Detectors - StellarNet, Inc.

What is a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD)?

Apr 25, 2017 | Detectors, Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms

A charged-coupled device (CCD) is a type of electronic detector that is widely used for detection in the visible region. When an ultraviolet coating is added, CCDs are also useful for the UV region. The CCD is made up of an array of rectangular capacitors, called...

What is a Photodiode Array (PDA)?

Apr 25, 2017 | Detectors, Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms

A photodiode array (PDA) is just many photodiodes stacked together. The individual photodiodes are called pixels or elements. PDAs are particularly useful because they can measure photons in the NIR region, which a CCD cannot. The PDAs used in StellarNet’s NIR...

What is a Ultraviolet Coating (for a CCD)?

Apr 25, 2017 | Detectors, Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms

Also: Fluorophore detector coating Normal CCDs are not efficient in the UV region. However, they can be modified with an ultraviolet coating to increase the efficiency. The coating is made of a fluorescent material that converts the UV photons into lower energy...

What is a Detector Efficiency Curve?

Apr 25, 2017 | Detectors, Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms

A detector efficiency curve shows how efficient a detector is at converting photons into digital signal. Below is a typical efficiency curve for StellarNet detectors: Absolute efficiency (%) is plotted versus wavelength. At ~475 nm, the efficiency is 100%. This means...

What is a Detector?

Apr 25, 2017 | Detectors, Glossary of Spectroscopy Terms

A detector is a device used to record the signal in a spectroscopy experiment (or in general). For example, camera film is a type of detector. The coating on the film reacts to the light directed to it by the camera optics and records an image. Digital cameras also...