iKon-XL SO

OPEN-FRONT CCD

NEW VERY LARGE AREA
DIRECT DETECTION CCD
Key Specifications• 16.8 Megapixel sensors• Down to 2.1 e- read noise• -75°C TE cooled• Up to 350,000 e- well depth• 18-bit Extended Dynamic Range• USB 3.0 and direct long distancefibre optic connection

Key Applications
P VUV/EUV/XUV Imaging
P X-Ray Microscopy
P Phase Contrast Imaging
P X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)
P X-Ray Plasma Imaging

INTRODUCINGIKON-XL SO
Very Large Area Open-front CCD for Direct Detection
Andor’s iKon-XL ‘SO’ is a TE-cooled, very large area CCD camera platform, accommodating big fieldof view sensors that are ideally suited to low light X-Ray imaging applications. It thermoelectricallycools back-illuminated 16.8 Megapixel sensors (e2v) down to -75°C, avoiding inconvenientmaintenance-intensive LN2 cooling interface or unreliable cryo coolers. Extended Dynamic Range
technology is complemented by up to 18-bit digitization. Flexible connectivity is standard througheither USB 3.0 or a long distance direct fibre optic interface. iKon-XL is a high quality, robustand ‘hassle-free’ detector solution.
Both the 230 and 231 series use e2v back-illuminated sensors (CCD 230-84 and CCD 231-84
respectively), offering a very large 61.4 x 61.7 mm imaging area from a 4096 x 4112 array format
and 15 μm pixel size, ideal for applications such as large field-of-view VUV/EUV/XUV X-ray Imaging
and X-ray plasma.
The iKon-XL ‘SO’ 231 offers the absolute best CCD performance available, combining exceptionally
low read noise of 2.1 e- with a very large well depth of 350,000 e-.

Meet the familyiKon-M SOSensorCooling
Peak QE
Read Noise
Pixel Well Depth
Frame RateMounting•
•
•
•
•
•
•

1 MP (13 µm pixels)-100°C TE cooling>95%
Down to 2.9 eUp to 100 000 e4.4 fps
DN100CF / 6” CF / CF-152
rotatable flange and knife-edge

NEWiKon-L SO
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

4.2 MP (13.5 µm pixels)-100°C TE cooling>95%
Down to 2.9 eUp to 150 000 e0.953 fps
DN100CF / 6” CF / CF-152
rotatable flange and knife-edge

••
•
•
•
•
•

iKon-XL SO

16.8 MP (15 µm pixels)-75°C TE cooling>95%
Down to 2.1 eUp to 350 000 eup to 0.5 fps (full frame)
DN160CF / 8” CF / CF-203 rotatableflange and knife-edge

13.3 x 13.3 mm
27.6 x 27.6 mm
Right: Comparison ofthe sensor size of theiKon family (actual size).

61.4 x 61.7 mm
2FEATURES& BENEFITS
FeatureBenefit

Open-front end

DN160CF / 8” CF / CF-203 rotatable flange and knife-edge sealing provided as standard for
direct interfacing to vacuum chambers

61.4 x 61.7 mm sensor

Very large field of view for extended imaging capabilities

15 x 15 µm pixel size

Ideal balance of dynamic range and resolution

Peak QE over 95%•5High photon collection efficiency for maximising SNR

Thermo-electric cooling down to -75°C

Effective dark current and pixel blemish without the inconvenience of liquid nitrogen (LN2)

Low noise readout

Intelligent low-noise electronics offer the most ‘silent’ system noiseFibre-optic or USB 3.0 interface flexibility

Built-in robust plug and play interface options as standard. Fibre optic for long distancesolution

Extended Dynamic Range (18-bit)

Unique method to achieve lowest noise and maximum well depth within one scan.
Supplemented by up to 18-bit digitization

Balanced Quad-port readout

Tracking stability to ensure all readout circuits experience same temperature and operating
conditions

Multiple readout speeds, up to 3 or 4 MHz

Slower readout for lowest noise, faster speeds for more rapid readout and focusing

Windows, Linux & Labview

Andor’s user-friendly SDK supports both Windows and Linux OS. LabView VI package
available.

EPICS software control

Seamless integration and operation at EPICS-based particle accelerators and major telescopes

Extended Dynamic Range TechnologyCCD cameras always require software selection ofamplifier gain to optimize either for low noise (weaksignal) OR max well depth (bright signal). Not both…
…until now. iKon-XL utilizes proprietary Andor CCD
know-how to offer lowest read noise AND maximum
well depth in one image, with only one gain setting.

