CCD imaging devices use a silicon chip which on which a large array of photoelectric detectors are etched. Each of these detectors corresponds to a pixel. As light energy falls on these pixels, a negative charge develops from the photoelectric effect of the base material. These charges are read out and digitized in an array corresponding to the image. This is an inherently slow process, but recent advances in CCD imaging technology have made CCDs useful for high speed imaging applications.

While the image quality of CCDs is not yet at the level of film, they provide some advantages which make them excellent for many applications. The images are available within seconds, and do not require a non-renewable medium like film. Information output is digital and can be easily stored, manipulated, analyzed and printed with the wide variety of computer based imaging software and hardware.

Image Quality of Rotating Mirror

Image Quality of Gate Intensified CCD

Cordin manufactures a variety of CCD cameras which achieve ultra high framing rates by using multiple CCDs looking through a single lens. These CCDs are triggered in rapid sequence, and then read out off line to produce a high speed record. These systems are available in both intensified and non-intensified configurations.

This approach enables Cordin systems to achieve much faster framing rates than CCD or CMOS systems that are based on a single imaging chip read out very fast.