iKon-L Series

4 Megapixel, -100°C,
5 MHz Imaging CCD

NOW AVAILABLE WITH

DUAL AR EXTENDED RANGE& FRINGE SUPRESSIONTECHNOLOGY

LowSensitive
Light Imaging
UltraImaging

NEWFeatures and Benefits-100°C Deep-Cooled CCD for Large Area Imaging• Broad wavelength coverage		 Now available with BEX2-DD		 (UV-NIR Broadband) sensor option

Andor’s iKon-L 936 is designed with scientific imaging in mind. The 2048 x 2048 array and• TE cooling to -100°C				 Critical for elimination of dark current
detection limit-100°C. The iKon-L offers outstanding resolution, field of view, sensitivity and dynamic range• Fringe Suppression Technology™
NIR etaloning greatly reduced with		 BEX2-DD sensor• 4-speed readout up to 5 MHz •10		 Slower readout for low noise, faster speeds 				 for dynamic processes and 5 MHz for 				 vizualization mode
• Ultra low noise readout		 Intelligent low-noise electronics offer the 				 most ‘silent’ system noise performance 				 available• Large area 2048 x 2048 sensor
Large field of view and high resolution• UltraVac™ •1
Critical for sustained vacuum integrity and to		 maintain unequalled cooling and QE		 performance, year after year

13.5 μm pixel pitch combine to deliver a 27.6 x 27.6 mm active image area, TE cooled down toperformance. Ultimate sensitivity performance is achieved through combination of > 90% QE(back-illuminated sensor), low noise readout electronics and exceptionally deep TE cooling.
The new Dual AR deep depletion ‘BEX2-DD’ sensor option provides an unmatched QE profile,offering highest possible QE from UV through to NIR.
iKon-L boasts a proprietary large area 5-stage TE cooler (4-stage optional), enablingcooling of this large area sensor down to an unprecedented -100°C without the aggravationof liquid nitrogen or compressed gas cooling, perfect for the longest of exposure times.
Such performance renders this camera ideal for low-light applications such as astronomy,plant or in vivo luminescence imaging, with ideal OEM adaptability and support. USB 2.0
connectivity and multi-MHz readout options provide for ease of integration and operation.

Specifications Summary•3

Active pixels

2048 x 2048

Sensor size

27.6 x 27.6 mm• Fast Kinetics & Cropped Sensor modes		 For fast temporal resolution down to		 sub-millisecond

Pixel size (W x H)

13.5 µm x 13.5 µm• ASTRO.control compatibility		 Redlogix ASTRO.control is a dedicated 				 platform for control of astronomical telescopes		 and instrumentation		 http://www.andor.com/astrocontrol.aspx• Windows, Linux & Labview		 Andor’s user-friendly SDK supports both		 Windows and Linux OS. Labview VI package		 available

Active area pixel well depth

100,000 e(150,000 e- for BEX2-DD and BR-DD models)Maximum readout rate

5 MHz

Read noise

2.9 e-Maximum cooling-100°C

Frame rate

0.95 fps (full frame)• Integrated shutter •2		 F-mount (EF optional) with integrated		 programmable 45 mm shutter

1

iKon-L Series

4 Megapixel, -100°C,
5 MHz Imaging CCD

System Specifications•3Sensor options

BV: Back Illuminated CCD, Vis optimized
BEX2-DD: Back Illuminated CCD, Deep Depletion with fringe suppression, extended range dual AR coating

Active pixels •42048 x 2048

Pixel size

13.5 x 13.5 μm

Image area

27.6 x 27.6 mm with 100% fill factor

Minimum temperatures •5Air cooled
Coolant recirculator
Coolant chiller, coolant @ 10ºC, 0.75 l/min
Blemish specification

4-stage peltier cooler
-70ºC
-75ºC
-80ºC

5-stage peltier cooler
-80ºC
-95ºC
-100ºC

Grade 1 sensor from supplier. Camera blemishes as defined by Andor Grade A:
www.andor.com/learning-academy/ccd-blemishes-and-non-uniformities-black-pixels-and-hot-pixels-on-a-ccd-sensor

System window type

BV sensor: UV-grade fused silica, ‘Broadband VIS-NIR’, unwedged
BEX2-DD sensor: UV-grade fused silica, ‘Broadband VUV-NIR’, unwedged(other options available e.g. Bose-Einstein 780nm for Rb BEC experiments)

Advanced Performance Specifications•3

BV sensor
0.000400.000130.000059

Dark current, e-/pixel/sec •6@ -70°C@ -80°C@ -100°C (5-stage peltier cooler model only)
Pixel readout rates

