Fiber Optic Capabilities

A lens is commonly used to couple light from an emitting source to the CCD. Often, significant gains in the amount of light collected from the source can be achieved by directly coupling the source to the CCD using an image-preserving fiber optic taper. Depending on the amount of demagnification, the gain in light collected can exceed 20x that of an f/1.2 lens. Fiber optics are commonly used to couple light from x-ray or neutron scintillator screens, chemiluminescent markers, image intensifiers, or streak tubes.

Patented Fiber Bonding Process

Bonding a large piece of fiber optic glass to a fragile CCD sensor is not easily done. Because light exits the fiber with a cone angle approaching 180 degrees, mounting the fiber as close as possible to the CCD is essential. Only Photometrics' patented fiber bonding process (US Patent 5,134,680) has succeeded in obtaining optimal fiber optic-coupled CCD performance. This process directly bonds the fiber to the CCD without intermediate oil layers or the use of intermediate fiber stubs that introduce losses in spatial resolution and transmission efficiency.

Custom Configurations

A number of Photometrics camera heads are available with a range of CCDs and fiber optic tapers. Standard combinations include CCDs ranging from 512x512 pixels to 2048x2048 pixels combined with fibers with magnification ratios varying from 1:1 to 3:1. Larger fiber reduction ratios have been built at customers' request. Photometrics also builds fiber optic mosaics that combine several fibers and CCDs into a single imaging surface. Photometrics uses cutting-edge fiber optic technology, incorporating low-thorium glass and the largest fiber optic tapers available.