Millisecond-readout CCD camera

We have developed a prototype of a fast-scanning CCD readout system to record a 1024 X 256 pixel image and transport the image to a recording station within 1 ms of the experimental event. The system is designed to have a dynamic range of greater than 1000 with adequate sensitivity to read single-electron excitations of a CRT phosphor when amplified by a microchannel plate image intensifier. This readout camera is intended for recording images from oscilloscopes, streak, and framing cameras. The sensor is a custom CCD chip, designed by LORAL Aeroneutronics. This CCD chip is designed with 16 parallel output ports to supply the necessary image transfer speed. The CCD is designed as an interline structure to allow fast clearing of the image and on-chip fast shuttering. Special antiblooming provisions are also included. The camera is designed to be modular and to allow CCD chips of other sizes to be used with minimal re-engineering of the camera head.