Princeton Instruments PhotonMAX System, Manual, Page: 48 / 98

48 PhotonMAX System Manual Version 1.B
Parallel Mode
(binning occurs in
Serial Register)
Perpendicular Mode
(binning occurs in Output)
A5
A6
A7
A8
A1
to A4
B5
B6
B7
B8
B1
to B4
C5
C6
C7
C8
C1
to C4
D5
D6
D7
D8
D1
to D4
A1
to A4
Serial Register Output
A1 A2 A3 A4
B1 B2 B3 B4
A1
to D1
C2 C3 C4
D2 D3 D4
C1
D1
A5
B5
C5
D5
Figure 32. Binning and Array Orientation
You can easily switch between these orientations by rotating the camera 90° and
changing the binning parameters in the application software.
Exposure - Readout Modes
The frame transfer CCDs used by the PhotonMAX support Overlap and Non-Overlap
exposure - readout modes. If you are planning to use Overlap mode, be aware that the set
exposure time (
Experiment Setup|Main
tab page) may not be the effective exposure
time: the frame readout time is the determining factor in this mode.
Overlap Mode (Simultaneous Exposure-Readout)
Overlap mode is extremely useful in applications requiring continuous imaging (100%
duty cycle). Once a frame is exposed and transferred into the frame transfer area, the next
exposure immediately starts and continues until the previous frame is read out of the
frame transfer area or until the exposure time is finished, whichever is longer (so the
minimum effective exposure time in this mode is the readout time). This mode of
operation allows you to continuously image a specimen to obtain better kinetic
information about a process.
In WinView and WinSpec, this sequence is programmed by simply setting:
•
the Number of Images (or Spectra) to some number greater than one (settable on
the
Experiment Setup|Main
tab page),
•
the Slow Mode vs. Fast Mode to "Fast Mode" (selectable on the
Experiment
Setup|Timing
tab page),
•
the Readout mode to "Frame Transfer" (selectable on the
Hardware
Setup|Controller/Camera
tab page), and
•
the Cleaning mode to “Clear Pre-Sequence” with one or more Cleans (selectable
on the
Hardware Setup|Cleans
tab page).
Figure 33 shows the required selections for overlap mode.