For current prices of all cameras and options, please see the NeutronOptics price list. Cameras are delivered with everything necessary for use with any TV monitor or PC.
High sensitivity CCD cameras are also supplied to the amateur astronomy community.

The compact 80x60 mm neutron camera

The compact version of the CCD neutron alignment camera with a nominal sensitive area of 80x60mm together with its optional 7" (18cm) TFT monitor, alternative USB-2 PC adapter, and supplied electronic exposure controller (click photo to enlarge).

Because a 45 degree mirror is used to take the CCD out of the neutron beam, the thickness of the camera is equal to the height of the sensitive area at least. The compact camera is therefore 55 mm thick while the 100mm camera is 105 mm thick.

The compact camera can be reduced to 43 mm thick, the minimum needed to accommodate the lens.

The slim 100x50 mm neutron camera

In a continuing effort to reduce the size of our cameras while maintaining the largest possible image area, our latest slim camera is only 43mm thick for a sensitive area of 100x50mm in a 120x120mm box.

This camera can also be produced with a larger image area of 100x65mm, by using a standard 58mm thick box.

The standard 100x100 mm neutron camera

This is the most popular of our CCD neutron alignment cameras, with a nominal sensitive area of 100x100mm shown with its optional 7" (18cm) TFT monitor, supplied USB-2 PC adapter, and electronic exposure controller
(click photo to enlarge).

A larger version of this camera is also available (v.5), with a 150x120mm window but still only 100mm thick. The 150x120mm window better matches the CCD aspect ratio than does the 100x100mm camera.

The 200x100 mm guide tube monitor camera

The 200x100mm camera, shown with its optional TFT monitor, supplied USB-2 PC adapter, and electronic exposure controller. This 100mm thick camera was first constructed to monitor the uniformity of ILL neutron guide tubes. Because the 200x100 aspect ratio does not match the 4/3 CCD, this camera is somewhat less efficient and best suited to higher flux situations.

Larger neutron cameras, with better aspect ratios of 150x120mm, 200x150mm and 250x200mm can be supplied (see below).

The 150x120 mm imaging camera

The 150x120mm version 5 camera has a near ideal aspect ratio, matching that of the CCD itself, like the 80x60mm compact camera. For this reason, the 150x120mm camera is almost as efficient as the standard 100x100mm camera, but with a larger field of view. Like all V5 cameras, it uses a custom aluminium box, 100mm thick.

The 150x120mm camera is intended for neutron imaging applications on a medium flux neutron source. It can also be supplied with an alternative X-ray scintillator and carbon fibre window.

It is shown here with a Peltier cooler for noise reduction; Peltier cooling is advised for longer exposures with all large cameras.

The 150x120mm camera can also be supplied with more efficient dual CCD's (below) or with the more sensitive cooled Andor Luca EMCCD (below).

Dual CCD 150x120 mm Laue Camera

The dual CCD Laue camera uses twin CCD units to increase efficiency, extend the image field, and avoid the shadow from the central collimator. The two CCDs have slightly overlapping fields of view; the separate images are automatically stitched together to produce a single larger image after correcting each for its relative position, angle and lens aberrations. This custom software uses the free ImageJ package.

The dual CCD Laue camera, which is still undergoing tests, could be supplied for either neutrons or X-rays; only the collimator, front plate and scintillator are different. For neutrons a thin aluminium window is used, with a carbon fibre window for X-rays. The X-ray version with optional Peltier cooling is shown in the above photo, with its central beam tube that can accept plug-in collimating apertures at either end. This version is intended for use with a white synchrotron radiation beam or, with the dual Peltier cooling option, a tungsten X-ray tube producing a white beam at 30-40 kV and 20-40 ma. For lab X-ray sources, an optional Unisantis poly-capillary focussing lens can be used. Overall dimensions are 400x150x100 mm (x,y,z) for a weight of only 2 kg (click to enlarge).

We are grateful to Dr Chang-Hee Lee of KAERI for help in the construction of this camera.

The 200x150 mm and 250x200 mm cameras

Our largest 250x200mm camera uses either a front-surfaced aluminium soda-glass mirror or an optional stretched aluminium foil mirror. The foil mirror is light, more robust and is not activated in the neutron beam. An f1.0 interchangeable 8mm lens is used, allowing the camera to be housed in a relatively compact 210x300x360mm custom box, designed to be easily opened.

Again this large camera should normally be ordered with the Peltier cooling option.

The slightly smaller 200x150mm camera, in a 175x250x270mm box, is otherwise identical, and may be a better compromise for weaker neutron beams, since efficiency decreases as imaging area increases. The 150x120mm camera is even more efficient.

Options for the standard neutron cameras

All of these "standard" neutron cameras can be equipped with various options to improve performance or ease of operation. For example, the photo on the left shows the 100x60 mm camera fitted with a Peltier cooler and fan to reduce thermal noise for longer exposures, plus a miniature wireless receiver to allow remote control.

A small wireless video transmitter (blue) and receiver is shown alongside the camera. This transmitter operates on 16-channels near 1.2 GHz or 12-channels near 2.4GHz at 700 mW. Lower power transmitters are also available if required to satisfy local regulations. The wireless channel can be changed at the press of a button, and additional transmitters or receivers can be purchased separately. Before ordering, please check the radio frequencies and power permitted in your environment.

High Sensitivity EMCCD camera

An Electron-Multiplying CCD (EMCCD) uses an electron multiplying structure built into the CCD to greatly increase sensitivity. This technology, like alternative Image-Intensified CCDs (ICCD), is still quite expensive, but lower-cost products, are now becoming available, with monochrome cooled EMCCD sensors of either 658x496 or 1002x1004 pixels.

The NeutronOptics 658x496 EMCCD neutron camera, first constructed for the ILL detector group, is cooled by -20C to reduce noise at high EM gain (x255) and remaining isolated "hot" pixels are filtered out. To illustrate its high sensitivity, it was placed 80mm behind a 3mm ruby crystal, backscattering from a white thermal neutron beam, on the ILL OrientExpress beam line. The camera is controlled using public domain software.

The second photo shows an image of the backscattered diffraction pattern obtained in only 60 seconds. The field of view is smaller than with ILL's 250x200mm OrientExpress dual image-intensified camera, and the sensitivity, dynamic range and S/N ratio are also less good, but the neutron diffraction pattern looks similar. In particular, it is immediately clear that the ruby crystal is twinned, and the large number of Bragg spots obtained should allow orientation of the crystal axes.