The domain of the low light imaging systems progresses very fast, thanks to detection and electronic multiplication
technology evolution, such as the emCCD (electron multiplying CCD) or the ebCMOS (electron bombarded
CMOS). We present an ebCMOS camera system that is able to track every 2 ms more than 2000 targets with
a mean number of photons per target lower than two. The point light sources (targets) are spots generated
by a microlens array (Shack-Hartmann) used in adaptive optics. The Multiple-Target-Tracking designed and
implemented on a rugged workstation is described. The results and the performances of the system on the
identification and tracking are presented and discussed.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Imaging systems, Cameras, Electron multiplying charge coupled devices, Monte Carlo methods, Point spread functions, Photodetectors, Super resolution, Quantum efficiency, Interference (communication)
Nano-biophotonics applications will benefit from new fluorescent microscopy methods based essentially on super-resolution
techniques (beyond the diffraction limit) on large biological structures (membranes) with fast frame
rate (1000 Hz). This trend tends to push the photon detectors to the single-photon counting regime and the
camera acquisition system to real time dynamic multiple-target tracing. The LUSIPHER prototype presented
in this paper aims to give a different approach than those of Electron Multiplied CCD (EMCCD) technology
and try to answer to the stringent demands of the new nano-biophotonics imaging techniques. The electron
bombarded CMOS (ebCMOS) device has the potential to respond to this challenge, thanks to the linear gain of
the accelerating high voltage of the photo-cathode, to the possible ultra fast frame rate of CMOS sensors and to
the single-photon sensitivity. We produced a camera system based on a 640 kPixels ebCMOS with its acquisition
system. The proof of concept for single-photon based tracking for multiple single-emitters is the main result of
this paper.
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