Intensified low-light imaging CMOS camera with ultra-short gating
The Lambert Instruments TRiCAM is a compact intensified CMOS camera designed for scientific applications that demand high-performance imaging under extremely low-light conditions. Combining advanced image intensification with ultra-fast electronic gating, TRiCAM enables precise time-resolved imaging with nanosecond-scale control.
TRiCAM is ideally suited for applications including laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), time-gated luminescence, bio- and chemiluminescence imaging, single-photon imaging, single-molecule imaging, fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), time-gated Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), time-resolved imaging and spectroscopy, diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and more.
At the core of the system is a gated image intensifier integrated with a built-in timing pulse generator and gate unit. The system generates gate pulses down to less than 3 nanoseconds (optional configuration), enabling ultra-short exposures for capturing fast transient events.
The integrated image intensifier significantly boosts incoming light, allowing detailed imaging in the most challenging environments. To maximize optical efficiency, the sensor is fibre-optically coupled to the intensifier using a solid fibre-optic plate composed of millions of parallel glass fibres. Each fibre acts as an independent light guide, efficiently transferring photons from the intensifier to the CMOS sensor. This design results in a system that is approximately 10 to 20 times more light efficient compared to conventional coupling approaches.
The intensifier also functions as an ultra-fast electronic shutter. This gating technique operates on a nanosecond timescale and can eliminate motion blur when imaging fast-moving objects or highly dynamic processes. With precise control of gate timing down to tens of picoseconds, TRiCAM enables accurate recording of time-resolved light intensity profiles.
The system can be optimized for specific applications through a wide selection of image intensifiers covering the entire visible spectrum as well as the near-infrared range.
TRiCAM features a high-resolution 1920 × 1200-pixel CMOS sensor with a global shutter readout architecture that eliminates rolling shutter artifacts. With frame rates of up to 162 frames per second, the camera supports slow-motion recording even under low-light conditions. The sensor provides 10-bit and 12-bit ADC options for flexible data acquisition.
The image intensifier has an 18 mm diameter and a minimum gate width of 40 ns, with an optional configuration supporting gate widths below 3 ns. The maximum repetition frequency is 300 kHz, and the trigger input is TTL.