing devices Modems Monitors Network adapters PCMCIA adapters 7 Ports COM amp LPT SB Processors Smart card readers Sound video and
118. nteed SLA service level agreement for their problem Page 154 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Appendix A4 THE WASTE ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT REGULATIONS 2006 WEEE Where appropriate Andor has labelled its electronic products with the WEEE label crossed out wheelie bin to alert our customers that products bearing this label should not be disposed of in a landfill or with municipal waste If you have purchased Andor branded electrical or electronic products in the EU after August 13 2005 and are intending to discard these products at the end of their useful life Andor are happy to assist The cost for the collection treatment recycling recovery and sound environmental disposal of these goods at the end of its useful life has not been included in the price If you require help assistance regarding the disposal of this equipment please refer to our website or contact our sales team at which point instructions and a quotation can be provided A copy of the Company s WEEE Policy can be viewed at the Company website andor com TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE 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 andor com contact us support request warranty standard warranty pdf WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT WEEE The company s statement on the disposal of WEEE can be found in the Terms
119. ntensifier input window 147 p ANDOR Rh dE Appendix MICRO CHANNEL PLATE MCP The MOP is a thin disk 1mm of honeycomb glass Each of the 10 um honeycomb channels is coated with a resistive material The MCP plate has a high potential across it 500V to 1kV so that an incoming photoelectron will cascade down the channel producing secondary electrons by impact ionization Typical gain for single stage MCP can be as high as 104 gain can be adjusted by varying the voltage potential across the MCP This is typically achieved through a software controlled DAC in research grade Intensified CCDs Single Channel n TR Vu Figure X Microchannel Plate MCP Figure X Amplification in one channel PHOSPHORS The function of the Phosphor on the inside of the intensifier s fiber optic exit window is to convert the incident electron pattern into a visible light pattern that can be detected by the CCD For best efficiency it is important that the emission of the phosphor is matched to the response of the CCD PHOSPHOR COLOR EMISSION PEAK NM DECAY TIME COMPOSITION RELATIVE LIGHT TO 10 OUTPUT Our systems use either P46 or P43 Phosphor as standard details are shown in the table above P46 is used for applications requiring fast scan rates gt 100 Hz If these speeds are not required then the more efficient P43 is preferable P43 is used in preference to the more commonly used P20 because
120. nuously in the ON state CW Off The photocathode is continuously in the OFF state DDG The photocathode is switched on only when the Gate pulse from the DDG is high Note For direct gate input the maximum safe levels are 0 5 to 5 75 V The input impedance is 50 termination to ground The minimum high logic level is 1 7 V and maximum low logic level is O 8 V 5 4 2 Using Gate Monitor The gate monitor connection on the side of the main block of the New iStar enables the user to monitor the temporal position of the photocathode switching On negative spike and Off positive spike A cable is supplied with the New iStar which has a BNC connector on one end for attaching to an oscilloscope When Intelligate see section 5 4 5 is selected an additional gate monitor spike precedes the spike from the photocathode This spike corresponds to the MCP switching on User should set the oscilloscope to trigger on the steepest part of Output A typically to 12 of the peak amplitude The Fire pulse may also be used but its jitter performance with respect to the gate pulse will not be as good The plots on the next page show the preferred oscilloscope settings for working with short and long gate widths Page 79 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier Fire Pulse Blue Gate Monitor Yellow Output A Green Short Gate Widths 1 us For example 100 ns gate width Set input impedance on os
121. of superior linearity See the specification supplied with your system for more details COUPLING TO THE SENSOR The output of the image intensifier is coupled to a sensor via either a lens with possible vignetting and lower throughput or a fibre optic plate for low distortion and maximum throughput The high efficiency fibre optic coupling in the New iStar is important because it means that the image intensifier can be operated at lower gains which results in better dynamic range and linearity This is why ICCDs have replaced Intensified Photodiode Arrays IPDAs as the detector of choice Fibre optics plate can be tapered to best match the image intensifier aperture size typically 018 or 25 mm for Intensified CCDs to the CCD size Page 148 p ANDOR Rh dE Appendix NOISE Noise is a complex topic a full exploration of which is beyond the scope of this glossary Noise may however be broken down into two broad categories 1 Pixel Noise 2 Fixed Pattern Noise PIXEL NOISE Let us first attempt to define pixel noise Assume that a light signal is falling on a pixel of the CCD If the charge on the pixel is read and the read process is repeated many times the noise may be taken as the variation in the values read The Root Mean Square r m s of these variations is often used to express a value for noise As a rule of thumb the r m s is four to six times smaller than the peak to peak variations in the count values
