We can offer two different slow scan CCD cameras for the NightOWL in vivo imaging system.
One camera, the NC 320, is a front illuminated one with high array resolution, the other, NC 100, an ultra sensitive back illuminated one with high full well capacity.

Full frame CCD cameras

Images are optically projected onto the front of a parallel array that acting as the image plane. The array takes the image information and partitions the image into discrete elements that are defined by the number of pixels thus "quantizing" the image. The resulting rows of image information are then shifted in a parallel fashion to the serial register that subsequently shifts the row of information to the output as a serial stream of data. The process repeats until all rows are transferred off chip.

The image is then reconstructed as dictated by the system. Since the parallel register is used for both image detection and readout, a mechanical shutter must be used to preserve image integrity.

This technology allows quantification of the taken images very reliable, which is vital for comparative research.

The NC 320 is a front illuminated or frontlit CCD camera with a 3.2 Mpixel CCD chip. Such pixel density results high optical resolution. Cooling is performed up to 60 °C below ambient temperature, which is efficient for fluorescence.

To improve the sensitivity of the camera, microlenticular arrays are formed directly over each pixel. These arrays are tiny little lenses (microlens) acting to focus the light that would normally strike the non-photosensitive areas into those regions which are sensitive. This new technology results in enhancing the quantum efficiency of front illuminated CCD up to 85%.

The NC 100 is an ultra sensitive backlit CCD camera with midband coating enhancing the quantum efficiency in the spectral range between 460 – 770 nm (80% QE) optimal for e. g. firefly luciferase and GFP. Such special coating and effective cooling of the array of more than 100 °C below ambient temperature ensures lowest light detection.

Photons (nominally ultraviolet and blue wavelengths) at the very top surface of the silicon are lost due to recombination at the siliconoxide interface. To increase the response of the sensor, the backside of the wafer is thinned to a thickness of ~10-15 µm. With the proper thinning, the CCD is then illuminated from the backside (back illuminated or backlit) and UV and blue response is increased significantly. The difficulty in thinning the array to such depths leads to lower yields and higher costs of the CCD chips.