Grand Cayman

[Tim Abbott]

International Conference on Scientific Optical Imaging
Grand Cayman, Nov 19 - Dec 2, 1995


Well, I'm fresh back at the tropical island in one ocean from another
tropical island in another ocean.  Following is the list of presentations
made at the Grand Cayman conference last week, together with a few short
notes on content.  Please note that these are taken from my own notes
and are therefore second-hand.  For first hand info, please contact the
people concerned, especially as I cannot possibly do justice to the
authors in one short email.

(If I have made any mistakes, the same disclaimer applies - these days
I can barely read my own writing...)

All-in-all, the conference was very successful and we all owe our thanks
to M. Bonner Denton for all his efforts in getting us together.

----

*** "High Speed Scientific CCDs" - Jim Janesick, PixelVision.

Jim defines some new acronyms:
  EPR = Equivalent pixel rate (pixel rate per port x no. of ports)
  HSS CCD = High Speed Scientific CCD, EPR > 1 MPixel/sec
  Slow scan CCD has EPR < 1 MPixel/sec.

Runs over performance problem areas in HSS CCDs and how optimisation is
acheived. 

HSS CCDs typically require smaller pixels, degrading the QE.
MPP CCDs do not do well at high speed.

Described many new CCDs (manufactured in "Sandbox" runs, with several
different designs per wafer), including:

"CINEMA" - a 4096x4096x9micron, frame transfer, w/ 32 output ports.
  intended for 30 frames/sec (EPR = 251 Mpixel/sec)
"PLUTO" - 32 frames/sec, EPR = 32 Mpix/sec, skipper amplifier on each column
"PHILLIPS" - 7kx9k, 4 ports, 31.5 sec/frame.
 
*** "Fiber-Optic Array Sensors" - David R. Walt, Tufts University
  For medical and industrial applications, observing chemical reactions
  at the ends of fiber-optic probes.

*** "Imaging Spectroscopy for Infra-Red Astronomy" - Craig Mackay, AstroCam Ltd.
  Describes a system based on COHSI at UH, for IR spectroscopy in H & J,
  by dispersing the beam at high resolution, masking out the atmospheric
  lines, recombining the beam and resdispersing at lower resolution before
  detection on HAWAII 1024^2 IR detectors from Rockwell.

*** "Recent Spectroscopic Applications of Array Detector Technology" 
  - M. Bonner Denton, University of Arizona.
  Review of Lab-oriented echelle spectrographs, Raman FTS with CCDs.
  Use of CCDs to analyse solvent-diffused chromatographs and gel
  electrophoresis.
  Described "Spectrograph-on-a-chip" - an integrated grating spectrograph and
  linear array.

*** "Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Using a Continuum Source and a Segmented 
  CCD" - James Harnly, USDA.
  Detection of carcinogens in your hamburgers.

*** "Thinned CCDs for Soft X-ray and Electron Bombarded Apllications" -
  Morley Blouke, SITe.
  Described UV-coatings yielding QE ~ 50% @ 200 nm.
  Peak absorption at 400 nm for 10 keV electrons, but this is damaging to
  the CCD and 1.8 keV electrons used instead, yielding a lifetime of ~1000 hrs.

*** "A New Large-Format, Very low noise Scientific CCD" - Peter Pool, EEV.
  EEV now makes a 2kx4kx13.5micron, 3-side buttable CCD.
  Thinned, boron implant.
  Some (thick devices) sent to RGO, initial test results presented by 
  Paul Jorden: r.o.n. = 1.6 e- @ 4usec sample time, signal & reset.

*** "Status of Large Area CCD Imagers at Loral." - Richard Bredthauer, Loral
  Fairchild Imaging Sensors
  Loral is alive and well.
  Demonstrated a 9kx9kx8.75micron CCD (162 MByte/image!)
  no bad columns, all 4 outputs work!
  Not run slow scan yet.

*** Spectrophotometers from Spectral Instruments - Gary Sims, Spectral Instruments

*** "A Review of Imaging Optica for the Ultraviolet" - Donald K. Wilson, 
  Optics for Reseacrh, Inc.

*** "Advanced Imaging Systems from Xedar Corp." - Gregg Herbison, Xedar Corp.
  Fiber optic faceplates for CCDs.

*** "Application Specific Imaging Device Fabrication at Sarnoff" 
  - John R. Tower, David Sarnoff Research Center.
  Segmented CCD for Echelle spectroscopy - 224 custom-placed linear arrays.
  PtSi, 320x244 pixel array for Vis-SNIR-MWIR imaging, 40% fill factor.
  Backside, high speed CCD - 1kx2kx18micron, frame xfer
    32 output ports & on-chip CDS.
    QE 60% @ 400 nm.
    noise floor 30-50 e-.
  p-channel device for UV imaging.

