ABOUT THE ANDOR iKon-L
iKon-L SECTION 1
Page 24
1.7.6 - Cooling
The CCD is cooled using a thermoelectric (TE) cooler. TE coolers are small, electrically powered devices with
no moving parts, making them reliable and convenient. A TE cooler is actually a heat pump, i.e. it achieves a
temperature
difference by transferring heat from its ‘cold side’ (the CCD-chip) to its ‘hot side’ (the built-in heat
sink). Therefore the minimum
absolute
• Heat load created by the CCD
operating temperature of the CCD depends on the temperature of the
heat sink. Our vacuum design means that we can achieve a maximum temperature difference of over 110ºC, a
performance unrivalled by other systems. The maximum temperature difference that a TE device can attain is
dependent on the following factors:
• Number of cooling stages of the TE cooler
• Operating current
The heat that builds up on the heat sink must be removed. This can be done in one of two ways:
1. Air cooling: a small built-in fan forces air over the heat sink.
2. Water cooling: external water is circulated through the heat sink using the water connectors on the top
of the head.
All Andor CCD systems support both cooling options. Whichever method is being used, it is not desirable for the
operating temperature of the CCD simply to be dependent on, or vary with, the heat sink temperature.
Therefore a temperature sensor on the CCD, combined with a feedback circuit that controls the operating
current of the cooler, allows stabilisation of the CCD to any desired temperature within the cooler operating
range.
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