5, 3, 1, 0.05 MHz

Active area pixel well depth
Read noise (e-) •7
0.05 MHz
1 MHz
3 MHz
5 MHz •10

BEX2-DD sensor
0.020
0.006
0.0003100,000 e-

150,000 e-

High Sensitivity output
2.9
7.0
11.7
31.5

High Capacity output
8.7
22.2
40.2
70.3

Linearity •8

Better than 99%

Digitization

16-bitVertical clock speed

38 or 76 µs (software selectable)

Frame Rates•950 kHz
Binning

Full Frame

1 MHz1024 x 1024

512 x 512

Binning

Full Frame

1024 x 1024

512 x 512

1x1

0.011

0.023

0.046

1x1

0.221

0.433

0.835

2x2

0.040

0.059

0.102

2x2

0.662

0.993

1.670

4x4

0.155

0.138

0.213

4x4

1.594

1.947

2.951

8x8

0.482

0.293

0.420

8x8

2.912

3.266

4.571

16 x 16

1.166

0.572

0.780

16 x 16

4.152

4.710

6.204
•103 MHz

5 MHz (Vizualization mode)

Binning

Full Frame

1024 x 1024

512 x 512

Binning

Full Frame

1024 x 1024

512 x 512

1x1

0.607

1.157

2.115

1x1

0.953

1.771

3.100

2x2

1.294

2.175

3.588

2x2

1.655

2.922

4.733

4x4

2.305

3.545

5.326

4x4

2.619

4.329

6.424

8x8

3.463

5.017

6.953

8x8

3.697

5.700

7.822

16 x 16

4.496

6.270

8.180

16 x 16

4.654

6.776

8.777

2

iKon-L Series

4 Megapixel, -100°C,
5 MHz Imaging CCD

Application Focus: Physical Sciences
Astronomy - Exoplanet Discovery
One of the key goals of Exoplanet science is to discover planets similar in sizeand composition to Earth. Using the latest in imaging technology, planets in thissize domain can be most easily discovered around M-dwarf stars. An Earth-sized
exoplanet transiting an M-dwarf star causes a more significant decrease in stellar
brightness than the same planet orbiting a Sun-like star. However, detecting
transit signatures of planets of this kind remains challenging due to the planet’s
small relative sizes and/or faint host stars, combined with limited sensitivities ofexisting instruments.
Andor’s large area iKon-L and iKon-XL back-illuminated CCD cameras represent
ideal solutions for exoplanet science, due to the sensor’s high sensitivity,
extended NIR sensitivity and high QE coverage (>90% peak QE) in combination
with a low noise floor supporting high precision photometry.

Low Maintenance Astronomy
Andor’s UltraVac™ Technology is particularly relevant
for astronomy applications. Cameras are often in remoteunmanned observation locations and need to operate
without service intervention, over long durations of time.
The sustained vacuum integrity of Andor’s UltraVac™
Technology prevents the need for re-pumping andexperiment down-time, resulting in higher experimental
throughput, and a lower cost of ownership.

PNO Liquid Nitrogen

PNO Vacuum re-pump

PNO Cryo cooler

PNO Return to base

Two interacting galaxies, M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) & NGC
5195. Courtesy of Prof. Andrzej Pigulski, Wroclaw University,Poland.

Quantum Efficiency Curves
λmax of Sun (≈ 5778 K, G2)•11

λmax of GJ 1132 (≈ 3270 K, M3.5)

Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC)
The high and broad QE profile of the iKon-L provides
excellent coverage of the visible / NIR wavelength range,
often needed to image ultracold fermions at wavelengths of670 nm and above, in both fluorescence and absorption typeset-ups.

Hyper-Spectral Imaging
Often there is a desire for the highest number of spectral
channels possible with ideal resolution; the large FOV andpixel size of the iKon series offers significant extensions tohyper spectral imaging.

Neutron Radiography
Traditionally CCD’s have been used as imaging cameras
for neutron tomography. Andor’s scientific range of imaging
cameras are ideal with their extremely low noise, -100 °C
cooling and highest QE delivering optimal performance.

Quantum efficiency against wavelength of the standard Silicon (‘BV’) and deepdepletion (‘BEX2-DD’) iKon-L sensor options. Overlaid are the peak wavelengths
λmax of the Sun and the exoplanet hosting M-dwarf GJ 1132. This highlights thehigher quantum efficiency in the NIR using deep depletion sensors, which is ofgreat importance for observations of cool stars, such as M-dwarfs.

