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Chapter 9
Kinetics Operation
Notes:
1. Kinetics operation requires that the Kinetics option has been installed in the
Controller. If the communication protocol is USB 2.0, kinetics operation is
supported by WinView/WinSpec Version 2.5.18.1 or higher.
2. Kinetics operation is not supported by Interline CCDs (PI-MAX2:1003).
Introduction
Charge can be shifted on the surface of a CCD array much faster than it can be read out.
If only a small area of a CCD is illuminated, the charge from several exposures can be
shifted along the surface, in much the same way that a long strip of film is passed through
a traditional photographic camera to record a series of images. Instead of moving the
film, the camera moves only the charge along the surface of the array, and this makes it
very fast. Refer to "Readout of the Array", beginning on page 60, for more information
about charge shifting and array readout.
Masking
For Kinetics operation, a portion of the photocathode on the intensifier must be masked
so it can be used as a storage area. The masking can be accomplished via a mechanical or
an optical mask at the photocathode or entrance slit. (One form of optical masking uses
multiple fiberoptic cables with differing lengths for time delay.) If the open area is small
relative to the storage area, quite a few images can be acquired in rapid succession, for
example with 50 open rows and 256 rows masked, 5 images can be acquired in a total of
approximately 1.2 msec.
Shutter Mode and Kinetics
Introduction
In Shutter Mode, kinetics operation can be run in Free Run, can take a series of images
initiated by a Single Trigger, or can take a single image for each trigger in a series of
triggers.
Free Run
In Free Run Kinetics mode, the ST-133 takes a series of images, each with the exposure
time set through the software, with only a few microseconds between images. The exact
number of images depends on the Window Size you select on the Hardware
Setup|Controller/Camera tab page. Window Size is the number of rows allocated for an
image subframe. The number of subframes is the number of pixels perpendicular to the shift
register divided by the Window Size. The time required to shift a subframe under the mask is
determined by the Vertical Shift rate (specified in sec/row) multiplied by the Window Size.
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