Affordable SWIR Cameras

Xenics announced the arrival of more members of the BOBCAT 320 family on 17 September, including an extremely affordable SWIR camera.

The newly expanded family consists of high-performance SWIR cameras with a 320×256 resolution for industrial applications. In a move to further complement the offer, Xenics has introduced three new cost-effective camera options, in addition to the BOBCAT 320 series, for a complete solution in the 320×256 resolution space:

• Bobcat+ 320: an improved, high performance SWIR camera for demanding applications with an option for extension into visible wavelengths (vSWIR);
• Bobcat 320 TE0: an uncooled (TECless) camera that offers SWIR performance at the lowest price;
• Bobcat 320 WL: an uncooled (TECless) and windowless (WL) camera to minimize the number of optical elements and consequently internal reflections. This camera is ideally suited for applications such as laser beam analysis or wavefront sensing.

As application requirements and capability differentiation become more stringent, a simple and cost-effective camera with improved performance is the answer. This is particularly true for hyperspectral applications or spectroscopy, for machine vision in the semiconductor industry or for surveillance applications.

In these systems there is a need for a greater dynamic range, IWR (integrate while read) read out mode to improve the speed vs integration time trade off, and, optionally, a wavelength extension into the visible range (vSWIR). As an answer to these requirements, Xenics now proposes the BOBCAT+ 320. In addition to BOBCAT 320 performance, customers will benefit from:

• Two read out modes (ITR (integrate then read) and IWR mode): in IWR mode, with overlapping read and integrate phases, enabling optimisation of the integration (exposure) time for a given frame rate requirement. “By minimising the blind-time, you never lose a photon,” emphasised Pieter Deroo, Camera Development Director at Xenics;
• Two selectable gains including a High Dynamic Range configuration with 60dB of dynamic range;
• An optional extension into visible wavelengths allows access to vSWIR spectral coverage (400 to 1700nm) for better integration, enhanced detection capabilities and reduced price.

As a leader in the SWIR camera market, Xenics believes that price should never limit the use of an SWIR camera in applications where it is clearly the best technical solution – hence the BOBCAT 320 TE0 introduction.

With a camera that can be procured for under €5,000 SWIR becomes affordable for most industrial applications and customers will not have to limit themselves to visible or NIR solutions. “When SWIR is the technical solution, Xenics’ SWIR will be the chosen solution” saiofferedd Marc Larive, Strategic Marketing Manager at Xenics.

The third new version of BOBCAT 320 features an uncooled, windowless detector – the result of clear market demand. For laser measurement (typically laser beam profiling), unwanted reflections off the optical surfaces should be limited in order to avoid interference fringes in the image: therefore, the windowless BOBCAT completely cancels out the reflections off the top and bottom surface of a detector window. The same advantage holds true for laser wavefront sensing applications.

Finally, as the camera is also TECless, both the BOBCAT 320 TE0 and WL are in the same price range.

All three new cameras are proposed with GigE interface and use the same mechanical and electrical interface as the standard BOBCAT 320. They all benefit from Xenics user interface software Xeneth, making them very simple to configure and use.

“Xenics is market-driven: the three new products are introduced to our customers who want more than just a SWIR camera. They want a real answer to their needs. The very low cost of the TE0 and WL cameras will open up new applications in previously price-prohibitive markets,” Larive commented.