*** "A Thinned, Three-side Buttable 2kx4k CCD for Low Level Light Applications"
  - Morley Blouke, SITe.
  2kx4kx15micron, frame xfer.
  r.o.n. = 3.6 e- @ 50 kpixel/sec
  Dark current = < 5e/pixel/hr
  full well ~ 75-80 ke-/pixel
  QE > 85% @ 650nm
  Bow: 80-180 micron peak-to-valley.


*** "Flourescence Imaging of While Microorganisms with Scientific Grade CCDs." -
  Kenneth D. Gughes, Georgia Tech.

*** "THX7398ML A 2kx2k Thinned CCD, 3 sides buttable." - Alain Jutant, Thomson
  Components and Tubes Corp.

*** "Practical Applications of Hybrid Neural Nets" - Jeremy Lerner, Physical
  Optics Corp.

*** "A New Low-Noise CCD for Spectroscopy" - John Geary, SAO
  SITe  1752x532, backside illum, available in limited quantity.
  r.o.n. = < 3e- for integ time > 12 usec.
  Evidence for residual image.

*** "CCD Detectors after 7 years in Interplanetary Space." 
  - Horst Uwe Keller, MPIA.
  After 7 yrs, Giotto CCDs have 2x the number *and* amplitude of hot pixels.

*** "CIDs for Atomic Emmission Spectroscopy: The State of Current Performance 
  and Future Directions".  Michael, J, Pilon, Thermo Jarrel Ash
  CIDs now approaching the performance of CCDs:
  CID38 - 512x512 pixels, r.o.n. = 25e-, dark current < 0.5 e-/sec @ -80 C
          QE = 42% @ 250 nm, 82% @ 550 nm, full well ~ 1.26 Me-.

*** "Confocal Microscopy", Brakenhof.

*** "A Progressive Scan CCD Image Sensor for High Speed Photography" - Rusty
  Winzenread, EG&G Reticon.
  1024x1024 pixels, 10^3 frame/sec, interline xfer.

*** "Low-noise CCD Imaging at Kilohertz Frame Rates" - Craig Mackay, Astrocam
  Loral 64x64 pixel CCD for adaptive optics.
  up to 8 MHz w/ 12-bit ADC
        5 MHz w/ 14-bit
  9 Gigabyte per night.
  run CCD at 865 frames/sec, w/ full resolution => r.o.n. = 100 e-

  Also, studies of mammalian neurons:
  EEV CCD37 - 512x512 frame xfer CCD, 15 Hz frame rate.

*** "Optical Imaging in Highly Scattering Media Using Time-Resolved 
  Measurements" - David H. Burns, McGill Univ.
  Looking into the first ~1cm layer of human body using IR.

*** "A Circular CCD for application with a Fabry-Perot." Wayne Frame, Ball 
  Aerospace and Technology.
  A neat design, w/ pixels arranged in circles.
  Amplifiers: 1.5 uV/e-
  r.o.n. < 10e-
  Well > 200 ke-/pix
  Advantages over rectilinear device: very low r.o.n. in large diameter circles
                                      CTE in one direction only
                                      simple post-processing

*** "Echelle Spectroscopy and CCDs, and Ideal Union for Fiber Optic Raman 
  Systems." - Michael Carrabba.
  low-risk ID of nasty compounds made by the army, then forgotten about.
  Advice to the cautious: if you find any suspicious looking vials of
  liquid in your back yard, dump them on your neighbour "the army'll
  camp in your yard for weeks"...

*** "Optical Detector Systems at the European Southern Observatory." 
  - Jim Beletic, ESO.
  Plans for 8kx8k, maybe 16kx16k imager.
  Jim's making waves at ESO, watch that space...

*** "High Resolution X-Ray Microtomography System using a Directly-Coupled
  Structured Scintillator and CCD Detector." - Nigel Allinson, UMIST.
  See the inside of a bee's head.

*** "A Hybrid Neural Net Used for Hyper Spectral Image Analysis System
  Optimisation and Calibration.", Jeremy M. Lerner.

*** "Unique Advantages of APS Technology for Scientific Applications." 
  - Eric Fossum, JPL
  Really neat stuff with CMOS technology.
  APS = Active Pixel Sensors, several transistors/pixel.
  Building a micro-CCD in each pixel.
  256x256x20micron
  1kx1kx10micron (with AT&T)
  Add an ADC/column (per pixel?!) (1 clock in => digital images out)
  very low power, but poorish fill factor.
  Showed a camera not much bigger than a nickel (big brother is watching...)

*** "An Application of Raman Spectroscopy in the Petroleum Industry." Phillip 
  Marteau, Universite' Paris Nord.
  Continuous montioring of distillates

*** "Back Illuminated CCD Processing" - Mike Lesser, Steward Obs.
  Mike has significantly upgraded his lab, is exploring MTF vs thinness 
  considerations and is now generating full mosaics...



-- 
      Timothy M. C. Abbott, Resident Astronomer, tmca at cfht.hawaii.edu
                http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/~tmca/tmca.html
      Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, P.O. Box 1597, Kamuela, HI 96743