The new SC2500 NIR camera is Flir’s first indium gallium arsenide -- InGaAs -- model with a European FPA detector, but there is more to it than freedom from licensing. For example, it has embedded lock-in signal input, used to enhance signal-to-noise ratio imaging. This is a feature that is particularly valuable for applications such as silicon wafer inspection.
The camera delivers ready to use, sharp images for applications as diverse as solar cell inspection, laser profiling, paint analysis, water or ice detection, furnace inspection, fine art analysis, astronomy, skin damage evaluation, low light imagery and phenomenology. With the introduction of this model, Flir now covers the entire IR spectrum – 0.8 to 12µm – with a single suite of cameras.
The SC2500-N also has user-selectable integration times of up to one second. This allows a wide temperature range to be addressed with optimal accuracy. The camera can filter out unwanted spectral regions, a feature of interest to those involved in biological IR.
Small, lightweight, easy to carry and set-up, it is also fully radiometric for high temperature thermographic applications up to 3000°C and compatible with Altair software, a factor that will benefit the range phenomenology community. Frame rates are up to 15kHz.
Other notable features include a snap-in optical filter holder, input as well as output triggering and a removable optical interface that allows the camera to be easily teamed with custom devices or spectrometers. Its Gigabit Ethernet digital interface ensures a seamless connection to any standard PC or laptop.
The embedded European detector provides considerable added value when compared to coated CCD and lead-oxysulfide detectors (vidicons). Spectral sensitivity of Flir’s InGaAs detector is 1700nm by comparison with the alternatives whose quantum efficiency typically drops to 1-2 per cent in the 1100-1700 nm range.