CMOS camera enables high-throughput inspection

MARCH 12--The PM-1000 from Radiant Imaging (Duvall, WA; www.radimg.com) is an instrument for on-line testing of display output in high-throughput production environments. This new metrology tool offers a high-speed method of acquiring colorimetric and photometric test images. Typical applications for the PM-1000 include luminance, illuminance, and chromaticity measurements on LCDs and LCD components, display backlights, OLEDs, and CRTs.

The PM-1000 uses a 10-bit CMOS imaging array, which delivers inherently fast integration and readout times and allows for rapid data transfer. Integrated, on-chip filters enable simultaneous measurements of different colors. As a result, the PM-1000 delivers frame acquisition rates as much as 100 times faster than cameras based on CCD arrays. To fully support this impressive speed, the PM-1000 is interfaced to a host computer through a 480-Mbit/s, USB 2.0 connection.

In addition to higher speed, the use of CMOS sensors also yields cost advantages over CCDs. Furthermore, CMOS sensors eliminate the expense, space, and weight associated with an external shutter.The PM-1000 is supplied with Radiant Imaging's latest ProMetric V. 7.0 software and requires a PC compatible computer running Windows XP or 2000, as well as a USB 2.0 interface.