Brandaris 128: A digital 25 million frames per second camera with 128 highly sensitive frames

A high-speed camera that combines a customized rotating mirror camera frame with charge coupled device (CCD) image detectors and is practically fully operated by computer control was constructed. High sensitivity CCDs are used so that image intensifiers, which would degrade image quality, are not necessary. Customized electronics and instruments were used to improve the flexibility and control precisely the image acquisition process. A full sequence of 128 consecutive image frames with 500×292 pixels each can be acquired at a maximum frame rate of 25 million frames/s. Full sequences can be repeated every 20 ms, and six full sequences can be stored on the in-camera memory buffer. A high-speed communication link to a computer allows each full sequence of about 20 Mbytes to be stored on a hard disk in less than 1 s. The sensitivity of the camera has an equivalent International Standards Organization number of 2500. Resolution was measured to be 36 lp/mm on the detector plane of the camera, while under a microscope a bar pattern of 400 nm spacing line pairs could be resolved. Some high-speed events recorded with this camera, dubbed Brandaris 128, are presented.