3

iKon-L Series

4 Megapixel, -100°C,
5 MHz Imaging CCD

Application Focus: Life ScienceiKon-L is suitable for life science applications that require longer exposures and benefit from the lowest possible dark current
that is not possible with “fast” sCMOS cameras. Such applications include:

P Fluorescence Microscopy
P Biochip Reading
P Bio/Chemi - Luminescence
P In-Vivo Luminescence
P Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF)
Plant Science ResearchStudies of plant species such as A. thaliana using luminescencebased experiments provide an effective means to study many
aspects of plant growth, development and regulation. Suchexperiments involve measurement of weak signals over extended
periods. The iKon series is perfectly suited to these applications.
Exceptional sensitivity extends across the 400 to 700 nm region.
The deep cooled sensors provides the lowest noise floor enabling
extended exposures beyond seconds into minutes. The iKon-L
model has a wide field of view meaning that larger areas and moredata can be viewed and analyzed.

Example of bioluminescence timelapse of Arabidopsis toinvestigate the circadian clock. Courtesy of Professor Liu(Liu Lab, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS,Shanghai). Taken with the iKon series, read more here.

Quantum Efficiency Curves•11

Biochip Reading
Biochip experiments vary widely with some requiring longexposures to detect faintly emitted signals. For these experiments
the iKon series is an ideal option due to the high sensitivity andlowest noise floor over extended exposures times. The large 27.6 x27.6 mm sensor format allows for the maximum image information
to be acquired in each snap. When higher speed acquisition isrequired we recommend the higher speeds of sCMOS cameras
such as the Zyla series.

Have you found what you’re looking for?
Need the ultimate in sensitivity? The iXon back-illuminated EMCCD series offers > 90% QE and single photon
sensitivity, combined with fast frame rate performance.
Need a large field of view with faster frame rates? The ZL41 sCMOS is available in a large 5.5 megapixel sensor
format that offers up to 100 fps (full frame). The iXon Ultra 888 offers ultimate sensitivity at 26 fps. The Sona 4.2B-11
back-illuminated sCMOS has exceptional sensitivity and the largest field of view with a 32 mm diagonal.
Need smaller pixels? Check out the new Sona 4.2B-6 sCMOS with smaller 6.5 μm pixels.
Need a customised version? Please contact us to discuss our Customer Special Request options. https://andor.
oxinst.com/contact4iKon-L Series

4 Megapixel, -100°C,
5 MHz Imaging CCD

Creating The Optimum Product for You
D Z 936N- BV
example shown

Step 1.

Choose the cooling option

Step 2.

Description

Cooling

Step 3.

Choose the sensor type optionCode

4-stage peltier cooling (Air cooled : -70ºC,Coolant recirculator: -75ºC, Coolant chiller,
coolant @ 10ºC, 0.75 l/min: -80ºC)W

5-stage peltier cooling (Air cooled: -80ºC,Coolant recirculator: -95ºC, Coolant chiller,coolant @ 10ºC, 0.75 l/min: : -100ºC)

Z

Description

Code

Back Illuminated CCD

BV

Back Illuminated CCD,Deep Depletion with fringe
suppression, extended range dual AR coating

BEX2-DD

SensorType

Select an alternative camera window (optional)
The standard window has been selected to satisfy most applications. However, other options are available. The alternativecamera window code must be specified at time of ordering.

CameraWindow
Step 4.

Accessories &Adapters

Step 5.

To view and select other window options please refer to the ‘Camera Windows Supplementary Specification Sheet’ which
gives the transmission characteristics, product codes and procedure for entering the order. Further detailed information on thewindows can be found in the Technical note – ‘Camera Windows: Optimizing for Different Spectral Regions’.

Select the required accessories and adapters
Description

Order CodeRe-circulator for enhanced cooling performance

XW-RECR

Oasis 160 Ultra compact chiller unit (tubing to be ordered separately)

ACC-XW-CHIL-160

6 mm tubing options for ACC-XW-CHIL-160 (2x2.5 m or 2x5m lengths)

ACC-6MM-TUBING-2X2.5
ACC-6MM-TUBING-2X5M

Auto extension tubes (set of 3) for Nikon FOA-ENAF

USB Extender: Icron USB 2.0 Ranger 2201 (supports up to 100 m) - EU/UK/USACC-USBX-EU
ACC-USBX-UK
ACC-USBX-US

30 m Ethernet cable (for use with the above ACC-USBX-** USB extenders)

ACC-ELC-13295

Select the required software
The iKon-L requires at least one of the following software options:
Solis for Imaging A 32-bit and fully 64-bit enabled application for Windows (8, 8.1 and 10) Linux and Labview, offering richfunctionality for data acquisition and processing. AndorBasic provides macro language control of data acquisition, processing,display and export.

