Andor’s ’O’ interface type describes an open front design, coupling directly onto a vacuum chamber’s port, ensuring maximum detection efficiency and spatial resolution.

'Open front' cameras are designed to be coupled to the outside of a vacuum chamber. There are two types of sealing options available: knife edge and O-ring seal.

The design allows use of a removable filter holder. The system interface allows the camera to be cooled either by air or water.

Mounting flange options can be supplied for all standards, including rotatable where applicable.

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Andor’s ‘Y’ style interface is available across the iKon and Newton CCD camera platforms, and is built with a window that blocks visible wavelengths but allows higher energy photons through to the sensor. It is ideal for direct detection in the soft X-ray energy range or, with inclusion of a phosphor coated fiber-optic, indirect detection of hard X-ray photons.

The ‘Stand Alone’ design indicates that it is constructed to operate outside a vacuum chamber. The standard window used is made from Beryllium although other materials can be used, for example Aluminium.

This interface type can be combined with both direct and indirect detection. ‘Y’ cameras are available for direct detection applications with a range of sensor QE options, or for indirect detection applications with a phosphor coated fiber-optic positioned over the CCD sensor.

For optimal indirect detection, the energy range required will dictate the selection of phosphors or scintillators. The standard CCD sensor enclosure is backfilled with Argon, however other options ranging from pumpable to vacuum are available on request.

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Andor’s ‘In Vacuum’ systems have no input window and are designed to be positioned inside a vacuum chamber, offering direct detection sensitivity from VUV to soft X-ray.

The entire camera, including casing and electronics, are completely vacuum compatible. The camera is connected to the controlling PC, outside of the chamber, via a shielded detector cable.

The cable supplies both power and data handling between the camera and the PCI card placed in the PC. This shielded link allows the camera to operate in harsh or noisy environments.

Andor’s ‘In Vacuum’ solutions may be passively cooled inside the vacuum chamber. To facilitate this, a copper block on the side of the camera head can be coupled to other objects within the vacuum chamber.

The cooling performance of the camera will depend on both the vacuum achieved in the chamber and the removal of the heat load from the camera.

The ‘X’ cameras also offer a removable filter holder with an integrated pumping channel.

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A number of Andor’s camera platforms can be configured with the ‘F’ type protruding fiber-optic interface, ideal for indirect detection of high energy X-ray or gamma photons that are incident on a phosphor or scintillator.

A fiber-optic interface can be coupled to either front-illuminated or backilluminate sensors. A range of phosphor and scintillator options are available, specifically selected to match your required energy range.

The fiber-optic interface is available not just for CCD detectors (e.g. the iKon platform), but also on Electron Multiplying CCD (EMCCD) sensor technology, via Andor’s highperformance iXon camera. Andor’s back-illuminated iXon offers single photon sensitivity and high Quantum Efficiency (QE) at fast frame rates and, when fiber coupled, is suited to applications such as X-ray tomography.

This is particularly relevant where photon loss through a fiber-optic taper is involved.

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