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Draft:Nüvü Camēras Inc

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Nüvü Camēras Inc, a Montreal-based Canadian company, is a pioneer in the design and manufacturing of extremely low light imaging technologies.[1][2] With a focus on Charge-coupled device (CCD) & Electron-Multiplying CCD (EMCCD) camera technologies, at the core of its products is a patented camera controller named CCD Controller for Counting Photons (CCCP) which enables significant performance improvements for low light applications.[3][4][5]

Background

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Nüvü Camēras’ technology was developed by co-founder Olivier Daigle during a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Montreal's Experimental Astrophysics Laboratory [1],[6]. During these eight years, Daigle redesigned the electronics that control an EMCCD sensor to reduce the noise created during its readout, thus allowing increased imaging sensitivity and single photon counting capabilities [3], [4], [7]. This was achieved through implementing arbitrary clock generators on the controller, which enables to optimize the clock shape used to read the sensor [3], [4]. The technology was integrated into a functional EMCCD camera and tested at the Observatoire du Mont Mégantic’s 1.6-m telescope, which confirmed the controller’s significant impact in lowering the noise generated during readout.[4][5][6] At the time of release, the imaging technology made headlines for being “the most sensitive camera in the world” as it was at least four times more sensitive than other EMCCD cameras.[1][6][7] [8]

The results obtained by Daigle garnered the interest of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which became Nüvü Camēras’ first customer.[6][9][10].

Daigle and Marie-Eve Ducharme joined forces to create Nüvü Camēras in 2010, with the company's first headquarters in the J.-Armand Bombardier Incubator at Université de Montréal [11]. In 2015, the company moved downtown Montreal within the INGO Innovation Hub, next to the École de Technologie Supérieure [12] to honor its growth.

Technological developments

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While Nüvü Camēras’ proprietary controller can be used as a standalone with a variety of CCD & EMCCD sensors, the next step for the technology was availability in a turnkey camera package. At the time scientific-grade EMCCD sensors were manufactured by e2v (acquired by Teledyne late March 2017). Thus, in 2010, Nüvü Camēras launched its liquid nitrogen cooled line of EMCCD cameras, named EM N2, with support of e2v’s CCD60, CCD97, and CCD201-20 sensors.[1][5][13] A few years later in 2013, Nüvü Camēras developed a line of thermoelectrically cooled EMCCD cameras, named HNü, supporting these same three sensors and which remains to this day, its flagship product.[14]

Having authored over 60 scientific publications as of 2022, Nüvü Camēras’ background in research and academia has also led to multiple collaborations towards the advancement of the EMCCD technology, mainly regarding the support of multi-output EMCCD sensors. In 2018, thanks to the Canadian Space Agency funding, an EMCCD controller was developed for the first time by Nüvü Camēras to support e2v’s CCD282 sensor (4k x 4k pixels) which is the largest EMCCD sensor available [15], [16], [17]. A few years later in 2021, these developments were also ported to the support of Teledyne’s CCD220 which uses its multiple outputs to increase imaging rates [18].

Other than EMCCD sensors, Nüvü Camēras also supports Hamamatsu Photonics’ S10202-16-01 which is a CCD sensor designed for use with Time Delay Integration technology adapted for scanning applications [16][19].

Space-based imaging

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Another avenue for the development of Nüvü Camēras’ CCCP technology is its use in outer space, as EMCCDs present some unique advantages compared to other established space-based imaging technologies [20]. Initial efforts in developing a space-qualified version of the Nüvü Camēras’ proprietary controller were conducted through a contract for the Canadian Space Agency starting in 2017 [21], leading to successful Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) tests increasing the technology toward Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL5) in 2018 [22], [23].

A try-out of the space-designed controller was also conducted as part of the High-Contrast Imaging Balloon System (HiCIBaS) mission in September 2018, with once again conclusive results showing that the EMCCD proximity electronics developed by Nüvü Camēras were ready for space [22], [24], [25].