122. of the exposure time signal is rapidly shifted down by a pre defined number of rows and a second exposure takes place T3 This process is repeated until the number of acquisitions equals the series length set by user T4 The sequence moves into the readout phase by shifting in turn the individual acquisitions to the readout register which is then read out From the Setup Acquisition dialog box the following parameters can be configured e Exposure time the exposure time also represents the cycle time of the Fast Kinetics series There is no separate parameter for a fast kinetics cycle time e Sub Area Height in rows e Number in Series the number of time sampled acquisitions in the series to be stored on the sensor These will depend on the sensor height and number of active rows selected e Binning e Offset of the active area from the bottom of the detector Note Special offset flanges for Andor spectrographs are available so that active area of the sensor is positioned across the spectrograph optical axis where best optical performance can be achieved Note When using fast kinetics mode care should be taken to avoid or greatly minimize stray light falling on the bottom of the sensor i e outside the active area of the sensor in order to avoid useful stored signal corruption Note The use of Andor s Optomask for imaging applications should be considered to physically b
123. on Setup CCD 5 3 3 Binning Binning is a process that allows charge from two or more pixels to be combined on the CCD chip prior to readout Summing charges on the CCD and doing a single readout gives better noise performance than reading out several pixels and then summing them in computer memory This is because each act of reading out charges from the CCD contributes to noise Combining both the vertical and horizontal binning methods produces superpixels These consist of two or more individual pixels that are binned and read out as one large pixel Thus the whole CCD or a selected sub area becomes a matrix of superpixels On the one hand superpixels result in a loss of spatial resolution when compared to single pixel readout but on the other hand they offer the advantage of summing data on chip prior to readout thereby producing a better signal to noise ratio and a higher frame rate 5 3 3 1 Vertical Binning Charges from two or more rows of the CCD chip are moved down into the shift register before the charges are read out The number of rows shifted depends on the binning pattern selected Thus for each column of the CCD chip charges from two or more vertical elements are summed into the corresponding element of the shift register The charges from each of the pixels in the shift register are then clocked horizontally to the output amplifier and read out 1 Single Track Charges are vertically binned and read out from a
124. or free or that Customers will be able to operate software without problems or interruptions The standard software warranty period is 12 months from dispatch 1 2 5 During Warranty customers have access to Andor support to report product defects only Warranty does not include training or consultancy services 1 2 6 The Warranty period is deemed to start at the date of dispatch from Andor s manufacturing facility 1 2 7 Customers must notify the Andor customer service centre within 30 days of taking delivery of a product or part they believe to be defective Andor will refund all fees associated with the return of any product that has been reported as defective within 30 days of delivery 1 2 8 Failure to pay invoices when due may result in the interruption and or cancellation of the standard warranty 1 2 9 Andor warrants the replacement or repaired parts components to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for twelve months from the date of dispatch or for the reminder of the warranty period whichever is longer 1 2 10 For products returned under warranty Andor will extend the complete product warranty by 30 days Hardware and Software WARRANTY SERVICE 1 3 Service Description 1 3 1 The Andor Repair service provides a repair and return service for defective products supplied by Andor under a supply contract Using this service the original defective part sent in by the Customer will be where possible returned after repair or wil
125. ote Special offset flanges for Andor spectrographs are available so that crop area of the sensor is positioned across the spectrograph optical axis where best optical performance can be achieved Note When using crop mode care should be taken to avoid or greatly minimize stray light falling on the top of the sensor i e outside the active cropped area of the sensor in order to avoid useful signal corruption Note The use of Andor s Optomask for imaging applications should be considered to physically block unwanted light falling on to the upper part of the sensor 58 p ANDOR C Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 1 6 Photon Counting Photon Counting can only be successfully carried out with very weak signals because as the name suggests it involves counting only single photons per pixel If more than one photon falls on a pixel during the exposure an ICCD cannot distinguish the resulting signal spike from that of a single photon event and thus the dynamic range of a single frame exposure is restricted to one photon Under such ultra low light conditions photon counting mode imaging carries the key benefit that it is a means to circumvent the Multiplicative Noise also Known as Noise Factor Multiplicative noise is a by product of the Electron Multiplication process and affects both EMCCDs and ICCDs This gives the new effective shot noise that has been corrected for mu
126. pecially useful when working in FVB mode Each level is defined by a signal intensity in counts The histogram option selectable from the quick access button on the main window allows easy visualization of signal brackets population p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 2 Readout Modes The signal captured by a 2D CCD sensor can be read in several different ways adapted to specific experimental configurations The main options available are e Image including sub array and binning e Multi Track e Full Vertical Binning FVB 5 3 2 1 Image Mode The default image display mode is referred to as full resolution image whereby signal information in counts of each individual pixel of the CCD is reported and accessible e g Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Binning Auto Save Spooling Image Orientation Video Mode Ci 4 gt Sub Image Binning 1024 1024 Full 1 1 512 x 512 2 2 256 256 4 4 128 128 O8x8 Custom Q 16x16 Custom Left 1 Right Bottom 1 Top 72 L 1 Retain amp bsolute Coordinates in Dataset Perform binning in software This interface allows the user to tailor the image display through sub arrays sub images or binning Page 61 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 2 1 1 Sub Image For the purpose of
