5.

5 Megapixel, -40ºC, 1 e- Noise

Neo 5.5 sCMOS Rolling and Global Shutter
Scientific CMOS

Ultra Sensitive Imaging

Low Light Imaging
YEAR
VACUUM
WARRANTY

+5 o C
-40 o C

-40oC Vacuum Cooling

 Lowest dark current
 Lowest hot pixels
 Fan-off capability

Features and Benefits Vacuum cooled Scientific CMOS with 1 e- read

• TE cooling to -40°C noise - Rolling and Snapshot exposure
Minimization of dark current and pixel blemish
• 1 e- read noise In a unique -40°C vacuum cooled platform, loaded with FPGA intelligence, Andor’s Neo 5.5
Lower detection limit than any CCD sCMOS camera is designed exclusively to drive highest possible sensitivity from this exciting
• 5.5 megapixel sensor format and 6.5 μm pixels and innovative new technology development.
Extremely sharp resolution over a 22 mm field of
Unlike any CMOS or CCD technology to come before it, Neo 5.5 sets radical new
view: Ideal for cell microscopy and astronomy
benchmarks in its unique ability to simultaneously deliver highest specifications in sensitivity,
• Rolling and Global (Snapshot) shutter
resolution, speed, dynamic range and field-of-view: true scientific imaging, without
Maximum flexibility across all applications
compromise. Choice of Rolling and Global (Snapshot) exposure mechanisms ensure
• Rapid frame rates
Sustained: 30 fps full frame maximum application flexibility, the latter providing a ‘freeze frame’ capture capability that
Burst: 100 fps full frame emulates that of an interline CCD.
• Dual-Gain amplifiers
Extensive dynamic range of 30,000:1 @ 30 fps
Specifications Summary
•2
• UltraVac™ •1
Sustained sensor protection and unequalled
cooling with 5 year warranty Active pixels (W x H) 2560 x 2160 (5.5 Megapixel)
• ROI and pixel binning
User-defined ROI (1 pixel granularity) and Sensor size 16.6 x 14.0 mm (21.8 mm diagonal)
hardware binning
• NEW GPU Express Pixel size (W x H) 6.5 µm
Simplify and optimize data transfers from camera
to Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) card to Pixel well depth (typical) 30,000 e-
facilitate accelerated GPU processing as part of
the acquisition pipeline. Pixel readout rate (MHz) 560, 200
• 4 GB on-head memory
Acquire data bursts at frame rates faster than PC Read noise (min) 1 e-
write speed
• Dynamic Baseline Clamp Maximum cooling -40°C
Ensures quantitative stability
• Software Exposure Events Maximum burst frame rate 100 fps @ full frame
Rapid software notification via SDK of start / end
of exposure synchronization Readout Modes Rolling and Snapshot shutter
• iCam
Fast exposure switching
• Fan-off capability
Turn off fan for extended periods for zero
vibration

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 5.5 Megapixel, -40ºC, 1 e- Noise
Neo 5.5 sCMOS Rolling and Global Shutter
Scientific CMOS

System Specifications
•2

Sensor type Front Illuminated Scientific CMOS

Active pixels (W x H) 2560 x 2160 (5.5 Megapixel)

Sensor size 16.6 x 14.0 mm, 21.8 mm diagonal

Pixel size (W x H) 6.5 µm

560 (280 MHz x 2 sensor halves)

Pixel readout rate (MHz)
200 (100 MHz x 2 sensor halves)
Read noise (e-) Median [rms] •3 Rolling Shutter Global Shutter
200 MHz 1.0 [1.5] 2.3 [2.6]
560 MHz 1.3 [1.7] 2.5 [2.8]
Minimum temperature air cooled •4 -30ºC
Minimum temperature coolant -40ºC
Dark current, e-/pixel/sec •5
@ -30°C 0.015
@ -40°C 0.01
Data range 12-bit and 16-bit

Peak Quantum Efficiency 60 %

Readout modes Rolling Shutter and Global (Snapshot) Shutter

System window type UV-grade fused silica, ‘Broadband VS-NIR’, unwedged

Internal memory buffer size 4 GB

Maximum burst frame rates
2560 x 2160 (full frame) 100 fps Rolling Shutter, 49 fps Global (Snapshot) Shutter
128 x 128 ROI 1,639 fps Rolling Shutter, 716 fps Global (Snapshot) Shutter
Pixel well depth (e-) 30,000

Advanced Performance Specifications

•2

Maximum dynamic range 30,000:1

Linearity (%, maximum) •6 Better than 99%

MTF (Nyquist @ 555 nm) 45%

Photon Response Non-Uniformity (PRNU)
Half-light range < 0.01%
Low light range <0.1%

Pixel binning Hardware binning: 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 4 x 4, 8 x 8

Pre-defined Region of Interest 2560 x 2160, 2048 x 2048, 1920 x 1080, 512 x 512, 128 x 128

User defined ROI granularity 1 pixel *

I/O External Trigger, Fire, Fire n, Fire All, Fire Any, Arm

Trigger modes Internal, External, External Start, External Exposure, Software Trigger

System Exposure Events •7

Start / End exposure (row 1), Start / End exposure (row n)

Hardware timestamp accuracy 25 ns

Anti-blooming factor x 10,000

* Minimum ROI size possible is as follows: 16 x 12 in 12-bit mode and 12 x 12 in 16-bit mode.

