CT-16K500UV100CoF Camera & PCIe3004 CoaXPress Over Fiber Frame Grabber

CT-16K500UV100CoF Camera & PCIe3004 CoaXPress Over Fiber Frame Grabber

The CT-16K500UV100CoF is a high-performance scientific-grade camera based on a back-illuminated / UV-enhanced TDI line-scan sensor. It features 16384 (16K) pixel line resolution, up to 500 kHz line rate, P1 up to 256 / P2 up to 32 stages of Time Delay Integration (TDI), dual-array HDR, and TEC cooling. It is widely used in high-speed, high-precision online inspection applications such as wafer/semiconductor inspection, flat panel display inspection, PCB inspection, UV fluorescence, and spectral analysis.

When using this camera for measurement and control, real-time image acquisition and high-speed, low-latency image processing are often required. The camera adopts a CoaXPress-over-Fiber (CoF) optical interface with a single-link bandwidth of 100 Gbps, offering excellent EMC performance and virtually unlimited transmission distance, fully capable of handling the 16K@500kHz high-speed data stream. The camera complies with the GenICam/GenApi standard and supports plug-and-play full-function adaptation via a feature tree client.

Fig. 1: CT-16K500UV100CoF Camera and 3004 CoF Frame Grabber

Camera Overview

1. Key Specifications

Parameter	Specification
Sensor Type	TDI Line-Scan CMOS (Back-Illuminated / UV-Enhanced)
Effective Pixels	16384 (16K) Line Array
Pixel Size	5 μm × 5 μm (reference to similar sensors)
TDI Stages	P1: 32/64/128/192/224/252/256; P2: 2/4/8/16/24/28/30/32
Max Line Rate	500 kHz
Pixel Bit Depth	Mono12
Scan Direction	Forward / Backward (Bidirectional TDI, independently calibrated)
Dynamic Range	Dual-array (P1+P2) HDR supported
Data Interface	CoaXPress-over-Fiber (100 Gbps)
Cooling Method	TEC semiconductor cooling (target 20~40 ℃ adjustable) + fan
Image Correction	FPN / PRNU / DSNU / DPC / OBC / LE / LUT
Operating Mode	TDI_Mode / Area_Mode; LineScan / AreaScan

2. Core Features

1. High-Sensitivity Low-Light Imaging: Up to 256-stage TDI time delay integration combined with TEC cooling for exceptional SNR.
2. UV Enhancement: Back-illuminated sensor delivers high quantum efficiency in the UV band, revealing scratches, stains, and non-uniformities invisible under visible light.
3. High Dynamic Range: Dual-array data fusion of P1 (high sensitivity) + P2 (low sensitivity) extends the dynamic range.
4. Metrology-Grade Image Quality: Multi-level correction including FPN/PRNU/DSNU/DPC/OBC/LE/LUT, with independent forward/reverse calibration.
5. Precision Synchronous Scanning: Rich trigger sources, frequency multiplication/division, external direction and gating control for synchronization with motion/encoder systems.

3. Operating Modes

TDI_Mode: Time Delay Integration mode for low-light high-speed scanning imaging (default).

Area_Mode: Standard line-scan mode.

DeviceScanType supports LineScan / AreaScan switching; TDIScanDirection supports Forward / Backward bidirectional scanning.

4. Software & Interface

The camera supports the GenICam standard interface. The accompanying XML description file can be recognized by mainstream machine vision software and feature tree clients. The GenICam interface covers full-feature categories including device control, image format, acquisition control, TDI control, temperature control, status monitoring, LUT control, flat-field correction, digital I/O, user parameter sets, factory calibration, and transport layer.

5. Typical Applications

Wafer/semiconductor inspection, flat panel display (FPD) inspection, PCB inspection, battery electrode inspection, UV fluorescence/spectral analysis, high-performance document/film scanning, microscopy, and metrology.

Test Preparation & Image Acquisition

After powering on the camera and establishing a proper fiber link, identify the camera in the feature tree client (DeviceModelName should be readable). First, acquire a set of baseline images using the default baseline configuration. All subsequent comparisons of "brightness/uniformity/direction" should reference this baseline. Change only one variable at a time and capture images for comparison.

