Using its exclusive camera design technology, Hamamatsu Photonics has been designing low-noise, high-sensitivity cameras since the 1980s. The company has always played a key role in the development of advanced technological and scientific studies.
Hamamatsu has now introduced the ORCA-Quest that delivers excellent performance. The C15550-20UP is the first camera in the world to combine the qCMOS image sensor and has the ability to resolve the number of photoelectrons by using a recently designed specialized technology. The ORCA-Quest camera attains the ultimate in quantitative imaging.
Four Key Features
1. Extreme Low-Noise Performance
To identify high signal-to-noise and weak light, the ORCA-Quest camera has been developed and improved to all aspects of the sensor, starting from its structure to its electronics. Both the camera and the customized sensor have been designed using the latest CMOS technology, resulting in very low noise performance of 0.27 electrons.
Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
2. Realization of Photon Number Resolving (PNR) Output
Light, in essence, is a collection of several photons. The photons are transformed into electrons on the sensor and these electrons are referred to as photoelectrons. The technique called 'Photon number resolving*' enables the accurate measurement of light by counting the number of photoelectrons.
To count these photoelectrons, camera noise should be adequately less than the amount of photoelectron signal. Although traditional sCMOS cameras can achieve a small readout noise, it is still higher than the photoelectron signal, rendering it hard to count the photoelectrons.
Through cutting-edge camera technology, the ORCA-Quest not only counts photoelectrons but also delivers a very low readout noise of 0.27 electrons RMS (at ultra-quiet scan). It also enables individual calibration, assures stability across time and temperature and allows real-time correction of every pixel value.
Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
*Photon number resolving is special and quite different from photon counting (to be more precise, this technique resolves the number of photoelectrons. But since single-photon counting rather than single photoelectron counting has been utilized for an analogous technique in this field, the term 'photon number resolving' will be used).
The ultimate in quantitative imaging by ORCA-Quest qCMOS camera
Video Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
3. Back-Illuminated Structure and High Resolution
High QE is important for the highly efficient detection of photons and this is obtained through a back-illuminated structure. In standard back-illuminated sensors, crosstalks take place between pixels because pixels are not separated, and resolutions are typically inferior to those of front-illuminated sensors.
Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
The sensor integrated into the ORCA-Quest qCMOS® camera has a back-illuminated structure for realizing high quantum efficiency and the trench structure in one-by-one pixel for decreasing crosstalk.
4. Realization of a Large Number of Pixels and High-Speed Readout
In general, photon counting (PC)-level images have been obtained with the help of an electron multiplication camera, for instance, an EM-CCD camera with around 0.3 megapixels. But the ORCA-Quest camera can obtain both PC-level images and photon number resolving images with 9.4 megapixels.
However, it is not wise to compare the camera readout speeds with different numbers of pixels by frame rate. In such cases, the pixel rate (number of pixels × frame rate), which refers to the number of pixels read out per second, is utilized
So far, the EM-CCD camera is the fastest camera that is capable of SPC readout with approximately 27 megapixels per second; however, the ORCA-Quest camera allows photon number resolving imaging at around 47 megapixels per second, which is almost twice as fast.
Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
Software Support
In present-day scientific studies, it is very important to have a superior digital camera to achieve the best results. And today, cameras provide a broad range of features, like correction functions, many readout modes, relatively higher readout speeds and an increasing number of pixels.
With this increasing wealth of functionality, good software becomes more and more significant for everyday work.
Camera Simulation Lab
Whenever a camera is used for research or industrial applications, it is crucial to choose a camera by considering numerous conditions, for example, light intensity and wavelength of the object to be recorded.
Hamamatsu now provides the 'Camera simulation lab,' a tool that enables users to intuitively compare the variations in imaging outcomes caused by camera performance while validating the replicated images.
Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
Applications
Quantum Technology
Neutral Atom, Ion Trap
Neutral atoms and ions can both be considered as the supposed qubits because they can assume a superposition state where even a solo atom has numerous characteristics.
These characteristics are intensely being researched to obtain quantum simulation and quantum computing. By visualizing the fluorescence of confined neutral atoms and ions, the state of the qubit can be established, while the fluorescence is read out with the help of a low-noise camera.
Simulation image (Rb atom@780 nm/Number of atoms: 5 × 5 array/Atomic emission: 2000 photons/background: 5 photons/magnification: 20 × (NA: 0.4)/distance between each atom: 5 μm). Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
Astronomy
Lucky Imaging
When visualizing stars from the ground, air turbulence can blur the picture of the star and can thus considerably decrease the potential to capture distinct images. But with the right atmospheric conditions and short exposures, users can occasionally capture vivid images.
Due to this reason, lucky imaging is a technique in which a huge number of images are acquired and only the clearest images are incorporated while aligning them.
Orion Nebula (Color image with 3 wavelength filters). Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
Raman Spectroscopy
The term Raman effect refers to the scattering of light at a wavelength that is different from that of the incident light. Raman spectroscopy is a method used for determining the properties of a material by quantifying this wavelength. Raman spectroscopy allows molecular-level structural analysis, which offers data about crystallinity, chemical bonding and more.
Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
Delayed Fluorescence in Plants
Plants tend to discharge a very small part of the light energy which they absorb for photosynthesis over time. Such a phenomenon is referred to as delayed fluorescence. By identifying this weak light, the effects of the environment, pathogens, chemicals and other stressors on plants can be observed.
Delayed fluorescence of ornamental plants (exposure for 10 seconds after 10 seconds of excitation light quenching). Image Credit: Hamamatsu Photonics Europe
Special Sites
The scientific camera section represents the feature section for digital cameras that are well-suited for industry and life science research fields.
PC Recommendation
With the release of the ORCA-Quest camera, users are now able to stream 9.4-megapixel pictures to their PCs at 120 frames per second. The PC recommendations for this high data rate can be met by using the guidelines given in the PC Recommendations for the ORCA-Quest camera.