3

TECHNICAL
DATA
System Specifications •2Sensor Options

iKon XL ‘SO’ 230

iKon XL ‘SO’ 231

BN: back-illuminated, uncoated

BN: back-illuminated uncoated
BR-DD: back-illuminated deep-depletion

Pixels4096 (H) x 4112 (V)Pixel size

15 x 15 μm

Image area

61.4 x 61.7 mm with 100% fill factor

Minimum temperatures •3@ coolant temperature of 10°C
@ coolant temperature of 16°C
air cooled (@22°C ambient)

-75ºC
-70ºC
-55ºC

Blemish specification

Grade 1 or higher, as per manufacturers definition

Advanced Performance Specifications •2
iKon-XL ‘SO’ 230
Peak QE

iKon-XL ‘SO’ 231>95% (BN), >90% (BR-DD)•5

Active area pixel well depth (typical)

150,000 e-350,000 e-Output node capacity

450,000 e- (High sensitivity)
900,000 e- (High capacity)

600,000 e-

Pixel readout rates

0.1, 1, 2 and 4 MHz

0.1, 1 and 3 MHz

Read Noise (e )(BN, BR-DD and BN-DD)-100 kHz
4.5

1 MHz
8.5

4 MHz
23

100 kHz
2.1

BN
0.001
0.0001

Dark Current, e-/pixel/sec •4@ -55°C@ -75°C
Frame rate (full frame)

2 MHz
14.0

BN
0.05
0.006

Greater than 0.5 fps

Binning
Region of Interest (windowing mode)

User definable (centred in 4-output mode)

Digitization

16-bit (all speeds)
18-bit (100 kHz and 1 MHz)

Maximum bake-out temperature
Vacuum compatibility

BR-DD2.835
0.34

User definable

Better than 99%

Mounting flange

3 MHz8Greater than 0.35 fps

Linearity •7Outputs

1 MHz
4.8

Quad or Single
DN160CF / 8” CF / CF-203, rotatable*+55oC>10-8 millibar* Please refer to the Andor Technical Note:
Open-front camera flanges for further details.

4Quantum Efficiency Curves

•5100

124

12.4

Wavelength (nm)
1.24

0.124

90
80

The iKon-XL SO is available
with 2 sensor options:

Quantum efficiency (%)

7060

BN: Back-Illuminateduncoated50

BR-DD: Backilluminated deepdepletion

4030
20100101001000

10000

100000

X-ray energy / eV

Photoelectrons v Incident X-rays

Best Practice Guidelines•6Condensation
It is strongly advised that the camera should not be used in acondensing atmosphere. If used in a condensing atmospherethe sensor MUST be protected and the use of a cold finger isstrongly recommended.

Photoelectrons per detected X-ray

10000

Contamination & Damage
When not in use, the sensor chamber should be covered andsealed.
Due to the exposed nature of the sensor, extreme care should
be taken with the camera, as damage can easily occur throughmishandling or by contamination.

1000

If the sensor becomes contaminated, due to accident ormisuse, please contact Andor immediately for advice oncleaning.
100

Vacuum Operations
Ensure that the vacuum environment to which the camera isfitted is free of water vapour and other contaminants. Careshould also be taken to control pressure change, as suddenpressure changes can potentially cause damage to the sensor
assembly.

100.1

1

10

Energy [keV]5

CREATING THE OPTIMUM
PRODUCT FOR YOU
XLO- EA11 - C0

example shown

Step 1.

SensorTypeStep 2.

Accessories

Step 3.

Choose the sensor type
Description

Code

16.8 Megapixel CCD230-84 Back-Illuminated uncoated Sensor (BN)EA1016.8 Megapixel CCD231-84 Back-Illuminated uncoated Sensor (BN)EA1116.8 Megapixel CCD231-84 Back-Illuminated Deep-Depletion Sensor (BR-DD)

EA12

Select the required accessories
Description

Code

Filter holder for iKon-XL SO, minimum recommended Beryllium window thickness is 250 µm(not included).

SO-FILTER-MNT-IKONXL

Beryllium filter, Ø105 mm, 250 µm thick

ACC-OPT-10395

Please contact your local sales representative regarding other options such as different mounting types, or other customizations you
may require for system integration or your specific application.

