Low-noise instrumentation CCD cameras and a high-resolution mammogram system

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans R. Bucher
1988 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
E. Silver ◽  
C. Hailey ◽  
S. Labov ◽  
N. Madden ◽  
D. Landis ◽  
...  

The merits of microcalorimetry below 1°K for high resolution spectroscopy has become widely recognized on theoretical grounds. By combining the high efficiency, broadband spectral sensitivity of traditional photoelectric detectors with the high resolution capabilities characteristic of dispersive spectrometers, the microcalorimeter could potentially revolutionize spectroscopic measurements of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. In actuality, however, the performance of prototype instruments has fallen short of theoretical predictions and practical detectors are still unavailable for use as laboratory and space-based instruments. These issues are currently being addressed by the new collaborative initiative between LLNL, LBL, U.C.I., U.C.B., and U.C.D.. Microcalorimeters of various types are being developed and tested at temperatures of 1.4, 0.3, and 0.1°K. These include monolithic devices made from NTD Germanium and composite configurations using sapphire substrates with temperature sensors fabricated from NTD Germanium, evaporative films of Germanium-Gold alloy, or material with superconducting transition edges. A new approache to low noise pulse counting electronics has been developed that allows the ultimate speed of the device to be determined solely by the detector thermal response and geometry. Our laboratory studies of the thermal and resistive properties of these and other candidate materials should enable us to characterize the pulse shape and subsequently predict the ultimate performance. We are building a compact adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator for conveniently reaching 0.1°K in the laboratory and for use in future satellite-borne missions. A description of this instrument together with results from our most recent experiments will be presented.


Author(s):  
M. Pan

It has been known for many years that materials such as zeolites, polymers, and biological specimens have crystalline structures that are vulnerable to electron beam irradiation. This radiation damage severely restrains the use of high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). As a result, structural characterization of these materials using HREM techniques becomes difficult and challenging. The emergence of slow-scan CCD cameras in recent years has made it possible to record high resolution (∽2Å) structural images with low beam intensity before any apparent structural damage occurs. Among the many ideal properties of slow-scan CCD cameras, the low readout noise and digital recording allow for low-dose HREM to be carried out in an efficient and quantitative way. For example, the image quality (or resolution) can be readily evaluated on-line at the microscope and this information can then be used to optimize the operating conditions, thus ensuring that high quality images are recorded. Since slow-scan CCD cameras output (undistorted) digital data within the large dynamic range (103-104), they are ideal for quantitative electron diffraction and microscopy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 214-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Bortel ◽  
G. Faigel ◽  
M. Tegze ◽  
A. Chumakov

Kossel line patterns contain information on the crystalline structure, such as the magnitude and the phase of Bragg reflections. For technical reasons, most of these patterns are obtained using electron beam excitation, which leads to surface sensitivity that limits the spatial extent of the structural information. To obtain the atomic structure in bulk volumes, X-rays should be used as the excitation radiation. However, there are technical problems, such as the need for high resolution, low noise, large dynamic range, photon counting, two-dimensional pixel detectors and the small spot size of the exciting beam, which have prevented the widespread use of Kossel pattern analysis. Here, an experimental setup is described, which can be used for the measurement of Kossel patterns in a reasonable time and with high resolution to recover structural information.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Werley ◽  
Stephanie M. Teo ◽  
Benjamin K. Ofori-Okai ◽  
Prasahnt Sivarajah ◽  
Keith A. Nelson
Keyword(s):  

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1112-1113
Author(s):  
M.V. Parthasarathy

The usefulness of Differential Contrast Interference (DIC) light microscopy for observing fine details within transparent specimens is well known. However, when viewed by the eye or by recording with photographic emulsion, fine structural detail at the limit of resolution is often not visible because of lack of contrast. To overcome this problem, electronic contrast enhancement capabilities of video cameras have been used to enhance structural details that would otherwise be invisible. The technique, commonly referred to as VE-DIC (Video Enhanced DIC), uses first analog contrast enhancement of the image with a video camera followed by a real-time digital image processor to further enhance the image with. We are exploring the feasibility of achieving fine structural detail of live cells by directly acquiring digital images of them with a high resolution CCD camera.High resolution cooled slow-scan 12-bit CCD cameras are well suited for DIC microscopy because of their greater dynamic range than video CCD cameras that are normally 8-bits or lower.


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