127. period frequency E Chup Comes Setup Diro gee Seg Aa Saree Goig Mexile Daid 5 Ihar DDG sari 0 MORS 0 Output nomin Lorie ferus Cory A a 1001 Demi cc Bur pulsi lrg s LED Sem ci OL R IH p not Es eerie Lx Jr se Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Burst per Trgger Page 112 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 Acquisition Mode Kinetic 6 2 2 1 Number of Accumulations 1 A number of single images will be acquired in the series Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Trigger Settings FYB Acquisition Mode Auto Save Spooling Crop Mode Data 4 gt Triggering _ Extemal Timirsgs Exposure Time secs 0 02000 Shift Speed usecs Number ofAccumulations 1 165 Vertical Clack Voltage Amplitude T Ix zu Accum Cycle Time secs 0 03053 32 755 H Horizontal Fisel Shi Kinetic Series Length GER Readout Rate Minimum Trigger Period secs 003053 32755Hz Mua Pre Amplifier Gair 4x Cosmic Ray Removal Page 113 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 1 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled Description
128. plate and the lens adaptor plate In the case of the C Mount place the side of the adaptor that is flush with the brass insert towards the New iStar front plate Ensure that all four attachment screws are secured to the adaptor 2 Attach the appropriate lens into the brass insert C Mount or bayonnet interface F Mount of the lens adaptor 3 1 3 Attaching to Nounting Posts THREE 1 4 20 UNC THREADED HOLES ARE LOCATED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE UNIT DRAWING IN SECTION 2 2 PROVIDES PRECISE LOCATION OF THESE MOUNTING HOLES p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Installing the New iStar 3 2 COOLANT HOSE INSERTS Two barbed coolant hose inserts are supplied as standard with the New iStar camera suitable for connection to 6 mm 0 25 internal diameter soft PVC tubing hose The recommended tubing should have 10 mm 0 4 outside diameter i e a wall thickness of 2 mm 0 08 Alternative hose dimensions and materials should be thoroughly tested to ensure a leak tight seal is achieved with the barbed inserts Once the hose has been secured to the barb connection to the camera is achieved by clicking hose inserts into the quick release couplings on the rear of the camera head Before attempting to remove the hose connection user should ensure that all water has been drained from the hoses and integral coolant channel within the camera head Care must be taken to avoid permanent damage to the camera system resulting from either leakag
129. pulse or anticipator circuit and results in photoelectron rejection of better than 107 1 below 200 nm Prev MCP Gating in practice Page 84 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier 5 4 6 Integrate On Chip IOC IOC is a function that enables the image intensifier to be opened and closed a number of times while the CCD sensor makes a single acquisition Light signal passes through the intensifier while it is open or switched on and reaches the CCD sensor The CCD sensor accepts the light continuously for the entire duration of the acquisition while the intensifier is Opening and closing Charges are built up on the sensor or integrated until the acquisition is complete Then all the charges that have been built up are read out in the normal way IOC greatly improves the signal to noise ratio achievable since the signal is being integrated on the sensor itself while being read out once Hence noise will only be generated from a single readout The signal to noise ratio achieved while operating the New iStar s IOC function is better than that obtained while operating the system in accumulate acquisition Mode This is because during accumulate mode the CCD is read out a number of times and accumulated in computer memory So the signal to noise ratio in this case will include noise generated from each read out that occurs This mode also allows to mimimize the CCD dark cur
130. r 3 3 ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS A Prior to applying any power or triggering signals to the camera The following recommendations should be followed e As part of the safety features of the New iStar system the product is designed to have a protective earth connected via the earth pin on the mains plug supplying the SW 4189 PS 90 It is important to ensure that this is connected to the buildings protective earth system independently of the earth used for electrically noisy instruments such as pulsed lasers e When a protective earth is NOT provided to the camera head through the 3 pin power connector the earthing stud on the rear of the New iStar camera head MUST be connected to the buildings protective earth system The gauge of cable used for this connection must be 20 AWG or lower i e wire diameter gt 0 812 mm e he equipment should be positioned in such a way that the mains supply plug cord can be easily accessed for disconnection e Section 2 9 to should be used to identify correctly the plug location for the different interfaces including power c as well as the comprehensive input output connections e Prior to connecting the USB cable to the PC or laptop software and USB driver installation instructions Section 3 4 should be followed p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Installing the New iStar 3 4 INSTALLING SOFTWARE AND USB DRIVERS 3 4 1 Minimum Computer Requirements e 3 GHz Quad Core or 2 4 GHz m