SoftwareAndor SDK A software development kit that allows you to control the Andor range of cameras from your own application.
Available as 32/64-bit libraries for Windows (8, 8.1 and 10), compatible with C/C++, C#, Delphi, VB.NET, LabVIEW and Matlab.
Linux SDK compatible with C/C++.
Third party software compatibility Drivers are available so that the iKon-L range can be operated through a large variety ofthird party imaging packages. See: https://andor.oxinst.com/learning/view/article/third-party-imaging-software-support

5iKon-L Series

4 Megapixel, -100°C,
5 MHz Imaging CCD

Product Drawings
Dimensions in mm [inches]
Third-angle projection

Weight: 4.6 kg [10.2 lb]

Connecting to the iKon-L
Camera Control
Connector type: USB 2.0
TTL / Logic
Connector type: SMB, provided with SMB - BNC cable
Fire (Output), External Trigger (Input), Shutter (Output)
I2C connector
Compatible with Fischer SC102A054-130
Shutter (TTL), I2C Clock, I2C Data, +5 Vdc, Ground
Minimum cable clearance required at bottom of camera
90 mm

6iKon-L Series

4 Megapixel, -100°C,
5 MHz Imaging CCD

Order Today
Need more information? At Andor we are committed to finding
the correct solution for you. With a dedicated team of technicaladvisors, we are able to offer you one-to-one guidance andtechnical support on all Andor products. For a full listing of ourregional sales offices, please see: andor.com/contact
Our regional headquarters are:
EUROPE 			
Belfast, Northern Ireland 			Phone +44 (28) 9023 7126			
Fax +44 (28) 9031 0792			

JAPANTokyo
Phone +81 (3) 6732 8968
Fax +81 (3) 6732 8939

NORTH AMERICA 			CHINA
Concord, MA, USA 				Beijing
Phone +1 (860) 290 9211			
Phone +86 (10) 5884 7900
Fax +1 (860) 290 9566			
Fax +86 (10) 5884 7901

Items shipped with your camera

Footnotes: Specifications are subject to change without notice1.

1x 2 m BNC - SMB connection cable
1x 3 m USB 2.0 cable Type A to Type B
1x PS-40 power supply
1x PS-40 to camera cable
1x PS-29 power supply with mains cable
1x CD containing Andor user guides
1x Individual system performance booklet

Assembled in a state-of-the-art cleanroom facility, Andor’s UltraVac™ vacuum process combines apermanent hermetic vacuum seal (no o-rings), with a stringent protocol to minimize outgassing, including
use of proprietary material.

2.

This integrated shutter can be removed on request, and the camera configured to trigger an external shutter
via TTL output.

3.

Figures are typical unless otherwise stated.

4.

Edge pixels may exhibit a partial response.

5.

Specified minimum air cooled temperature assumes ambient temperature of 25°C. Specified minimum
temperature with coolant assumes coolant temperature of 10°C.

6.

Dark current measurement is taken as a median over the sensor area excluding any regions of blemishes.

7.

Readout noise is for the entire system. It is a combination of sensor readout noise and A/D noise.
Measurement is for Single Pixel readout with the sensor at a temperature of -80°C and minimum exposure
time under dark conditions.

8.

Linearity is measured from a plot of counts vs exposure time under constant photon flux up to the saturation
point of the system.

9.

The frame rates shown are for a range of binning or array size combinations. All measurements are madewith 38 μs vertical shift speed. It also assumes internal trigger mode of operation and minimum exposure

Background image on front page: NGC 6514 (M20)
The Trifid Nebula courtesy of R. Jay GaBany(www.cosmotography.com)

time.
10. 5 MHz is for focusing/visualization mode only.
11. Quantum efficiency of the sensor at 25°C as supplied by the sensor manufacturer.

Minimum Computer Requirements:

Operating & Storage Conditions• 3.0 GHz single core or 2.4 GHz multi core processor• Operating Temperature: 0°C to 30°C ambient• 2 GB RAM• Relative Humidity: < 70% (non-condensing)• 100 MB free hard disc to install software (at least• Storage Temperature: -25°C to 50°C

1 GB recommended for data spooling)• USB 2.0 High Speed Host Controller capable ofsustained rate of 40 MB/s
• Windows (8, 8.1 and 10) or LinuxFM40523

EMS91062

Power Requirements• 100 - 240 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz• Power consumption: 4 stage cooler (W) 60 W max.,
5 stage cooler (Z) 120 W max

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
LabVIEW is a registered trademark of National Instruments.
MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks Inc.
LiKonLSS 0924 R17