Select the required software
The iKon-XL SO requires at least one of the following software options:
Solis for Imaging A 32-bit and fully 64-bit enabled application for Windows (XP, Vista, 7 and 8) Linux and Labview, offeringrich functionality 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 and 64-bit libraries for Windows (XP, Vista, 7 and 8), compatible with C/C++, C#, Delphi, VB6, VB.NET,LabVIEW and Matlab. Linux SDK compatible with C/C++.
Third party software compatibility Drivers are available so that the iKon-XL can be operated through a large variety of third
party imaging packages including EPICS (16-bit). See Andor web site for detail: http://www.andor.com/software/

Have you found what you are looking for?
Need a faster frame rate? Andor’s iKon-M SO 934 and iKon-L SO 936 achieve 4.4 and 0.95 fps (full frame) respectively.
Need to detect harder X-rays? Andor offers a range of Indirect Detection cameras (DH/HF range)
including the Zyla HF and iKon-M & L HF that are compatible with industry-standard scintillators.
Need a specific mounting? Contact our experienced design team so we can make the perfect fit.
Need a camera for VUV/ X-ray spectroscopy? Andor’s specialist spectrographic cameras (Newton 920 and 940 SOseries) are ideally suited for vacuum spectrographs.
Need a customized version? Please contact us to discuss your design.

6MECHANICALDRAWINGS
Third-angle projection

Dimensions in mm [inches]
Weight (approx): 9.5 kg [20lbs 15oz ], (9.7 kg [21lbs 6oz] with filter holder)
Please consult the open-front camera flanges technical note at andor.com forfurther technical details on flange configurations
Refer to Best Practice Guidelines on page 5 for information on handling open
fronted camera models.

Flexible Connectivity
1

USB 3.0
USB 3.0 offers a robust high speed plug and play data interface

22

TTL / Logic

3

Connector type: SMB, provided with SMB - BNC cable
Fire (Output), External Trigger (Input), Shutter (Output)
3I2CW

1

Compatible with Fischer SC102A054-130
Shutter (TTL), I2C Clock, I2C Data, +5 Vdc, Ground
4Fibre Optic

4Long distance connection via LC Fibre-optic I/O connection
5IRIG-B
Compatible with IRIG-B standard (GPS with 10 ms resolution)

W

Water Cooling
Connection to recirculator or other water/liquid cooling system

PW5PowerConnection to external PSU (supplied) refer to power requirements
on page 8PNotes: Minimum cable clearance required at rear of camera 100 mm

7

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 				Japan
Belfast, Northern Ireland 			Tokyo
Phone +44 (28) 9023 7126			
Phone +81 (3) 6732 8968
Fax +44 (28) 9031 0792			
Fax +81 (3) 6732 8939
North America				China
Connecticut, USA 				Beijing
Phone +1 (860) 290 9211			
Phone +86 (10) 8271 9066
Fax +1 (860) 290 9566			
Fax +86 (10) 8271 9055

Footnotes

Items shipped with your camera

1.

1x Fibre Optic PCIe Card (note: PC requires 1x
slot for installation of the Fibre Optic PCIe Card)
1x iKon-XL Power Supply
1x Country specific power Cord

2.
3.

1x Camera power lead (5 m)
1x BNC-SMA Cable
1x USB 3.0 Cable

4.
5.
6.
7.

1x Fibre Optic Patch Lead LC-LC OM3 (15 m)

IMPORTANT - Due to the sensor being exposed to environments outside of Andor’s control there is no warranty on
the sensor. For full details of Andor’s Warranty Policy please refer to our webpage at 			
http://www.andor.com/contact_us/support_request/. For key information on handling precautions for SO/HO open
front end systems, please refer to the best practice guidelines on page 5. Note permanent damage can easily occur
due to misuse.
Figures are typical unless otherwise stated.
Specified minimum temperature with coolant assumes coolant temperature of 10°C, measured at camera
head. Note that cooling performance may be affected by distance between camera head and cooler.
Dark current measurement is averaged over the CCD area excluding any regions of blemishes.
Quantum efficiency data as supplied by the sensor manufacturer.
The graph shows photoelectrons generated as a function of photon energy of incident X-ray.
Linearity is measured from a plot of counts vs exposure time under constant photon flux up to the saturation
point of the system.

Minimum Computer Requirements:

Operating & Storage Conditions:••

3.0 GHz single core or 2.4 GHz

Operating Temperature: 0°C to +30°C ambient(‑30°C to +30°C ambient on request)

dual or quad core processor•

2 GB RAM•

Operating Altitude: up to 6000m•

100 MB free hard disc to install software (at•Relative Humidity: <70% (non-condensing)least 1 GB recommended for data spooling)•

Storage Temperature: -30°C to 50°C

USB 3.0 High Speed host Controller

Power Requirements:•

capable of sustained rate of 60 MB/s•

Windows (7 and 8) or Linux

•

100 - 240 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz•

Power consumption: 500W max

FM40523

EMS91062

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.
EPICS support in 16-bit mode only.

iKonXLSO SS 1115 R28