131. r simultaneously The camera determines the exact time when an exposure happens based on the acquisition settings entered by the user To control an external device in time e g a laser output A B or C can from the DDG should be used see section 6 for details on setup 5 5 2 External Irigger Camera waits for a trigger from an external device to perform the acquisition sequence hence acting as a timing slave both CCD and intensifiers are triggered simultaneously Once an acquisition has been started the camera is placed into a special cleaning cycle called External Keep Clean Cycle which ensures that charge build up on the CCD is kept to minimum while waiting for the external trigger event The external keep clean consists of a continuous sequence of one vertical shift followed by one horizontal shift Once the External Trigger is received the current keep clean sequence is completed and the exposure phase initiated The exact nature of the acquisition will depend on the user settings and is explained in more detail in a subsequent section The external trigger is fed via the Ext Trig input on the camera head The maximum safe input levels are 0 3 to 5 0 V The user can configure the following settings under the Trigger settings tab Termination The input impedance can be change between High Impedance and 50 Rising or Falling Edge Triggered The system can be set to respond to rising edge or falling edge triggers Threshold
132. rate the higher the frame rate that can be achieved Slower readout rates will generate less noise in the data as it is read out The available rates are system dependant and can be selected from a drop down list on the Setup Acquisition dialog box of which an example is shown below Harzantal Pixel 5hifE Readout Aate at 16 bit v s 50kHz at 16 bit Pre Amplifier Gain 1MHz at 16 bit at 16 bit 2 at 16 bit Pre Amplifier Gain Pre amplifier gain determines the amount of gain applied to the video signal emerging from the CCD and allows the user to control the sensitivity of the camera system Depending on the system there are up to three options available They are again selected from a drop down menu on the Setup Acquisition dialogue box Horizontal Pixel Shift Readout Rate at 16 bit Pre Amplifier Gain These normalized gain settings will correspond to system sensitivities specified on the performance sheets in terms of electrons per A D count which accompany the system Selecting higher pre amplifier gain values i e x2 or x4 will increase the sensitivity of the camera i e fewer electrons will be required to produce one A D count and provide the lowest readout noise performance However this may result in the A D converter saturating before the single pixel register capacity of the CCD sensor is reached Page 68 p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acqui
133. rent contribution by filling up the CCD exposure time with multiple useful signal contributions further enhancing the overall signal to noise performance A checkbox accessible on the Gating tab of the Setup Acquisition interface allows the user to apply the Integrate On Chip function and is only available in DDG gate mode IOC allows several gate pulses as well as outputs A B C synchronization signals to be generated within the CCD exposure When outputs A B or C are enabled the first set of pulses is determined by the delay and width of these outputs as set by the user The delay applies from the rising edge of the Fire pulse for internal trigger or rising falling edge user selected for external trigger This delay is in addition to the inherent insertion delay Once the first set of pulses is finished subsequent sets are spaced out by the period frequency pre set in the IOC section Since subsequent sets cannot start before the first set is finished the software automatically adjusts the period frequency according to the time from the start of the first pulse to the end of the last pulse The start of the first pulse could be the delay value in gater or output A B C and the end of the last pulse could be the delay plus width of gater or output A B C Please refer to the following page for detailed setting of these modes under different trigger conditions ANDOR Rh dE DC Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier INTERNAL
134. rigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM One Pulse per Trgger 115 lt g gt ANDOR C Operation 6 2 2 1 2 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger Description The user can select multiple pulses per trigger The external trigger generates the first pulse and subsequent pulses are generated internally by a user defined period frequency Setup Coens THU Ging ep Sedge aie pom mpb Daar d j PM cdi CoG Lar D Cures Dupa Inpro Copia intron en 1 e Lia a eH iun 3 Fi m pes Irae x OS mi Lm Cra hir Burst per Trigger Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Page 116 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 2 1 2 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure in the series For each exposure the external trigger generates the first gate pulse subsequent gate pulses are generated internally via a user defined frequency or period The maximum number of pulses is applied that can fit into the exposure or the user defines the number of pulses per exposure Any subsequent triggers that arrive during the exposure are ignored I TT Teid La expe i Fed
135. rity Minimum temperature air cooled dark current e pixel sec Coolant chiller coolant 10 0 75 l min dark current e pixel sec 1024 x 255 2 18 mm Il 25 JEN JEN 26 26 um 100 fill factor 18 x 6 7 mm 25 x 6 7 mm 500 000 e 550 000 7 9 12 13 19 20 25 32 15 9 fos 28 9 fps 320 fps 322 5 5 2 941 sps 16 610 HZ 20 290182 2 to 10 e count software selectable 2048 x 512 18 mm Il 25 mm Il 1 1 1320 X 13 5 UM 100 fill factor 18 x 6 9 mm 25 x 6 9 mm 100 000 150 000e 6 8 9 12 12 18 focussing mode only 2 5 fos 5 6 1 5 184 fos 135 sps 1 825 sps 16 950 HZ 1 to 5 e count software selectable Better than 99 18 mm Il 30 0 4 40 C 0 12 Note All specifications are typical unless otherwise stated 18 mm Il 25 mm 30 C 0 2 25 0 4 40 0 1 35 0 15 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 5 GEN 2 INTENSIFIER SPECIFICATIONS FPHOTOCATHODEMODEL Useful aperture 018 25mm Inout window Quartz Quartz Quartz Quartz Quartz Quartz Photocathode type W AGT W AGT W AGT WR UW WE AGT W AGT Peak QE room temperature 18 18 15 13 5 25 22 16 Wavelength range nm 180 850 180 850 120 850 180 920 180 850 180 850 180 850 Image intensifier resolution limit 25 30 25 UM 25 um 25 um 2
