08 Dec 2011 With its innovative SWIR line-scan camera platform Lynx, Xenics is conquering the near infrared realm between 0.9 and 1.7 µm for high-resolution InGaAs line-scan cameras. Lynx provides high optical sensitivity and a broad dynamic range well suited for industrial image processing and optical coherence tomography (OCT).
The new Lynx platform is based on Xenics' proven linear sensor series Xlin. Currently, there are three Lynx models offering line lengths of 512, 1024 or 2048 pixels at a pixel grid of 12.5 or 25 µm and pixel heights of 12.5 or 250µm to cover a wide range of high-resolution industrial and spectroscopy applications.
The Lynx sensor comes standard with a one-stage thermoelectric cooling, which can be expanded to three-stage cooling for a higher signal/noise ratio. In this way small signals in Raman or Photoluminescence Spectroscopy can be readily measured. The camera has a spectrometer flange and it can be equipped with C-mount compatible lenses.
Lynx offers a broad range of advanced techniques featured across the Xenics camera portfolio. The analog signal output of the InGaAs photodiodes is pre-processed on-chip via two CMOS read-out ICs (ROIC) with five integration capacities selectable individually or collectively at runtime. This yields a wide range of conversion characteristics to adapt to the required pixel size and application. Correlated double sensing compensates offset and reset noise, while a subsequent sample/hold stage decouples readout from integration. An analog multiplexer and pad driver transfers all pixel values sequentially to the camera's external analog/digial converter.
In its high sensitivity (HS) mode, Lynx offers a gain of 3.6e- per AD count. For applications where dynamic range is important, Lynx offers a signal to noise ration of up to 3.200:1.
Lynx makes system integration easy through its very flexible user interface. Lynx outputs 14-bit image data via the fast CameraLink or its GigE Vision compatible Gigabit-Ethernet connection. Camera control and parameter selection is provided through a serial interface. Trigger inputs and outputs will synchronize image capturing with selected external events. A GPIO covering 2 inputs and 2 outputs allows to interface dynamically to PLC or PWM controlled systems.
With this set of advanced features, the new Lynx is well suited for near-infrared spectroscopy and image processing as a reliable quality assurance tool to uncover internal defects in the objects under test. Also, highly sensitive NIR cameras can analyze the weak electro-luminescence of solar modules and thereby help increase manufacturing yields.
A very interesting future use area of spectroscopy is optical coherence tomography (OCT), which promises annual growth rates of 60 percent. Near-infrared OCT can capture cross sectional images of human skin without the need to take invasive actions. As such Lynx offers a perfect tool for integration in systems for skin cancer detection.
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