CCD camera design and ASIC applications

A guideline for the design of a CCD camera is presented. A generalized camera system model contains the following key components: optical lens, CCD sensor, A/D converter, digital signal processor, and system controller. The characteristics of a CCD sensor, which dominates the system's performance, is explained in-depth. The main parameters for system performance evaluation are noise, resolution, and modulation transfer function. Currently, to develop a digital signal processing ASIC is still a major effort in the CCD camera development. The general functions of a DSP/ASIC, which was developed in our laboratory, are described.