Camera Systems

RIXSCAM – A MULTI-EMCCD LARGE DETECTOR AREA SYSTEM WITH SINGLE PHOTON DETECTION AND SUB-PIXEL RESOLUTION FOR SOFT X-RAY DETECTION

XCAM’s RIXSCam™ family of camera systems, consisting of the original RIXSCam™ and the RIXSCam™ Mini, combine the single-photon detection capabilities of custom EMCCDs with licensed centroiding technology to deliver sub-pixel resolution for RIXS (Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering) applications.

All the systems in XCAM’s RIXSCam™ range use the same custom EMCCDs – these are full-frame detectors with 1632x1608 16µm pixels which are back-illuminated with no AR coating to provide an outstanding soft X-ray response.

EMCCDs provide single-photon detection with sub-electron read noise. When cryogenically cooled down to temperatures in the range of -110 to -50 ˚C, as in the original RIXSCam™, dark current and associated dark current noise also becomes negligible, permitting a range of camera operation modes.

The RIXSCam™ system allows between one and three of these devices to be closely butted to provide a greater signal-to-noise ratio. The detector assembly is mounted on a rotatable cold bench which can be adjusted through all angles and locked in position from the outside of the camera, enabling the user to reduce the effective pixel size.

The RIXSCam™ Mini is a single-detector system which utilises a Peltier cooler and has a user-defined fixed gamma-angle for the detector. This allows the same spatial resolution as the larger RIXSCam™ system but at a lower cost to the customer. This is particularly beneficial to beamline scientists whose experiments do not require the same high-throughput as those requiring a multi-detector system. The detector mounting has also been designed to enable the detector to eventually be replaced if needed, providing a long-term economical solution for beamline scientists.

Finally, a centroiding algorithm, developed jointly by the Paul-Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the Open University, is applied to the resulting image, providing at output a ‘super-resolution’ image of up to 10 times the original resolution. This provides a resolution of better than 5µm, with better than 3µm having been demonstrated during experimental phases. The ultimate resolution achievable depends on the local experimental set-up as well as the camera system.

For more details please contact us today or download the RIXSCam™ and RIXSCam™ Mini product information sheets below.

Download the RIXSCam™ product sheet

Download the RIXSCam™ Mini product sheet

CAVACAM – CAMERA FOR VACUUM APPLICATIONS

CaVACam is XCAM’s Camera for Vacuum Applications, developed in response to many enquiries for vacuum ‘clean’ camera systems.

The F-model CaVACams are cameras which are built on to a conflat flange and which have entirely ‘vacuum clean’ parts inside the vacuum chamber and the ‘dirty’ electronics and non-vacuum components on the airside of the flange. This camera system is ideal where a conflat flange design suits your application and you do not need to immerse the camera head inside the vacuum chamber.

The S-model CaVACams are cameras in which the ‘vacuum clean’ parts including the detector are built on the outside of a hermetically sealed camera head, and the non-vacuum components are enclosed inside the sealed chamber. Data is removed from the camera head via clean vacuum fibre optic cables and a single power cable is designed to be vacuum compatible. This camera head is ideal where you need to fully immerse the camera head inside the vacuum chamber and cannot use an F-model CaVACam.

Whilst we maintain a ‘standard’ build configuration for these camera systems, they are very easily adapted to meet your specific material requirements or even to take different detectors if required, due to the modular design. RGA scan of the camera head can be conducted if required.

Detectors are available in front-illuminated (FI) or back-illuminated (BI) options and BI may be available with no AR coating for good soft x-ray performance – all dependent on availability and MOQ from supplier. Please enquire if the camera configuration you require is not in the list below.

Download the product sheet here:

MKPU-XCAM-MS-00019.pdf

VacCam In-Vacuum Video Camera

VacCam was developed in response to frequent requests from customers seeking an in-situ vacuum video camera to internally monitor operations and processes occurring inside the vacuum chamber. It has been designed with vacuum-compatible construction to ensure low outgassing and avoid contamination of your in-vacuum processes or experiments.

Download the specifications here:

MKPU-XCAM-MS-00037.pdf

NUSCIS - Space Camera

XCAM Nuscis is a range of compact SmallSat and CubeSat compatible space imager products offering un paralleled flexibility in space imaging systems design The modular architecture of Nuscis, supporting many different sensor types (CMOS, CCD and EM CCD) and opto-mechanical solutions, means that it can be easily customised to support a whole range different SmallSat and CubeSat imaging applications for example Earth observation, remote sensing, space situational awareness, rendezvous and docking and in orbit servicing.

