Cooled Cameras for Semiconductor and Industrial Inspection
Most inspection runs on uncooled machine-vision cameras, and for plenty of tasks that's the right call. But some defects are faint, low-contrast or spread across a large area: a dim pixel in a display, a dark crack in a solar cell's emission, light scattered from a scratch on a precision optic. For those, the camera's noise floor and dynamic range decide whether the defect gets caught.
That's where we come in. FLI cameras are used in solar cell and LCD display inspection, laser profiling, non-destructive testing and quality control of displays, solar cells and optics. Every FLI camera is Made in USA.
When a cooled camera earns its place
Sensor dark current climbs quickly with temperature. In short, bright exposures it barely matters. In long or low-light exposures, it adds noise and fixed-pattern structure that can hide the defects you're looking for. Cooling the sensor well below ambient lets you run longer exposures on faint signals, measure brightness quantitatively instead of just finding edges, and keep your calibration stable as the factory floor warms up during a shift. Our post on cooled cameras for display, solar cell and optics inspection goes deeper on when a cooled camera pays off.
Where our cameras fit
Display and mura inspection
Display inspection looks for dead or stuck pixels, mura and uniformity errors across a full panel. High resolution lets one image cover the whole panel with several camera pixels per display pixel, and low noise makes it possible to measure uniformity at low gray levels, where mura is hardest to see. Our large-format Aurora cameras go up to the AR411, with a 66.7 mm diagonal and 14192 x 10640 resolution.
Solar cell electroluminescence and photoluminescence
EL and PL imaging show cracks, broken fingers and inactive areas in cells and modules. The emission is weak and sits in the near-infrared, at the edge of what silicon sensors can see, so NIR response and clean long exposures matter. Cooling lets you shorten exposures for line speed or lengthen them for faint defects without a noise penalty. Ask us for the published QE curve of any model you're considering and check it at your emission wavelengths.
Wafer and device photoluminescence imaging
Photoluminescence mapping of wafers, LEDs and optoelectronic devices measures faint visible and near-infrared emission across a large area. A large, low-noise sensor captures more of the wafer per frame, and quantitative, linear images make it possible to compare one wafer against the next. We'll help you check sensor response against your material's emission band before you commit.
Optics and coating quality control
Optics makers inspect lenses, windows and coatings for scratches, digs, inclusions and coating non-uniformity, often with scattered-light or interferometric methods. Scatter signals are faint against a bright background, so wide dynamic range and good linearity matter. The quantitative accuracy our scientific customers rely on carries straight over to the inspection bench.
Laser beam profiling
Beam profiling images an attenuated beam directly to measure its shape, centroid and energy distribution. Linearity and dynamic range decide how faithfully you capture both the peak and the wings. FLI cameras have been used for laser profiling for years.
Non-destructive testing with scintillators
Many NDT and X-ray inspection systems convert X-rays to visible light with a scintillator, then read that screen with a camera. FLI cameras are used in non-destructive testing and X-ray imaging, and our post on cooled cameras for indirect X-ray imaging covers how to design the readout.
Which FLI cameras fit
Start with the smallest defect you need to see, the area you need to cover and your line speed. Aim for at least two to three camera pixels across the smallest defect. Then pick the format.
Large field, highest resolution: Aurora AR411, AR461 and AR455
- AR411: Sony IMX411 back-illuminated CMOS, 14192 x 10640, 3.76 µm pixels, 66.7 mm diagonal, 91% peak QE, 2 fps. Lead time: 16 weeks.
- AR461: Sony IMX461, 11656 x 8742, 3.76 µm pixels, 91% peak QE.
- AR455: Sony IMX455 full-frame sensor, 9568 x 6380, 3.76 µm pixels, 43.2 mm diagonal, 91% peak QE.
Faster indexing: Aurora AR571 and AR533
- AR571: 6244 x 4168, 28.2 mm diagonal, 7 fps.
- AR533: 3003 x 3003, 16 mm diagonal, 20 fps.
Built into your tool: Revelation
Revelation cameras use the same Sony sensors in a thin profile for compact systems. They can be air-cooled, liquid-cooled or mounted to your own housing as a heatsink, and our SDK is a free download, backed by our support for integration into your design.
No microlenses, high frame rate: Kepler KL400FI
The KL400FI is a front-illuminated CMOS camera for setups that need a sensor without microlenses: 2048 x 2048 with 11 µm pixels, a 120,000 e- full well, 1.5 e- read noise, and up to 48 fps in low dynamic range mode.
Aurora and Revelation cameras connect over USB 3.0, cool to 50 °C below ambient on air, come plumbed for liquid cooling (connectors sold separately), and have external trigger in and out as standard, so they sync with your motion system. Compare formats on our sensor size chart, or work out field of view and sampling with our post on matching pixel size to your optics.
Built for the life of your line
Production tools run for years, and swapping a camera mid-life means requalifying. Since inception, fewer than 1% of FLI cameras have failed in their first five years. We machine our own housings, build every sensor chamber in our 1,000+ sq ft ISO Class 7 clean room, and test each camera before it ships. Sensors and boards are tracked by serial or lot number, and every production step is signed off on the camera's build sheet. FLI's quality system is certified to AS9100D / ISO 9001:2015; see our quality and certifications page. See how we build on our in-house manufacturing page.
If you're designing a camera into a new tool, our posts on choosing an OEM camera partner, air versus liquid cooling for OEM cameras and camera acceptance testing cover the questions your team will ask.
Frequently asked questions
Why use a cooled scientific camera instead of a standard machine-vision camera?
When the defect is faint, low-contrast or needs long exposures, dark current and noise in an uncooled camera can bury it. Cooling cuts dark current sharply, so you get cleaner long exposures, quantitative brightness measurements and calibration that holds steady through a shift. For bright, fast, edge-finding tasks, an uncooled camera is often enough.
What wavelengths can FLI cameras inspect?
Our cameras use silicon sensors, so they cover the visible and near-infrared range that silicon can detect. Response falls off toward the long end of the near-infrared, which matters for silicon solar cell emission. Check each model's published QE curve against your signal, and our sales team can help you read it.
How do FLI cameras integrate with my inspection system?
Aurora and Revelation cameras connect over USB 3.0 with external trigger in and out as standard, and our SDK is a free download for integration into your own software. Revelation's thin profile and heatsink mounting option suit compact tools. Tell us your controller's operating system, cable run and trigger scheme early.
Can FLI build a camera for my OEM tool?
Yes. Because we machine our own housings and build our own sensor chambers, we can work with you on mounting and cooling options, including Revelation's heatsink mount. Talk to our sales team about your volumes and requirements.
Request a quote
Tell us what you're inspecting, the smallest defect, the field of view and your line speed, and our sales team will suggest a camera and options. Request a quote or email sales@flicamera.com. Want to test on your own parts first? Ask about our Demo & Loaner Cameras. To see where else FLI cameras are used, visit our applications page.
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