136. s well as reset the display of these icon bars to a default arrangement Reset Toolbars v File Edit Acquisition v Program Shamrock v Display wv Help Count Convert Page 46 p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 4 7 Display Menu The Display drop down menu provides the following options Change Display Mode Allows user to change the display mode 2D 3D or Image of the acquired data Add Data Window i Add Data Window Allows user to duplicate an active window data in a new Preferences window with display mode of choice i e 2D 3D or Image Axis Setup Sequence options Preferences Allows user to optimize display interface e g peak labelling and Rescale Data Mode 2D 3D graphical display Axis Setup Allows user to select data display range and units scale bo Active Sequence options Allows user to playback kinetic series acquisitions from a set Region of Interest of custom parameters Rescale Data Mode Allows user to select the display range of the data intensity Data Histogram Allows user to plot a histogram showing the signal data intensity versus number of pixels holding the same intensity value Scale to Active Allows overlaid signal traces to be rescaled to the active set of data range Region of Interest Allows user to define a specific area of interest ROI in an acquisition window 4 4 8 Window Menu The Window drop down menu provides the followi
137. s and open the image intensifier A radio button allows the user to select between Normal and Ultra Fast options Switching from Ultra Fast to Normal adds 100 ns delay to the gate pulse This allows the MCP voltage to rise and settle when using Intelligate before opening the photocathode Intelligate is not available when using Ultra Fast insertion delay Tek Gate Monitor NORMAL INSERTION DELAY Gate Monitor NORMAL INSERTION DELAY INTELLIGATE Pin 4 n 1 R nu E VIDI aa a pun RV OUR MINCE uU V re eg PA IRI PI UD t nr External Trigger to intensifier opening using DDG Ultra Fast 35 ns Normal 135 ns p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier FIRE Fu yi ff oaa ji dnd i y Shaman d aar n 4n Gater Monitor NORMAL INSERTION DELAY IYJ OI A a VP AN AER EAA Gater Monitor NORMAL INSERTION DELAY INTELLIGATE seve key aye oam ay My Py Man A EET PP 1 W CNRIEACEN 2 E 2 EDT ETA We E S NGNERTEA 40 015 b Value Mean Min Max Std Dev vu 6 Jun 2011 1 948ns 1 949n 1 854n Sree 9 00 47 Fire pulse to intensifier opening using DDG Ultra Fast 50 ns Normal 150 ns Trig d MAL INSERTION DELAY va Ma hee ed A ry y yemas opp Gate Monitor NORMAL INSER
138. setting the pixel well depth and charge transfer efficiency may be impacted Vertical Piel Shift Shift Speed usecs Vertical Clack Voltage Amplitude Vertical Clock Amplitude Voltage The vertical clock voltage amplitude can be used to increase the amplitude of the clock pulses used to perform row shifts on the CCD The normal setting is the default amplitude which has been set at the factory during the optimization and testing of the camera The other settings if available specify the voltage increase to be applied to this clock amplitude In some imaging applications increasing this voltage can provide a slightly higher single pixel well depth and improve charge transfer efficiency at the expense of slightly higher CIC Application of higher voltage may be required in combination with the fastest of the bracketed vertical pixel shift speeds in order to overcome image distortion effects that result from reduced charge transfer efficiency Best practice is to select the fastest vertical shift speed then step the vertical clock voltage 1 unit at a time until distortive effects disappear from the image Vertical Pixel Shift Shift Speed usecs Vertical Clack Yoltage Amplitude p ANDOR RC Pre Acquisition Setup CCD 5 3 4 2 Horizontal Pixel Shift Readout Rate Horizontal pixel shift readout rate defines the rate at which pixels are read or digitized from the shift register The faster the horizontal readout
139. shold Binning Auto Save Spooling Image gt Acquisition Mode Triggering Readout Photon Counting v Internal v Image v Timings Vertical Pixel Shift Exposure Time secs 0 00001 Shift Speed usecs 6 5 Frames per Output Image 1 Vertical Clock Voltage Amplitude Normal Accum Cycle Time se 0 40247 er Horizontal Pixel Shift Kinetic Series Length 10 Readout Rate 3MHz at 16 bit Kinetic Cycle Time secs 0 40247 24847 Hz Pre Amplifier Gain 1 Cosmic Ray Removal Note Exposure Time Fire pulse length Parameters to be set are e Exposure Time per acquisition e Number of Acquisitions per Output Image or spectrum e Kinetic Series Length required The Photon Counting Threshold tab provides the following interface Setup Acquisition Setup Camera Setup Gating Photon Counting Threshold Binning Auto Save Spooling Image 4 gt Photon counting No Of Photons Max Threshold Division 2 Division 1 Min Threshold Min Threshold and Max Threshold values can be set to define the signal intensity range considered for the detection of the single photons events The new iStar photon counting mode allows selection of several counting levels to especially differentiate several photons from a single pixel or column the latter is es
140. sition Setup Shutter 5 3 5 Shutter With an ICCD a mechanical shutter can be used for background acquisition in complement of the image intensifier optical shuttering photocathode gating Indeed the photocathode may exhibit some light leakage during exposure to bright light source even when Off But it is essentially used to protect the photocathode from unneccessary photo bleaching between acquisitions or during storage of the equipment A shutter can be used to take a reference or background if FVB is selected For either multi track or image mode the shutter may be required to avoid unnecessary signals light falling on the photocathode or CCD during the readout process When the Shutter Control option is selected from the Hardware drop down menu or the button 1 clicked the shutter control dialog box opens e g Shutter Control Internal Shutter External Shutter Permanently Permanently OPEN C3 Permanently CLOSED Fermanently CLOSED Fully Auto Fully Auto CLOSED for background CLOSED for background TTL level required to open your external shutter S TTL Low e TTL High Time ta open close ms 0 Note Certain settings e g Permanently OPEN amp Permanently CLOSED take effect as soon as the Shutter Control dialog box is closed Other settings will be applied whenever data acquisition is started Page 69 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Shutter
