ON Semiconductor Broadens the selection of low-light industrial imaging applications

     Driving energy efficient innovation, On Semiconductor continues to strengthen its position in low-light imaging solutions for the industrial market with the introduction of new products based on interline transfer EMCCD (IT-EMCCD) technology. The new 8-megapixel KAE‑08151 image sensor is the second device to use ON Semiconductor's IT-EMCCD technology and offers the same subelectronic background noise and imaging universality as the existing 1080p resolution KAE‑02150 image sensor.

     KAE‑08151's 22 mm diagonal (4/3 optical format), matched with professional microscopy imaging paths, is directly targeted at high-resolution microscopy and scientific imaging applications operating in illumination conditions ranging from less than 1 lux to bright illumination imaging. In addition, the two devices in this family now have new package options that directly integrate the thermoelectric cooler (TEC) into the package design. This integrated cooler simplifies the development of cooling cameras and optimizes the performance of these devices.

     Herb Erhardt, vice president and general manager of Industrial Solutions at ON Semiconductor's Image Sensors Division, said: "IT-EMCCD technology combines performance and flexibility to provide significant benefits for low-light imaging for critical industrial imaging applications. Expanding our product lineup with new resolution nodes and more options simplifies the integration process for camera manufacturers, and end customers will see more ways to take full advantage of this unique technology."

     The IT-EMCCD device combines two existing imaging technologies and a unique output structure to achieve a new class of low-noise, high-dynamic range imaging. The Interline transfer CCD combines superior image quality and uniformity with an efficient electronic shutter, but this technology is not always ideal for extreme low-light imaging due to the overall background noise of its output. In contrast, EMCCD image sensors are good at low-light imaging, but in the past have been used as low-resolution devices that can only provide limited dynamic range.

     Combining these two technologies allows EMCCD's low noise architecture to be extended to multi-megapixel resolution image sensors for the first time, and the innovative output design supports both standard CCD(low gain) and EMCCD(high gain) outputs for single image capture - scene detection stretching from sunlight to starlight within a single image.