SC2500-NIR Camera

FLIR Systems

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For Applications Including Spectroscopy, Solar Cell Inspection, and Medical Procedures

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Oct. 20, 2009 – For scientific studies, R&D and critical processes, Flir Systems Inc. has announced its model SC2500-NIR (near-infrared) camera. The fully integrated camera covers the spectral range from 0.9 to 1.7 µm and combines thermal imaging and noncontact temperature measurements with advanced data acquisition capabilities.

All required image processing electronics are embedded in the camera to deliver sharp ready-to-use images. Other capabilities include high frame rates, flexible integration times, lock-in signal processing, spectral filtering and a Gigabit Ethernet digital interface for seamless connection to standard PCs and laptops.

The camera is suitable for use in scientific research, imaging spectroscopy, astronomy, water or ice detection, laser profiling, medical procedures, solar cell inspection, silicon wafer processing and many manufacturing applications. It is factory-calibrated for temperatures from 400 to 2000 °C in multiple ranges.

Additional features give researchers and practitioners other ways to get a better view of phenomena in the near-infrared region of the spectrum. The analog-to-digital (A/D) electronics enable integration times from 400 ns up to 1 s in 1-µs steps. The low settings allow data acquisition from high-energy targets without saturating the sensitive InGaAs detector. At longer integration times, the camera can acquire low energy target data, such as those in aerospace and astronomy applications.

The InGaAs detector has a 320 × 256-pixel array which, combined with the A/D electronics, enables full-frame acquisition rates up to 340 Hz to capture images of fast moving targets without image blur. The camera’s adjustable image windowing down to 128 × 8 pixels enables frame rates as high as 15 kHz.

The lock-in input feature can be used to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, based on an image correlation process. In solar cell inspection applications the lock-in input allows synchronized acquisition of an excitation source signal. The resulting measurements eliminate problems caused by reflections from other energy sources, and they increase the sensitivity of the system. This brings the detection threshold down below the noise floor of the camera by an order of magnitude or more.

Optionally, the camera’s spectral range can be extended down to 0.4 µm, or well into the visible light region. The camera also has a removable lens interface that makes it easy to integrate with custom devices or spectrometers. That interface includes a built-in filter holder that further expands its capabilities. Neutral density filters can attenuate input energy to help prevent detector saturation. Spectral filters can narrow the detection band, allowing the camera to render certain types of media transparent or opaque. With the appropriate spectral filter, the camera can “see” through paint to detect images below the surface, such as those in art restoration projects. In medical procedures, the appropriate filter allows the camera to look through blood to reveal the tissue below. With other filters it is possible to see through certain types of glass that would normally be opaque to most IR radiation. Spectral filters also can be used to help develop printing processes that make currencies more resistant to counterfeiting.

Backend electronics include a trigger input that enables synchronization with fleeting events. Analog video output is available in PAL and NTSC formats for real-time viewing on a standard TV monitor. A Gigabit Ethernet interface can stream 14-bit temperature and image data to a PC for processing with a wide variety of software applications available from the company and from third parties.

For more information, visit: www.go.flir.com/SC2500

Flir Systems Inc.
25 Esquire Road
North Billerica, MA 01862
Phone: (978) 901-8000
Fax: (978) 901-8532

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Published: October 2009