The Optical Spectroscopy Div. of Horiba Jobin Yvon has announced the Synapse USB 2.0 CCD detector for spectroscopy applications ranging from simple absorbance to difficult Raman and photoluminescence measurements. It interfaces with all of the company’s spectrometers. The low-noise amplifiers are placed next to the CCD sensor to minimize environmental noise. Four-stage thermoelectric cooling to –70 °C reduces dark current levels and eliminates the problems that arise with liquid nitrogen. The front-illuminated open-electrode 1024 × 256-pixel CCD produces an average quantum efficiency of 40% from 200 to 900 nm. Scan rates are software-selectable, and nonlinearity at 20 kHz is <0.4% and, at all other rates, <1%. The imaging area measures 26.6 × 6.7 mm, with a 100% fill factor and a 16-bit dynamic range. Features include a built-in shutter driver circuit, flexible TTL triggering options and an auxiliary signal input for data collection from a reference detector or an additional single-channel detector for extended wavelength coverage.