1. IMAGING GROUP ProEM At last… a professional grade EMCCD camera

2. IMAGING GROUP A Physicist's EMCCD camera

3. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Salient Features How does it compare? Application Benefits More information

4. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind ProEM – a physicist’s EMCCD camera Princeton Instruments – the world leader in low light imaging, x- ray and spectroscopy systems ProEM – the most advanced EMCCD camera yet! Uses a combined 50+ years of engineering expertise and pioneering EMCCD technology ProEM – the first scientific grade EMCCD camera with GigE data interface

5. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind ProEM – Salient Features Performance Precision Peace of Mind Performance – Sensitivity - Single photon detection capability Based on back illuminated EMCCD technology – PINS TM - Lowest noise in EM or Non- EM modes – Deep cooling for low dark current – High frame rates and advanced readout modes ProEM – offers the lowest noise (~3 e- rms) even in non-EM mode

6. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind ProEM – Salient Features Performance Precision Peace of Mind Precision – OptiCAL TM – Linear, user accessible absolute EM gain calibration – BASE – Bias Active Stability Engine – Hardware time stamping – precise time resolution – No vibration (liquid only cooling) – Built-in shutter for accurate dark reference images ProEM – mechanical shutter

7. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind ProEM – Salient Features Performance Precision Peace of Mind – Lifetime vacuum guarantee –thanks to all-metal vacuum seals – Anti-ageing measures to protect EM gain – Worldwide support and application expertise ProEM – does not use epoxy based seals that might compromise vacuum longevity

8. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Sensitivity Based on e2v CCD97 and CCD201 back illuminated technology – less than 1 e- rms effective read noise through impact ionization process

9. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind What is PINS TM ? Princeton Instruments Noise Suppression technology Each readout speed is individually optimized – 100s of combinations of clock voltages to get the best noise performance achieves ~25 e- rms @ 5MHz (EM) and ~3 e- rms @ 100kHz Fact: ProEM provides the lowest noise of any EMCCD camera of its kind on the market

10. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Why do you need low noise in EM mode? It is true that the effective read noise in EM mode is <1 e- rms ( σ R /G) for any EMCCD camera But, having lower starting read noise ( σ R ) as in ProEM means – Lower EM gain (G) required to achieve <1 e- rms read noise – As a result, minimize EM gain degradation (more on this later) ProEM – uses as much as 1.7 times lower EM gain compared to other EMCCD cameras on the market to achieve <1 e- rms read noise ProEM – uses as much as 1.7 times lower EM gain compared to other EMCCD cameras on the market to achieve <1 e- rms read noise Comparing the read noise at 5MHz (EM mode)

11. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Why slow speed (Non-EM) mode? EMCCD is not the best option for all scenarios, for e.g., – Excesss noise due to EM gain process. Lower overall SNR. – For steady state (long integration time) applications, the standard CCD or Non-EM mode offers the best signal- to-noise ratio. ProEM offers 100kHz dedicated slow channel – Choose when there is no stringent requirement on the frame rate ProEM – True 2-in-1 camera with best of EMCCD and CCD performance

12. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind CIC – new noise source in EMCCDs Clock Induced Charge (CIC) – Electronically generated due to clock transitions during readout – Specified as e-/p/sec – Not integration time or temperature dependent (unlike dark current) Fact: By optimizing clock voltages and transitions, ProEM achieves CIC as low as 0.005 e-/p/readout

13. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Deep cooling and vacuum Princeton Instruments has delivered 1000s of cameras with all-metal, hermetically sealed vacuum chambers – Proven technology Most EMCCD cameras on the market use inferior epoxy seals – Degrade over time – Out-gassing that compromises vacuum levels ProEM – guaranteed cooling and vacuum performance for lifetime –only such guarantee in the industry

14. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Single Vacuum window design ProEM uses only one optical window – Highest throughput – Fused silica with custom AR coating

15. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Air or Liquid Assisted cooling ProEM offers TE (peltier) cooling assisted by – Air (internal fan) – Or liquid (external circulator) – Or a combination thereof Fan can be permanent turned off via software – Best for vibration and heat sensitive environments (e.g., telescopes, AFMs) Less advanced thermal designs might only allow the fan to be temporarily turned off causing un reliable operation when extended sequences need to be acquired

16. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind High frame rates ProEM delivers high frame rate – Fast, variable vertical shift time (300ns to 5 usec for 512B) “Custom Chip” mode for even higher (2x to 3x) frame rates at reduced ROI Kinetics readout mode for usec time resolution Fact: ProEM like many other PI cameras, offer full suite of readout mode options to achieve high frame rates or temporal resolution

17. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind What is “custom chip” readout? In standard ROI (region of interest) readout – Pixels outside the ROI still need to be discarded – Additional timing overhead In “Custom chip”, active number of pixels can be defined in the software – Does not read pixels outside the active area But, pixels outside the active area must be blocked from light to prevent smearing – No overhead, thus high frame rates – 2x to 3x compared to standard readout mode) Frame transfer mask (on chip) External (custom) mask for “Custom chip” readout Fact: “Custom chip” option is standard on all ProEM cameras Active Area

18. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind What is OptiCAL TM ? Linearized, absolute EM gain calibration – Uses built-in precision light source – Control EM gain in absolute steps – User accessible in the field No need for external light sources Faster than dark current based method – Mimics actual light levels Fact: Every ProEM camera has built-in precision light source for on-demand real EM gain calibration

19. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind BASE TM – Bias Active Stabilization Engine Uses overscan pixels (outside the active region) as reference to generate extremely sable reference bias Accounts for temperature, speed, and gain changes

20. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Hardware time stamping Camera generates precise clock and encodes each frame or sub- frame with time data – Most accurate for time resolved photometry – Superior to CPU based low resolution software clocks Fact: ProEM offers hardware generated time stamp on each frame for measuring time evolution of a process

21. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind GigE Data Interface High bandwidth (1000 Mbps or 125MBytes/sec) Cable lengths of greater than 50 meters – Fiber optic extenders available for even greater distances – Ideal for use at telescopes or hazardous environments Low cost cables (CAT5e or CAT6) and standard connectors Extendable to future 10GigE (10, 000 Mbps) Fact: ProEM is the first scientific grade EMCCD camera with Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) interface

22. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Built-in mechanical shutter Standard frame transfer operation does not need require mechanical shutter However, a built-in shutter is convenient for – Capturing for dark reference frames – Protecting sensor from external debris – For EM gain calibration

23. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind EM gain ageing Over time, EM gain degrades – A strong function of amount of charge that flows through multiplication register – High gain at higher light levels = more degradation ProEM has built-in measures to slow down ageing. – Lowest read noise = low EM gain required for ProEM – However, users should not use excessive EM gain in high light conditions

24. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Additional features Triggering Expose, readout, logic TTL signals External shutter drive (in lieu of internal shutter).

25. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Configuration ProEM comes with everything you need to capture low light right out of the box – Camera head w/built in shutter and precision light source – Power supply – GigE card (intel pro/1000) – GigE cable – Trigger cables – Software (optional) Fact: ProEM undergoes the most extensive testing of any camera out of PI production line

26. IMAGING GROUP ProEM No match to it…..

27. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind How does ProEM compare? Readout speedProEMAndor iXon 10MHz50 e- rms49 e- rms 5MHz (EM)25 e- rms 42 e- rms (32 e- rms @ 3MHz) 5MHz (Normal)12 e- rmsNot Available 1MHz (Normal) 7 e- rms (measured on entire image) 6 e- rms (measured only on a single line) 100kHz (Normal)3 e- rmsNot Available Read Noise: Fact: ProEM has better read noise (measurable) even at higher readout speeds. Thanks to the most advanced noise suppression technology

28. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Cooling performance ProEM – All-metal vacuum seals – Guaranteed for life Andor iXon – Epoxy seals – Guarantee???

29. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind EM Gain Calibration Andor iXon – No built in light source – Slow process ProEM – Uses built-in light source for absolute, linear EM gain calibration – Fast. Takes only few seconds.

30. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Data interface Andor iXon – Older PCI technology with custom frame grabber – Remote operation cumbersome or not possible ProEM – Latest Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) technology – Remote operation from up to 50m or beyond (with fiberoptic extenders)

31. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Other features

32. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Configuration ProEM comes with everything you need to capture low light right out of the box – Camera head w/built in shutter and precision light source – Power supply – GigE card (intel pro/1000) – GigE cable – Trigger cables – Software (optional) Fact: ProEM undergoes the most extensive testing of any camera out of PI production line

33. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Configuration ProEM: 512B ($36,750) ProEM: 1024B ($53,000) Options – AR coating on the vacuum window (VIS-AR, UVAR, NIRAR)

34. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Schedule PrelaunchJan 20, 2009 Web CountdownJan 21, 2009 Worldwide launchJan 26,2009 (Photonics West) Orders acceptedFrom Jan 26, 2009 DeliveriesFrom March 2009

35. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Resources 40-page Product brochure – Everything a customer ever wanted to know about EMCCDs and more Datasheet Powerpoint presentation (share it with customers) Website updates

36. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind Marketing Photonics West – Email blast – Panels at the entrance – Flash demos Photonics Spectra – Ad in Feb issue Web – Countdown – Offer T-shirts You!!!

37. IMAGING GROUP ProEM EMCCD - Performance ♦ Precision ♦ Peace of Mind ProEM Team