SWIR Cameras: Applications
SWIR cameras are often used by art historians. SWIR cameras are used to see the details of pencil and charcoal drawings. These cameras also allow art historians to visually verify the authenticity of valuable documents. Here are a few examples. Below are some examples of SWIR cameras. These applications require a camera that is sensitive to infrared light.
Machine Vision Camera
SWIR cameras provide a number of advantages for machine vision applications. One of these is improved speed. These cameras operate at standard video rates of 30 to 60 frames per second and can detect objects at speeds as high as ninety thousand lines per second. These cameras can record full 1024-pixel resolution at 12 bit. These cameras are extremely cost-effective. Listed below are some of the most common applications of SWIR cameras.
Industrial machine vision cameras are the core of vision systems. As machine vision industries become more sophisticated and cost-effective, machine vision industries are adapting to those changes. SWIR cameras are used in the glass industry to efficiently identify and reprocess rejected parts. In an industrial setting, SWIR cameras are able to detect the centroid energies of laser spots. The camera can detect the centroid energy and identify contaminated materials.
Another popular application of SWIR cameras is moisture detection. Water is transparent to visible light and absorbs strongly at wavelengths of 1450 to 1900 nm. The SWIR camera detects moisture in coatings and detects fill levels for non-transparent containers. It can also measure the relative water content of plants. The SWIR camera can detect defects in silicon products as well as identify recycled plastics. In addition to these applications, SWIR cameras have optical coatings to improve image quality.
Swir InGaAs Camera
A SWIR InGaAs camera is an ideal choice for many defense applications. The uncooled design of the camera is lightweight and sensitive to nightglow. The high-resolution images of the device can be used for laser identification and can be attached directly to eye-safe lasers. Several applications for SWIR imaging include target recognition and laser gated imaging. There are many benefits to the SWIR InGaAs camera.
One of the most common SWIR applications involves moisture detection. Water is transparent to visible light but absorbs strong between 1450 and 1905 nm. This produces an image that appears black. It is a useful tool to detect water. This allows it to identify areas of deficiency and areas of excess water. It can also be used to measure relative water content in plants, and can even detect damaged fruits.
An InGaAs camera is particularly effective in detecting defects and cracks on silicon. InGaAs cameras can penetrate in-vivo tissue and are therefore essential for moisture measurements, surface film distribution and material separation. This imaging technology has a drawback: it produces a lot of dark noise that is often more than one wavelength. Deep cooling, however, reduces the dark noise.
Silicon Inspection Camera
Traditionally, silicon surface inspection has been performed using CCD or CMOS cameras. These cameras can produce a wavelength response between 350 and 1000 nm. Deep-depleted silicon devices provide sufficient quantum efficiency for seeing the shortest wavelengths but require long integration times, and are not suitable for imaging intraband emissions of Si above 1100 nm. This makes them suitable for offline front-side inspection. Here are some advantages of Si-based cameras.
A spectroscopic camera can detect small defects and features a polarizer. The lens’ polarization allows the camera to capture images using polarized light. This is essential for inspection of reflective surfaces. Another advantage of the camera is that it can be set up for single dies and silicon wafers. Its ESD-safe stand is another feature that makes it different from other cameras. The spectral resolution of SWIR cameras is approximately three times higher than a conventional camera.
A silicon inspection camera can detect defects in silicon wafers, solar-cell panels, and integrated circuits. This improves productivity and yields. InGaAs cameras are becoming more popular in silicon inspection applications. The InGaAs camera is especially useful in monitoring wafer-bonding processes. It can detect silicon defects even if they are hidden behind the material.