Digital Camera and Sensor Evaluation Using Photon Transfer

Level: Introductory Length: 7 hours Format: In-Person Lecture Intended Audience: Engineers, scientists, and technical managers working with commercial and scientific digital camera systems. Some familiarity with CCD and CMOS imagers is recommended. Description: Photon transfer (PT) is a popular and essential characterization standard employed in the design, operation, characterization, calibration, optimization, specification and application of digital scientific and commercial camera systems. The PT user friendly technique is based on only two measurements- average signal and rms noise which together produce a multitude of important data products in evaluating digital camera systems (most notably CCD and CMOS). PT is applicable to all imaging disciplines. Design and fabrication process engineers developing imagers rely heavily on PT data products in determining discrete performance parameters such as quantum efficiency (QE), quantum yield, read noise, full well, dynamic range, nonlinearity, fixed pattern noise, V/e- conversion gain, dark current , image, etc.. Camera users routinely use the PT technique to determine system level performance parameters to convert relative measurements into absolute electron and photon units, offset correction, flat field and image S/N, ADC quantizing noise, optimum encoding, minimum detectable luminance, operating temperature to remove dark current , reliability, stability, etc. PT is also the first go/no-go test performed to determine the health of new camera system and/or detector as well as provide a power tool in trouble shooting problems. This course will review these aspects and many others offered by PT. Learning Outcomes: This course will enable you to: - describe PT theory - take PT data and determine important CCD and CMOS performance parameters - show example PT data products generated by CCD and CMOS imagers - calibrate a camera system in absolute physical units - use PT to determine the best camera or CCD/CMOS imager for the application - discuss guidelines for the novice and advanced user in generating PT, Modulation and Lux Transfer curves - use PT to optimally remove fixed pattern noise sources in images for the highest S/N possible through flat fielding - comprehend signal-to-noise image theory through PT Instructor(s): James Janesick is currently the director of the CMOS advanced development group for Sarnoff Corporation. Previously he was with Conexant Systems Inc. developing CMOS imaging arrays for commercial applications. He was technology director of Pixel Vision, Inc. for five years developing high speed backside illuminated CCDs for scientific and cinema cameras. Prior to this Janesick was with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 22 years where as group leader he designed scientific ground and flight based imaging systems. He has authored 75 publications and has contributed to many NASA Tech Briefs and patents for various CCD and CMOS innovations. Janesick received NASA medals for Exceptional Engineering Achievement (1982 and 1992) and was the recipient of the SPIE Educator Award (2004) and was SPIE /IS&T Imaging Scientist of the Year (2007). Event: SPIE Optics + Photonics 2015 Course Held: 11 August 2015