Baseline default configuration is shown in the table below:

Parameter	Default Value
DeviceScanType	LineScan
Width / Height / OffsetX	4096 / 32 / 0
PixelFormat	Mono12
CameraMode	TDI_Mode
Binning	Binning_4x2
AnalogGain / DigitalGain / BlackLevel	x1 / 1 / 0
AcquisitionLineRate / FrameRate	500 kHz / 10 Hz
ExposureTime	10000 us
TriggerMode / Source / Activation	Off (On recommended) / RS422 / RisingEdge
TriggerGlitch/Debouncer/Delay/Timeout	25ns / 1000ns / 0 / 100us
TriggerLatch / RescalerSamples	On / Samples_0
TDIScanDirection / ScanDirectionSource	Forward / Internal
InvalidLinesMaskEnable / MaskInvalidLines	On / 32

Open the acquisition software, select and connect to the camera, then click the acquisition button to capture images. The interface is shown below.

Fig. 2: Acquisition Software Connection & Capture Interface

Default image acquired with baseline configuration is shown below.

Fig. 3: Image Acquired with Baseline Default Configuration

Camera Function Tests

Image Format & ROI (ImageFormatControl)

Image acquisition with default width and height (Width=4096, Height=32) is shown below.

Fig. 4: Default Width/Height Acquisition

Adjusting width/height to other values (e.g., Width=4096, Height=32/64) and acquiring successfully — image dimensions match the settings.

Fig. 5: Acquisition After Modifying Width/Height

Fig. 6: PixelFormat Set to Mono12

Switching CameraMode between TDI_Mode and Area_Mode: TDI images are noticeably brighter (multi-stage integration), while Area mode produces single-stage line-scan images.

Fig. 7: CameraMode Set to Area_Mode

Setting BlackLevel to 0/100/500: overall image pedestal rises, dark area floor shifts upward.

Fig. 8: Acquisition After BlackLevel Elevation

Setting ReverseX to True/False: two images are left-right mirrored.

Fig. 9: ReverseX Mirror Comparison

Setting TestPattern to various Ramp modes (no lens required): corresponding horizontal/vertical/diagonal grayscale gradient stripes appear, used for link and bit-depth self-test.

Fig. 10: TestPattern Test Images

Setting AlignGridEnable to BothOn and adjusting spacing/color/offset: corresponding grid lines are overlaid on the image for optical alignment.

Fig. 11: AlignGrid Overlay

Acquisition & Trigger (AcquisitionControl)

Setting AcquisitionLineRate to 100k/300k/500k; AcquisitionFrameRate cannot be set: output speed matches Status line rate/frame rate readings.

Fig. 12: Line Rate / Frame Rate Setting Acquisition

ExposureTime cannot be set; default value is 10000us.

Fig. 13: Exposure Time Comparison

1. Software Trigger

Set TriggerSource to SoftTrigger, set SoftTriggerNum=100, and execute SoftTrigger.

Fig. 14: Software Trigger Acquisition

2. External Trigger (RS422)

Set TriggerMode to On, TriggerSource to RS422: no trigger means no image update; image is output only when triggered. Switching TriggerActivation between rising and falling edge responds on the corresponding edge.

Fig. 15: External Trigger Acquisition

TDI Control (TDIControl)

TDIStage default is 16 and cannot be changed.

Fig. 16: TDI Stage Comparison

Setting TDIScanDirection to Forward/Backward: vertical content order is reversed between the two images.

Fig. 17: Scan Direction Forward/Reverse Comparison

Setting ScanDirectionSource to External and changing external level, switching ScanDirectionActivation between high/low active: direction follows external signal and polarity. Injecting glitches with ExternalScanGlitchFilter prevents false direction flipping.

Fig. 18: External Direction Control

Temperature & Cooling (TemperatureControl)

Set ControllerSelector to Auto, TecTargetTemperature to 20/30/40 ℃: SensorAnalogTemperature converges to the target value, as shown in the readings below.

Fig. 19: TEC Target Temperature & Real-Time Temperature Readings

Status Monitoring (StatusControl)

During acquisition, read LineTriggerRate/ValidTriggerRate/SensorTriggerRate/SensorTxLineRate/CXPTxLineRate/CXPTxFrameRate and each *Sum accumulator: values match the set line rate/frame rate and increment continuously, as shown below.

Fig. 20: Rate Levels & Cumulative Count Readings