Nuscis is available as a complete off-the-shelf low mass, low volume, low power, single-board imaging solution or can be customised to suit your specific application.

Nuscis is currently under development with engineering models (EM) expected in Q1 2024 and Flight Models (FM) in Q3 2024. Contact us today to find out if Nuscis is suitable for your space-based imaging application.

Download the current specifications here (subject to change):

MKPU-XCAM-MS-00047.pdf

C3D CUBESAT CAMERA

1U+ format CubeSat camera with proven space flight heritage

• Space-flight heritage since 2014
• Compatible with 1U+ format cubesatellites
• Lossless image compression
• Wide-field imager (WFI) camera optics
‒ Up to three cameras per imager board
‒ Near- and far- field imaging capabilities
‒ Colour and/or black & white imaging

C3D is a CubeSat camera system (imager board and optical subassembly) with TRL 9 status and proven space flight heritage. Originally developed in partnership with The Open University, C3D has successfully flown and transmitted images on CubeSat missions such as the UK Space Agency’s UKube-1 and AlSat Nano.

The C3D CubeSat camera system is an imaging payload which can be used for a variety of applications including earth observation (EO) and CubeSat self-monitoring, and has proven success with both of these applications on real CubeSat missions in space.

Flexible design caters to individual requirements

C3D has been designed to be compatible with 1U and larger format CubeSats. The flexible design allows up to three wide field cameras per imager board. Cameras can be coaligned (see product sheet below for diagram) for stereo imaging or to allow for alternative imaging requirements including both near- or far-field and black & white or colour imaging. Images are compressed using a lossless JPEG image compression algorithm to preserve the integrity of your data.

As well as our standard C3D system, enquiries of a custom-design/R&D nature are also welcomed at XCAM; our vast experience and expertise developing custom-design camera systems means we are ideally placed to advise on the best solution for your imaging requirements. For more information please use the links below to submit an enquiry or download the C3D product sheet.

Submit an Enquiry

Download the C3D product sheet

PFO1040 Particle Fall-Out Monitor

Real-Time Particle Fall-Out Monitoring for Cleanrooms

Automatic particle fall-out monitoring
Alerts/alarms for exceptions
Avoid contamination/yield losses
Track trends - allows continuous tracking with time and room activity
XCAM direct particle detection technology
Particle monitoring 5 µm to >750 µm
Reporting to IEST-STD-CC1246E
Touchscreen reporting dashboard

XCAM PFO 1040 provides real-time monitoring of particle fall-out/deposition for cleanrooms. Whilst airborne sensing is ideal for small particles which remain suspended in the air and are removed by filtration, the higher risk to operations can be from particles larger than 5 µm, which are more quickly deposited on surfaces leading to contamination and yield losses.

Featuring XCAM's Direct Particle Detection (DPD) technology, the XCAM PFO 1040 uses high performance silicon sensing to directly monitor particles settling on the surface of the sensor. Advanced recognition algorithms detect particle size and profile providing particle count by size, percent area covered and a differentiation between fibres and particles. Alarms can be triggered when pre-defined limits are exceeded.

Real-time particle fall-out monitoring provides actionable intelligence for a cleanroom supervisor to:

Take action to prevent yield losses part way through a key process.
Identify activities which create higher contamination levels.
Monitor the effects of process improvements.
Assess the effect of new processes.
Automatically collect surface contamination statistics for project reporting.

XCAM's PFO 1040 model utilises all four sensors to maximise sample area and the statistical significance or your results.

Originally developed for the European Space Agency for rocket and satellite applications.

Download the product sheet here:

MKPU-XCAM-MS-00038.pdf

Space PFO for space launch

Launch vehicles, and their enclosed satellite payloads, experience significant degrees of mechanical and acoustic shock and vibration during their short journey into space. Nothing is currently known about the sources and types of particulate contamination inside a rocket fairing during launch; however, it is certain that contamination can seriously affect the performance, accuracy and reliability of the multi-million dollar instruments which are routinely sent into space to study our planet and explore the universe.

For the past few years XCAM have been leading a technology development programme, with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), to manufacture a unique instrument (to ECSS standards) which will provide the first measurements of particulate contamination during launch inside a launch vehicle fairing. This Space PFO (Particle Fall Out) Monitor is targeted to be launched on a Vega-C launch vehicle around Q4 2024.

SpacePFO is still under development but contact us today if you are interested in finding out more.

View the SpacePFO poster here:

MKPU-XCAM-MS-00048.pdf