SPAD 512
A high-speed single-photon camera.
Widefield camera
Wide detection spectra and low noise
Time gating
Plug and Play
SPAD 512, a camera for high-speed photon counting
SPAD 512 is a camera integrating a 512×512 SPAD image sensor. Up to 100,000 fps in 1-bit mode enable high-speed imaging (photon-counting).
Fine time gating enables the study of time-varying samples.
*Other product names: SPAD512, SPAD512², SPAD512S
For consistency and clarity, note that these names refer to the same product.
Widefield camera
Released in 2021, SPAD 512 is the first commercially available SPAD camera in the world. The camera features a 512×512 SPAD image sensor for both photon-counting and photon-time gating applications. This camera is ideal to replace scientific CMOS and EMCCD cameras in widefield microscopy and high-speed imaging applications.
Wide detection spectra and low noise
Our single-photon detectors are fabricated in a state-of-the-art CMOS process and offer an ultra-low dark count rate of less than 25 cps. Microlenses enhance the sensor’s detection efficiency.
Time gating
The sensor features time gating to study time varying signals of interest, such as FLIM. This makes it a perfect addition to any widefield FLIM microscopy setup.
Plug and play
The system requires just a 5V power adapter and two USB3 cables to run. For full flexibility, 2 additional control lines can be connected to the SMA connectors. The industry standard C/CS-mount optical port and the M4 screw mounting positions offer a flexible integration into any existing optical setup.
The detector is bundled with an intuitive software interface. The software gives easy access to all functionalities offered by our detectors, allows for fast prototyping and makes acquiring widefield single-photon data easier than ever.
For the advanced users, we offer full remote control through a standard TCP/IP interface. This enables the user to take full control of the system from any TCP/IP capable software package, such as Matlab, Octave, Labview and Python.
Thanks to its large 512×512 SPAD image sensor, our camera is an ideal candidate to complement a widefield microscope. Time gating makes the camera a suitable candidate for widefield, video-rate FLIM applications.
Other applications include high-speed imaging and quantum correlation imaging.
To showcase real life examples of our camera in various applications, we refer to our applications page.
The white paper “Comparison between SPAD and sCMOS Cameras in Low-Light Conditions” explores SPAD and sCMOS technologies in low-light environments. We demonstrate how SPADs excel in dimly lit environments, making them ideal for applications like biomedical imaging, quantum computing, and surveillance. Read the full paper to learn more.
| Properties | SPAD 512 |
|---|---|
| Array size | 512×512 pixels |
| Peak detection probability | 50% @ 520 nm |
| Wavelength window | 400—950 nm |
| Pixel pitch | 16.38 um |
| Active area size | 6×6 um or 16×16 um with microlenses |
| Microlens efficiency (collimated light) | >50% |
| Median dark count rate | <25 cps |
| Maximum system bandwidth (2× USB-3) | 6 Gbps |
| Maximum frame rate (1-bit, 100k frames burst) | 70,000 fps standard system 100,000 fps high-speed system |
| Maximum frame rate (4-bit, semi-continuous) | 4,300 fps standard system 6,200 fps high-speed system |
| Maximum frame rate (6-bit, continuous) | 1,080 fps standard system 1,600 fps high-speed system |
| Maximum frame rate (7-bit, continuous) | 540 fps standard system 800 fps high-speed system |
| Maximum frame rate (8-bit, continuous) | 270 fps standard system 400 fps high-speed system |
| Minimum gate width | 6 ns |
| Minimum gate step size | 17 ps |
| Power consumption | 5-10 W |
| External SMA triggers | frame/gate trigger laser clock |
| Peltier and air cooling | ✔ |
| Protective glass window | ✔ |
| Robust metal enclosure | ✔ |
