Image Sensors:

Keith Wetzel and Bill Des Jardin, Eastman Kodak Co.

Many scientific, medical and industrial imaging applications rely on camera systems that contain high-performance charge-coupled device sensors (CCDs). These applications require sensors that provide high signal levels and very low noise. This capability allows users to acquire images more quickly or identify features that would otherwise not be clearly discernable.
For example, amateur astronomers use very long exposures with filters, especially in the blue, to achieve correct balance for a full-color image. Increasing a detector's blue sensitivity means that astronomers can reduce blue exposure times, an important factor in minimizing motion effects that can degrade image quality. Alternatively, they can maintain their acquisition time and use the detector's extra sensitivity to identify fainter astronomical objects.
Biologists, chemists, other scientists and industrial users face similar tradeoffs in terms of image acquisition time versus ability to identify faint signals. All are among those who can benefit from recent advances in high-sensitivity image sensor technology.