An ultra high-speed, photon-counting SWIR camera built around a 320x256 MCT e-APD sensor, delivering sub-electron readout noise at up to 3,500 frames per second for astronomy and adaptive optics.
C-RED One
An ultra high-speed, photon-counting SWIR camera built around a 320x256 MCT e-APD sensor, delivering sub-electron readout noise at up to 3,500 frames per second for astronomy and adaptive optics.
Description
The C-RED One is First Light Imaging's flagship low-light, high-speed shortwave infrared camera, built around a 320 x 256 pixel Mercury Cadmium Telluride electron-initiated avalanche photodiode array with a 24 micron pixel pitch. It is designed for applications requiring simultaneous extreme sensitivity and rapid image acquisition in the 0.80-2.43 micron spectral range, achieving readout noise below 1 electron in correlated double sampling mode with internal avalanche gain up to x50, while sustaining full-frame rates as high as 3,500 fps. The sensor is cooled cryogenically to 80 K using an integrated pulse-tube cooler housed in a sealed vacuum enclosure, eliminating the need for liquid nitrogen. Multiple readout modes and multiple-region-of-interest capability give users flexibility for demanding real-time control loops. Target applications include astronomical adaptive optics wavefront sensing, atmospheric and deep-space imaging, solar astronomy, and light-emitting device characterization, making it a widely adopted detector at ground-based observatories for real-time correction of atmospheric turbulence.
Specifications
| Sensor array | 320 x 256 MCT e-APD pixels |
|---|---|
| Spectral range | 0.80-2.43 micron (J, H, K bands) |
| Maximum frame rate | 3,500 fps (full frame) |
| Readout noise | <1 e- (CDS mode, gain x50) |
| Digitization | 16-bit |
| Operating temperature | 80 K (cryogenic) |
| Cooling method | Integrated pulse tube cooler, no LN2 required |
| ROI capability | Multiple regions of interest, >10 kHz achievable |