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3.1 - EMCCD OPERATION
3.1.1 - Structure of an EMCCD
Advances in sensor technology have led to the development of a new generation of ultra-sensitive, low light
Electron Multiplying Charged Coupled Devices (EMCCDs). At the heart of your iXon3 camera is the latest EMCCD, a
revolutionary technology, capable of single photon detection. An EMCCD is a silicon-based semiconductor chip bearing
a two-dimensional matrix of photo-sensors or pixels. This matrix is usually referred to as the image area. The pixels are
often described as being arranged in rows and columns, the rows running horizontally and the columns vertically. The
EMCCD in the camera is identical in structure to a conventional Charged Coupled Device (CCD) but with the shift
register extended to include an additional section, the Multiplication or Gain Register as shown in gure 11 below:
SECTION 3 - FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
Features & Functionality
Figure 11:
EMCCD structure
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