Supported by these previous developments, Nüvü Camēras, with ABB, was awarded a contract by the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2020 to manufacture flight units of the EMCCD electronics to be flown in the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope flagship mission. EMCCD cameras will be the eyes of the CoronaGraph Imager (CGI) instrument, which is dedicated to exoplanet imaging. Also of note is that the EMCCD controllers used by the CGI are the first space-qualified units reaching a TRL higher than 5 [21], [26].

Nanosatellites notably require lower mass, volume and power consumption from its instruments. Nüvü Camēras started developments for a 1U EMCCD camera adapted to nanosatellite platforms in 2022 which will be commercialized under the name nüSpace and will support EMCCDs as well as other sensor types [27].

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Olivier Daigle (Nüvü Cameras) a développé la caméra la plus sensible au monde". Le Lien MULTIMÉDIA :: le portail des professionnels du numérique au Québec (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  2. ^ Richer, Anne (2010-05-17). "Olivier Daigle". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  3. ^ a b c Daigle, Olivier; Gach, Jean-Luc; Guillaume, Christian; Lessard, Simon; Carignan, Claude; Blais-Ouellette, Sébastien (2008-07-09). McLean, Ian S.; Casali, Mark M. (eds.). "CCCP: a CCD controller for counting photons". Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy II. 7014. SPIE: 2288–2297. doi:10.1117/12.788929.
  4. ^ a b c d Daigle, Olivier; Carignan, Claude; Gach, Jean-Luc; Guillaume, Christian; Lessard, Simon; Fortin, Charles-Anthony; Blais-Ouellette, Sébastien (2009-08-03). "Extreme Faint Flux Imaging with an EMCCD". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 121 (882): 866–84. doi:10.1086/605449. ISSN 0004-6280.
  5. ^ a b c Gobeil, Mathieu (2010-04-26). "Astronomie: au-delà du visible". Québec Science. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  6. ^ a b c d "La NASA première cliente". Radio Canada. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  7. ^ a b La lumière, de l'infiniment lointain à l'infiniment près | Olivier Daigle | TEDxPôleMaisonneuve, retrieved 2023-05-29
  8. ^ Brassard-Lecours, Gabrielle (2012-01-26). "Percer la lumière, avec Nüvü caméras". Journal Métro (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  9. ^ Hamden, Erika T.; Lingner, Nicole; Kyne, Gillian; Morrissey, Patrick; Martin, D. Christopher (2015-09-18). Siegmund, Oswald H. (ed.). "Noise and dark performance for FIREBall-2 EMCCD delta-doped CCD detector". UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XIX. 9601. SPIE: 135–144. doi:10.1117/12.2190679.
  10. ^ Bendek, Eduardo A.; Belikov, Ruslan; Lozi, Julien; Thomas, Sandrine; Males, Jared; Weston, Sasha; McElwain, Michael (2015-09-16). Shaklan, Stuart (ed.). "Space telescope design to directly image the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri". Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets VII. 9605. SPIE: 387–401. doi:10.1117/12.2188999.
  11. ^ Ouatik, Bouchra (2011-01-22). "Nüvü Caméras: voir ce que les autres ne voient pas". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  12. ^ Desroches, André (2016-01-25). "La caméra la plus sensible au monde fabriquée dans Griffintown". Journal Métro (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  13. ^ Daigle, O; Quirion, PO; Lessard, S (2010-07-20). Holland, Andrew D.; Dorn, David A. (eds.). "The darkest EMCCD ever". High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy IV. 7742. SPIE: 28–38. doi:10.1117/12.856405.
