Advanced and Customizable Camera Technology for Direct Detection of X-rays

Development of soft X-ray (20 eV to 10 keV) sources has led to an increasingly wide application of X-ray spectroscopy, microscopy, and tomography for studying material and biological systems. As experimental applications of these methods continue to grow, detection needs in the soft X-ray regime are becoming increasingly demanding and diverse. It is important that X-ray camera technology develops to accommodate these needs, whether they be complex experimental geometries, a desire for high-throughput capabilities, or large fields of view. Equally as important is that detector sensitivity and noise profiles are not compromised in this pursuit.

We present several detection solutions for complex and high-speed soft X-ray measurements. A back-illuminated X-ray sCMOS camera is shown, possessing full frame rates at least an order of magnitude faster than conventional CCD technology. Examples of custom CCD cameras will be shown to illustrate how X-ray detectors can be modified to accommodate unique experimental geometries. Further discussion will be framed around how camera technology can facilitate a continual evolution in soft X-ray methodologies housed in both small research group settings and larger beamline facilities.

Technical differentiation of soft X-ray CCD and sCMOS cameras.

Read Out Architecture

QE Profiles

Frame Rates and Readout Noise

Read Out Speed

Marana-X: Back-Illuminated sCMOS for fast and direct soft X-ray measurements.

X-ray CCD cameras optimized for particular experimental configurations

Range of Sensor Sizes

iKon-M SO (1k x 1k)

iKon-XL SO (4k x 4k)

Protruding and Tilted Sensors

iKon-L SO (2k x 2k) with sensor protruding and sitting 90º to normal

iKon-XL SO (4k x 4k) with sensor tilted 60º to normal.

Tiled Sensor Arrays

Tiled iKon-L SO sensors.

Custom Flanges

Newton SO with protruding and a removable flange for multiple applications.

Andor’s customer special request (CSR) process can be utilized to optimize CCD camera form factors to optimize sensor positioning for unique experimental configurations – all based on Andor’s HED camera models.