Princeton Instruments has introduced the PI-MAX 3, an intensified CCD (ICCD) camera that meets researchers' requirements for sensitivity, speed, and control in time-resolved imaging and spectroscopy applications. The new PI-MAX 3 offers readout ranging from video rates (at full 1k x 1k resolution) to thousands of frames per second for capturing dynamics. Its sustained gating repetition rate of 1MHz is higher than most research-grade ICCD cameras on the market today, allowing the PI-MAX 3 to keep up with the ever increasing repetition rates of pulsed and modulated lasers.
The PI-MAX 3 camera's built-in SuperSynchro timing generator makes setting up complex time-resolved imaging experiments easy. Researchers can use SuperSynchro to store a sequence of gate delays and widths and execute them quickly to generate time vs. intensity data. SuperSynchro also provides a low insertion delay of less than 27ns. The latest Gigabit Ethernet interface allows the PI-MAX 3 to be operated from distances greater than 50 metres away, important for applications such as combustion or plasma studies in which the camera must be kept at a safe distance from host computers.
The PI-MAX 3 can be configured with either a 1,024 x 1,024-pixel interline-transfer CCD or a 1,024 x 256-pixel full-frame CCD. A variety of Gen II, Gen III filmless, and Princeton Instruments-exclusive UNIGEN II intensifiers are available for the highest sensitivity from the deep UV to the NIR. All PI-MAX 3 cameras use a windowless design for maximum light throughput. The new camera also features innovative photocathode cooling for ultra-low-light or single-photon imaging as well as special readout modes for single-shot measurements and particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) applications.