Intensified charge-coupled device

An intensified charge-coupled device ( ICCD, English) is an image sensor that is composed of a charge-coupled device (CCD ), in which through an optical fiber, a micro-channel plate for increasing the sensitivity is coupled. The front side of the photocathode, the microchannel plate intercepts on the image converts the incoming photons into electrons, which are amplified while passing through the microchannel plate and are converted on a back fluorescent screen again into photons. These are - pixel by pixel - transmitted through the fiber optics onto the CCD. With ICCDs, it is possible to detect single photons.

ICCD example, be used in night vision devices in astronomical observation and fluorescence microscopy and compete here with the Electron Multiplying CCD. A particular advantage of the ICCD is the possibility of being able to switch the gain of the microchannel plate quickly, where by a high-speed, electronic control of the exposure time can be realized, down to 200 picoseconds.