141. t the intensifier will open in response to that first external trigger and the jitter in the Fire pulse is not important Also note that output A B C are available to offer lowest jitter between them and the external trigger and gate pulse The timings are the same as in external trigger mode except that by removing the keep clean cycle the CCD can be triggered earlier as shown by the Arm waveform below HET i E ae t Teup Canes Setup Gating Tagger Aut Save Spooing Crop Mode Data 4 3 Setup Camera Setup Gating Tigga Settings FVE AutoSave Spocling Crop Mode Accueil Hesse hiad Punpa Moshe kreie d FWB ar Kreh Times 16t 5 hift Speed ussa Es Ekpedisi Tenes Shit Speed utki Humber of Accumulstona 1 Voltage Homa Humber of Accumuabont 1 Vertical Clock Voltage Homa Kinet Senes Length 3 Kinetic Sener Length 3 SMH 2 at 16 fesis Flats 16 gt Gar dx Hinman Trigger DOGS DS HE Trigger Pence necs DUET zh COE Dn Cires Ray 7 External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM Page 91 ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisitio
142. t Pulses per Trigger 122 6 2 2 1 4 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure 123 6 2 2 2 Number of Accumulations 1 124 6 2 2 2 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled 124 6 2 2 2 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 125 6 2 2 2 2 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger 125 6 2 2 2 2 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger 126 6 2 2 2 2 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure 127 6 2 2 2 3 Gate Step Enabled 128 6 2 2 24 IOC and Gate Step Enabled 129 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Contents 6 2 2 2 4 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger 129 6 2 2 2 4 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger 130 6 2 2 2 4 3 Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure 131 6 2 3 Acquisition Mode Photon Counting 132 6 2 4 Acquisition Mode Fast Kinetics 132 6 2 4 1 Standard Operation IOC Disabled and Gate Step Disabled 133 6 2 4 2 Integrate on Chip IOC Enabled 134 6 2 4 2 1 Default One Pulse per Trigger 134 6 2 4 2 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger 135 6 2 4 2 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulsesper Exposure 136 6 2 4 3 Gate Step Enabled 137 6 2 4 4 loc And Gate Step Enabled 138 6 2 4 4 4 Default One Pulse per Trigger 138 6 2 4 4 2 Advanced Burst Pulses per Trigger 138 6 2 4 4 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulsesper Exposure 139 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Contents APPENDIX 140 A1 DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY 140 A2 GLOSSARY 142 CCD 143 Accumulation 144 Acquisition 144 A D Conversion 144 Background 144 Binning 144 Counts 145 Dark Signal 145 Detection Limit 1
143. tamp settings Real time acquisition Rescale data Play kinetic series sequence Take signal Acquistion autoscale live window Pause kinetic series Sequence Abort acquistion 99 to 1 contrast ratio adjustment Stop kinetic series sequence Setup acquisition Data histogram display Playback autoscale Off ED BS EE e e Run time control Region of interest settings em Baseline correction Shutter control File information E Periodic table Spurious noise filter l 2D display mode with peak labels Qu OFF Temperature control Off nm Run program Lis 2D display mode gm Temperature control On m Command line alf 3D display mode Help Table 4 Main window quick launch buttons Note Some menu titles and buttons appear on the Main Window only under certain circumstances as shown on the next sections Note Icons are grouped by functionalities on dynamic display bars which can be enabled disabled through the View menu p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation e The Display menu and its associated buttons will not appear until you open a Data Window is opened e g K Andor SOLIS ALPHA for Spectroscopy CCD 12003 F e Acquistion Calibe Command Hardware View Window Help lis BW oda uS or Autoscale Min Max 3 31022 1022 Single Scan Counts 5 at 16 bit 4x Conventional
144. tectory 100 creates a dataset 1 large enough to store all images setkineticnumber 1 takes one image each time the loop iterates for i 2 1 to 100 run acquires an image 1 i 0 1 copies the acquired data from the 0 acquisition window to a location in 1 delay 1000 waits for 1000 milliseconds before progressing next Note Documentation on the Andor Basic programming language is accessed via the Help menu in the main application window lt g gt ANDOR Pre Acquisition Setup CCD SECTION 5 PRE ACQUISITION SETUP 5 1 SETTING TEMPERATURE For accurate readings the detector should first be cooled as this will help reduce dark signal and associated shot noise To do this either select the Temperature option from the Hardware drop down menu on the main window Hardware Setup Spectrograph Shutter Control Temperature Ckrl T Fan Control or click the button in the bottom left of the screen This will open up the Temperature dialog box Temperature Control Temperature Setting Cooler gt On 40 E C Cooler at program startup Select the On radio button in the Cooler area The degrees C field in the Temperature Setting section will now be highlighted in blue and the Cooler will be indicated as On 9 Control E Temperature Setting P Cooler On C Dit Cooler On at