  14. ^ "Biophotonics". Biophotonics. May 2013. p. 44. Retrieved 2023-05-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ Jorden, Paul R.; Jordan, Doug; Jerram, Paul A.; Pratlong, Jérôme; Swindells, Ian (2014-08-12). Holland, Andrew D.; Beletic, James (eds.). "e2v new CCD and CMOS technology developments for astronomical sensors". High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VI. 9154. SPIE: 201–215. doi:10.1117/12.2069423.
  16. ^ a b Daigle, Olivier; Turcotte, Jérémy; Artigau, Étienne; Doyon, René (2018-07-06). Beletic, James; Holland, Andrew D. (eds.). "Preliminary characterization results of a large format 4k x 4k EMCCD". High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VIII. 10709. SPIE: 68–84. doi:10.1117/12.2312709. ISBN 9781510619715.
  17. ^ Agency, Canadian Space (2018-05-25). "Contributions awarded under the STDP – AO 4". Canadian Space Agency. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  18. ^ Beaulieu, Émile; Gosselin, Yoann; Turcotte, Jérémy; Symon, Arnaud; Ghodoussi, Abtin; Daigle, Olivier (2022-08-29). Schmidt, Dirk; Schreiber, Laura; Vernet, Elise (eds.). "Electron multiplying CCDs for sensitive wavefront sensing at 3k frames per second". Adaptive Optics Systems VIII. 12185. SPIE: 2280–2290. doi:10.1117/12.2626240. ISBN 9781510653511.
  19. ^ Daigle, Olivier; Turcotte, Jérémy; Gosselin, Yoann; Lamy, Alex Saint-Amant (2019-08-29). "Time-Delay Integration EMCCD". 2019 Photonics North (PN). CFP1909V-ART: 01. doi:10.1109/PN.2019.8819569. ISBN 978-1-7281-3738-4.
  20. ^ Djazovski, Oleg; Daigle, Olivier; Laurin, Denis; Bedirian, Mireille; Ducharme, Marie-Eve; Artigau, Étienne; Doyon, René (2013-10-11). Cheben, Pavel; Schmid, Jens; Boudoux, Caroline; Chen, Lawrence R.; Delâge, André; Janz, Siegfried; Kashyap, Raman; Lockwood, David J.; Loock, Hans-Peter; Mi, Zetian (eds.). "Electron-multiplying CCDs for future space instruments". Photonics North 2013. 8915. SPIE: 202–214. doi:10.1117/12.2036206.
  21. ^ a b Daigle, Olivier; Veilleux, James; Grandmont, Frédéric J.; Morrissey, Patrick; Basset, Christophe; Bush, Nathan; Hoenk, Michael; Gilbert, Adam; Turcotte, Jérémy; Ghodoussi, Abtin (2022-08-27). Coyle, Laura E.; Perrin, Marshall D.; Matsuura, Shuji (eds.). "Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope coronagraph EMCCD flight camera electronics development". Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. 12180. SPIE: 2196–2213. doi:10.1117/12.2626242. ISBN 9781510653412.
  22. ^ a b Daigle, Olivier; Turcotte, Jérémy; Djazovski, Oleg; Gloutnay, Éric; Grandmont, Frédéric; Veilleux, James; Patel, Deven; Thibault, Simon (2018-07-12). Siegler, Nicholas; Tong, Edward C.; Batalha, Natalie; Fazio, Giovanni G.; Lystrup, Makenzie; MacEwen, Howard A. (eds.). "TRL-5 EMCCD controller for space applications". Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. 10698. SPIE: 1813–1833. doi:10.1117/12.2312575. ISBN 9781510619494.
  23. ^ Boucher, Marc (2019-05-27). "The Canadian Space Agency Awards $15 Million for Technology R&D to 25 Companies". SpaceQ. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  24. ^ Mazrouei, Sara (2017-11-22). "Nüvü Camēras New Canadian Eye in the Sky". SpaceQ. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  25. ^ Côté, Olivier; Allain, Guillaume; Brousseau, Denis; Lord, Marie-Pier; Ouahbi, Samy; Ouellet, Mireille; Patel, Deven; Thibault, Simon; Vallée, Cédric; Belikov, Ruslan; Bendek, Eduardo; Blain, Célia; Bradley, Collin; Daigle, Olivier; Jong, Chris de (2018-07-16). Simard, Luc; Evans, Christopher J.; Takami, Hideki (eds.). "A precursor mission to high contrast imaging balloon system". Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII. 10702. SPIE: 1306–1313. doi:10.1117/12.2314071. ISBN 9781510619579.
  26. ^ Howell, Elizabeth (2020-11-26). "Canadian camera technology to fly on NASA exoplanet telescope". SpaceQ. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  27. ^ "EMCCD for nanosatellites | Nüvü Camēras". Nüvü Camēras. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
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