ORCA-R2

c9300-13

Applications

Fluorescence microscopy
Live cells expressing GFP
Red to NIR fluorescence application
Ratio imaging
Fluorescence in situ hybridization
IR-DIC and fluorescence imaging
Cell or tissue pathology
Time lapse fluorescence imaging
TIRF microscopy, real-time confocal
Failure analysis
Semiconductor inspection
X-ray scintillator readout


	PDF downloads
	Product datasheet
	4 pages, includes overview of main features and product specifications

	ORCA-R2 Technical Note
	8 pages, includes basic concepts of cooled CCD cameras and detailed specifications and product information.

	Digital CCD Cameras for Microscopy
	8 pages, includes overview of the ORCA series' features and specifications.

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High Sensitivity + High Speed + Low Noise

All three...plus more...in a compact & versatile camera, the ORCA-R2. Its ER-150 CCD image sensor is responsive to a wide spectral range, with especially high sensitivity in the visible and near-infrared regions. The CCD is encased in a maintenance-free, hermetic vacuum-sealed chamber which ensures efficient camera cooling by either air or water. Thanks to this cooling structure and an advanced external circuit design, the ORCA-R2 offers rapid readout with minimal noise. In its normal scan mode, the ORCA-R2 provides 8.5 frames per second at full spatial resolution. In fast scan mode, frame rates range from 16.2 to 115.1 frames per second at varying levels of resolution.

Image sensor: ER-150 progressive scan interline CCD with 1344 x 1024 effective pixels (pixel size: 6.45 x 6.45 microns)

Dual light modes
The ORCA-R2 has a “high light mode” for handling most applications, and a “low light mode” for when increased quantum efficiency (QE) in the spectrum between visible and near infrared is required. Within these regions, the image sensor’s QE peaks at over 70%, which is the highest level for interline CCDs.

UV sensitivity
The ORCA-R2 offers imaging in the UV region at wavelengths from 300 nm and upward.

Binning operation
Binning involves summing the signals of adjacent pixels in a CCD as a way to increase both sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. Selectable binning formats are 2 x 2, 4 x 4, and 8 x 8.

Dual scan modes
In normal scan mode, the ORCA-R2 provides a readout speed of 14 MHz. This translates to 8.5 frames per second at full resolution, and is similar to the scan speed of the ORCA-ER and ORCA-AG. However, the fast scan mode of 28 MHz is available only in the ORCA-R2. Readout speed is doubled, delivering 16.2 frames per second at full resolution. To achieve higher frame rates, binning and sub-array features can be used in either normal scan or fast scan modes. A maximum frame rate is 115.1 frames per second.

Low noise due to optimized circuit design
In order to minimize readout noise, the ORCA-R2 is designed with separate circuits for the two readout modes. Each circuit is optimized to its particular readout mode, resulting in values as low as 6 electrons (rms) during normal scan operation and 10 electrons (rms) during fast scan operation.

Low noise due to advanced cooling structure
Besides readout noise, the other noise source in CCD cameras is dark current from the image sensor, which can be significantly reduced by cooling. In the ORCA-R2, the CCD is cooled with a Peltier thermoelectric cooling device, supplemented by either water cooling (down to -40 degrees C) or air cooling (down to -35 degrees C). Hamamatsu’s proprietary hermetic vacuum-sealed chamber ensures much more efficient cooling than nitrogen-purged or conventionally evacuated chambers.

Learn more about the ORCA-R2:

High dynamic range
Standard dynamic range is 3000:1 at full resolution in normal scan mode, which is higher than most comparable cameras. Dynamic range can be further extended to 6000:1 in normal scan mode.

Analog contrast enhancement
Analog gain and analog offset features are included. When combined, they enhance your analog signal prior to digital conversion, giving you a higher contrast image.

Dual A/D converter (12-bit or 16-bit, selectable)
In applications where quantization error must be minimized, 16-bit digital conversion is recommended.

IEEE1394b high-speed interface
This interface easily accommodates the camera’s 16.2 Hz frame rate during fast scan operation. It can also handle simultaneous image capture from two ORCA-R2 cameras that are daisy-chained to the camera controller.

External trigger
To synchronize the ORCA-R2 to external equipment, four external trigger modes are provided: edge trigger, level trigger, synchronous readout trigger, and start trigger.

Synchronous output
In configurations where the ORCA-R2 is the master and external equipment is the slave, you can choose from three synchronization modes: exposure output, programmable timing output, and trigger-ready output.

Smaller & more power-efficient
The camera controller is smaller and lighter than previous models for easier handling and space saving. Camera power consumption has been reduced by 30% compared to earlier models.