145. the 9 button A D CONVERSION Charge from the CCD is initially read as an analog signal ranging from zero to the saturation value A D conversion changes the analog signal to a binary number which can then be manipulated by the computer BACKGROUND Background is a data acquisition made in darkness It is made up of fixed pattern noise and any signal due to dark current BINNING Binning is a process that allows charge from two or more pixels to be combined on the CCD sensor prior to readout see section 5 3 3 Summing charge on the CCD and doing a single readout results in better noise performance than reading out several pixels and then summing them in the computer memory This is because each act of reading out contributes to noise see NOISE later in this section The two main variants of the binning process are 1 Vertical binning 2 Horizontal binning In addition there are several binning patterns that tailors the main binning variants to typical application usage Page 144 p ANDOR Rh dE Appendix COUNTS Counts refer to the digitization by the A D conversion and are the basic unit in which data are displayed and processed Depending on the particular version of the detection device one count may for example be equated with a charge of 10 photoelectrons on a pixel of the CCD DARK SIGNAL Dark signal a charge usually expressed as a number of electrons is produced by the flow of dark current during t
146. the process by which data are taken from the pixels of the CCD and stored in computer memory The pixels which are arranged in a single row are read out individually in sequence Readout involves amplifying the charge on each pixel into a voltage performing an A D conversion and storing the data in computer memory The time taken to perform this operation is known as the Read Time 150 p ANDOR Rh ee Appendix SATURATION Saturation is the largest signal a CCD can measure A signal is measured in terms of the amount of charge that has built up in the individual pixels on the CCD sensor A number of factors determine the maximum amount of charge that the CCD can handle Each pixel is ultimately limited in the amount of charge it can hold its well depth in other words is finite This maximum charge or well depth is generally quoted in electrons The well depth of a single pixel in the CCD detector is typically in the order of 300 000 electrons but is ultimately dependant on the sensor SCAN TYPES KEEP CLEAN amp ACQUIRED The CCD is continually being scanned to keep it maintained in a ready state If the Scan is being used simply to clean the CCD i e it is keep clean scan the charge from the CCD is discarded In an acquired scan however the charge undergoes A D conversion and is acquired into computer memory so that it can be used for subsequent processing and display it is re
147. tted intensity i e the intensity of light which has passed through the material being examined then Transmission Signal Background Reference Absorbance Units are defined as Log10 1 Transmission Therefore Absorbance Units Log10 Reference Signal Background Indicates the internal absorptance of a material per unit distance m It is calculated as loge t where t is the unit transmission of the material and loge is the natural logarithm If Reference is the background corrected incident intensity and Signal Background the transmitted intensity i e the intensity of light which has passed through the material being examined then Transmission Signal Background Reference and Absorption Coefficient loge Signal Background Reference A measurement in decibels of light absorbed due to transmission through a material decibels are often used to indicate light loss in fiber optic cables for instance If Reference is the background corrected incident intensity and Signal Background the transmitted intensity i e the intensity of light which has passed through the material being examined then Attenuation 10 10910 Signal Background Reference Allows you to custom modify the background corrected signal Data x Ref Signal Background x Reference Store Value See the Andor Basic Programming Manual for similar operations Calculates the logarithm to the base 10 of the back
148. uency x Setup Core te Goer Tiag Seg Aulas ipio 4 o breton ChMpmal Dae rm ath Default cx E peur o Burr ww X Varkabde 0 aram Humm pepo sae of DOCR Hor hdd rind be msceecedi J ce J Waveforms External Trigger Fire Gate Monitor ARM 135 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Operation 6 2 4 2 3 Advanced Burst Fit Pulses per Exposure Description Several gate pulses are generated within an exposure A gate delay is applied that is the same for each exposure in the series For each exposure the external trigger generates the first gate pulse subsequent gate pulses are generated internally via a user defined frequency or period The maximum number of pulses is applied that can fit into the exposure or the user defines the number of pulses per exposure Any subsequent triggers that arrive during the exposure are ignored Temas anum dea org Tum etree ded aep xxr Ce Bee aad mag d Minds External Trigger Lares Ban G ie EEE Dui t Oma lector mop Fi rad lelap 2 ma E Una Pani venae um Fire Gate Monitor ratis EZES Fa ne Eoia Burr pubem per ws a LI ii r icai ARM g mw j m Burst per Exposure Sete
149. ulses that can fit Fite Exposure Advanced into the exposure The external trigger generates the first pulse Burst Fit pulses per subsequent pulses are generated internally by a user defined Burst Exposure period frequency Any subsequent triggers that arrived within the exposure time are ignored Be 500 000 Hz Trigger 1 00200 g m p ANDOR VF TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier 5 4 7 Digital Delay Generator DDG The New iStar s Digital Delay Generator DDG is built directly into the detector head A trigger source external trigger or internal trigger Fire pulse activates the DDG so that it can control the image intensifier for gating applications 5 4 7 1 Gater Digtal Delay Generator Gater Quiput A Output B Output C Gate Delay The user can introduce a delay to the gate pulse in order to Ex ZEN ex synchronise the opening of the image intensifier with an optical pulse The i range can be set from O to 10 s E Gate Width The user can enter the length of time the image intensifier is hones Ha switched or gated On Optical signal falls on the CCD sensor during this time The range be set from 0 to 10 s Resolution 10 ps 5 4 7 2 Output A B amp The DDG can send out auxiliary output pulses called Output A Output B and Output C These outputs are 5 V CMOS level with 50 source impedance The
