Applications of SWIR Cameras
If you’re an art historian, you may be familiar with the applications of SWIR cameras. SWIR cameras are used to see the details of pencil and charcoal drawings. These cameras allow art historians and artists to visually verify the authenticity valuable documents. Here are some examples. Listed below are some applications of SWIR cameras. All of them require a camera with a high sensitivity 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 can detect objects at speeds up to ninety thousand lines per seconds and operate at standard video rates between 30-60 frames per second. These cameras are capable of full 1024-pixel resolution at 12 bits. They are also remarkably cost-effective. Here are some of the most popular uses 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. SWIR cameras can also detect the centroid energy of laser spots in an industry setting. By detecting the centroid energy, the camera is capable of identifying contaminated materials.
A SWIR camera can also be used to detect moisture. Since water is transparent to visible light, it absorbs strongly at wavelengths between 1450 and 1900 nm. The SWIR camera can detect moisture in coatings, detect fill levels of non-transparent containers, and 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
An SWIR InGaAs Camera is a great 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. There are many uses for SWIR imaging, including target recognition and laser gated imagery. There are many benefits to the SWIR InGaAs camera.
One of the most common SWIR applications involves moisture detection. While water is transparent to visible light, it absorbs strongly between 1450 and 1900 nm, producing an image that looks black. This capability makes it a viable tool for detecting water, as it helps identify areas of water deficiency, as well as areas of excess water. It can be used to determine the relative water content of plants and even detect damaged fruit.
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. However, deep cooling reduces dark noise.
Silicon Inspection Camera
CCD and CMOS cameras have been used for silicon surface inspection in the past. 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. They are suitable for front-side inspection offline. 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 feature is important for the 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. A SWIR camera’s spectral resolution is three times greater than a standard camera.
A silicon inspection camera is able to detect defects in silicon wafers and solar-cell panels. This increases productivity and yields. The use of InGaAs cameras in silicon inspection applications is a growing trend. InGaAs cameras are especially useful for monitoring wafer bonding processes. It can detect silicon defects even if they are hidden behind the material.