150. ulti core processor e 2GBRAM e 100 MB free hard disc to install software at least 1 GB recommended for data spooling e USB 2 0 High Speed Host Controller capable of sustained rate of 40 MB s e Windows XP Vista or 7 or Linux 3 4 2 Installing Solis Software and USB Driver 1 Terminate amp exit any programmes which are running on the PC 2 Insert the Andor Solis CD The InstallShield Wizard should now start If it does not start automatically run the file setup exe directly from the CD 3 Select appropriate location for installation of software and drivers on your computer network 4 When prompted select New iStar as shown below S Setup Andor SOLIS Camera Types Before installing this software need to know your camera model number and the type of controller card you possess Please select your type of camera USB iStar Models 5 Continue installation and restart your computer when prompted to successfully complete the installation 6 The shortcut icon for Solis will appear on the desktop on re start 7 The New iStar is now ready to be connected to a PC laptop and powered on p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 3 4 3 New Hardware Wizard When the New iStar camera is connected to a PC for the first time the Found New Hardware Wizard screen will appear 2 9i Select the No not this time only option then click Next Select the I
151. ware in CD format if ordered User Guide in CD format Performance sheet detailing the technical performance for your individual camera system Figure 1 New iStar camera p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 2 MECHANICAL DRAWINGS Air in top grill Gate monitor sit 115 7 436 behind groemel Air out side grills ph or gi e op Ig Water conmectens quick release to sut 1 4 Ld g soft PVC hose purge for intensifier input dow push fit 6 0 mm 0 24 0 0 A plastic hose Pops vent opposite side O ring SXTLD LW 311 9 9 09 _ 243 0 92 20 608 wide 85034 accom pointa ration boy to 4 off mounting screws adr in 80 x 52 grid on out opposite side 10 0 0 39 Cc distance 308 14 20 UNC 47 0 1 85 Weight 4 2 kg 9 Ib 4 oz Figure 2 New iStar mechanical layout Note The 10 mm optical distance is taken from the front surface of the input faceplate 20 p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Introduction to New 2 3 CCD PLATFORM SPECIFICATIONS IMAGING SENSORS MODEL 312T 334T Total CCD matrix size pixels 512 512 1024 x 1024 Fibre optic taper magnification std Ee eS ae a 163 Co 24 x 24 um 13x 13 um 19 5x 19 5 um 100 fill factor 100 fill factor 100 fill factor Effective active area
152. xiliary connector KEEP CLEANS The CCD sensor is continually being scanned to keep it in a ready state Scanning involves moving charge from the CCD sensor into the shift register and then emptying the shift register If the scan is being used simply to clean the CCD sensor i e it is a keep clean scan the charge that is emptied from the shift register is not stored in memory and is In effect discarded While running an Accumulate or Kinetic acquisition use the Keep Clean Dialogue box to enter a minimum number of Keep Cleans between each scan in the series 145 p ANDOR Rh dE Appendix 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 The image intensifier used in the system can either be of 2nd generation Gen 2 or 3rd generation Gen 3 Input window Fiber optic Diutput window There are three major elements in an image intensifier Pholocatnoge e The photocathode e The Micro Channel Plate MCP e The output Phosphor screen PHOTOCATHODES AND WINDOWS The photocathode is coated on the inside surface of an input window typically made of silica MgF2
153. xposure Time secs 0 00001 Shift Speed usecs 6 5 v Insertion Delay Normal Intelligate Delay Vertical Clock Voltage Amplitude Normal Horizontal Pixel Shift Ultra Fast Width Readout Rate 5MHz at 16 bit v Integrate on Chip IOC Pre Amplifier Gain 1x v Enable Note Exposure Time Fire pulse length Gate Step per Exposure Variable Setup 5 tep Figure 9 CCD setup tab Figure 10 Gating setup tab p ANDOR VWF TECHNOLOGY Solis Software Operation 4 4 3 Calibrate Menu The Calibrate drop down menu provides the following options Calibrate Manual X Calibration Allows users to calibrate the x axis of the active data window through manually setup values Manual Calibration X Calibration by Spectrograph Allows user to calibrate the x axis of the Calibration by Spectrograph active data window via specific dispersion calibration from a spectrograph Change Units see screenshot below Remove x Calibration Change Units Allows user to change the x axis units of an active data window which has been previously calibrated e g nm or eV Remove X Calibration Allows user to remove any calibration previously applied to a data window Spectrograph X Calibration for Acquisition Apply Calibration to Curent Data Set M Move Spectrograph
154. y can drive 5 V into a non terminating load or 2 5 V into 50 load The outputs can be used to synchronize triggers for auxiliary equipment e g lasers flash National Instrument hardware It i ded asers flash lamps or Nationa js rumen ardware It is commen DuputB Dupa C that these outputs be use as a trigger sources rather than the Fire pulse Enable since they have better jitter performance with respect to the gate pulse Fire pulse is best used as an indication of when the CCD expects to be rt m exposed to light Width 100 18 8 Delay The user can configure the delay individually for each output The Polarity range can be set from 0 to 10 s 5 postive negative Width The user can configure the width individually for each output The C Track Gate Step range can be set from 2 ns to 10s Resolution 10 ps Polarity Positive low high low or negative high low high 5 4 7 3 Optical Width When this option is selected in the Gater tab of the Setup Acquisition interface the gate width becomes the factory measured actual optical gate width Note Optical width versus electrical TTL widths is reported individually on the performance sheet of every New iStar p ANDOR Q TECHNOLOGY Pre Acquisition Setup Image Intensifier 5 4 7 4 Gate Step The Gate Step feature is available for use with the kinetic photon counting

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