Maximum Frame Rate Table

•8

Cameralink - 3-tap Burst to 4 GB Internal Memory

Array Size
Rolling Shutter Global (Snapshot) Shutter Rolling Shutter Global (Snapshot) Shutter

2560 x 2160 (full frame) 30 30 100 49

2048 x 2048 39 39 105 52

1920 x 1080 79 79 199 97

1392 x 1040 115 101 206 101

512 x 512 374 201 419 201

128 x 128 1,470 716 1,639 716

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 5.5 Megapixel, -40ºC, 1 e- Noise
Neo 5.5 sCMOS Rolling and Global Shutter
Scientific CMOS

Quantum Efficiency (QE) Curve Dark Signal vs Exposure Time

•9

(Rolling and Global Shutter Modes)

•10

70 0.14

60 0.12

50 0.10
Quantum efficiency (%)

Dark Signal (e-)

40 0.08

30 0.06

20 0.04

10 0.02
Global Shutter (-40°C)
Rolling Shutter (-40°C)
0 0.00
300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 0 2 4 6 8 10

Wavelength (nm) Exposure (secs)

Hot Pixels vs Cooling Temperature QE vs Fluorophore Emissions

+5 °C

-40 °C

+5°C

-40°C

Comparison of hot pixel blemishes at cooling temperatures of +5°C and

-40°C @ 1s exposure time; rolling shutter readout mode.

Have you found what you are looking for?

Do you need higher sensitivity and the widest field of view?
Check out the new Sona 4.2B-11 Back-illuminated sCMOS camera with 95% QE and a 32 mm field of view.

P Capture extremely large fields of cells and embryos with exceptional clarity.

P Reduce excitation power, fluorophore concentrations and exposure times.

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 5.5 Megapixel, -40ºC, 1 e- Noise
Neo 5.5 sCMOS Rolling and Global Shutter
Scientific CMOS

Creating The Optimum Product for You

Step 1. Select the camera type and required mounting option
Select the required camera and lens mount option:

Camera Description Lens Mount Part Code

Neo 5.5 Megapixel sCMOS with 3-tap Camera Link C-mount NEO-5.5-CL3
Neo 5.5 Megapixel sCMOS with 3-tap Camera Link F-mount NEO-5.5-CL3-F
Camera
Type &
Mounting

Step 2. Select an alternative camera window (optional)

The standard window has been selected to satisfy most applications. However, other options are available. The alternative
camera window code must be specified at time of ordering.
To view and select other window options please refer to the ‘Camera Windows Supplementary Specification Sheet’ which
gives the transmission characteristics, product codes and procedure for entering the order. Further detailed information on the
Camera windows can be found in the Technical note – ‘Camera Windows: Optimizing for Different Spectral Regions’.
Window

Step 3. Select the required accessories and adapters

Description Order Code

Re-circulator for enhanced cooling performance XW-RECR
Oasis 160 Ultra compact chiller unit (tubing to be ordered separately) ACC-XW-CHIL-160
6 mm tubing options for ACC-XW-CHIL-160 ACC-6MM-TUBING-2X2.5/
(2x2.5 m or 2x5 m lengths) ACC-6MM-TUBING-2X5M
C-mount to Nikon F-mount adapter OA-CNAF
C-mount to Olympus adapter OA-COFM
C-mount to T-mount adapter OA-CTOT
Auto extension tubes (set of 3) for Canon EF OA-ECAF
Accessories & Auto extension tubes (set of 3) for C-mount OA-ECMT
Adapters OA-ENAF Auto extension tubes (set of 3) for Nikon F OA-ENAF
5 meter Camera Link connector cable. ACC-ASE-02992
10 meter active Camera Link connector cable, including power supply. ACC-ASE-06931
30 meter fibre-optic extender solution for use with Neo 5.5 ACC-NEOFOX-3TAP-30M
100 meter fibre-optic extender solution for use with Neo 5.5 ACC-NEOFOX-3TAP-100
PC Workstation for up to 100 fps continuous spooling to hard drives, acquiring up to WKST-1 WIN
120,000 12-bit full resolution images: Dell T7910XL, 2.6 GHz Eight Core, 8 GB RAM, 4 x
250GB SSD hard drive configured in RAID 0.
PC Workstation for up to 100 fps continuous spooling to RAM, acquiring up to 6,000 WKST-3 WIN
12-bit full resolution images: Dell T5810, 3.5 GHz Quad Core, 64 GB RAM.
For further information on PC workstations for the Neo, please refer to the technical note PC Specifications for sCMOS

Step 4. Select the required software

The Neo 5.5 also requires at least one of the following software options:
Solis Imaging A 32-bit and fully 64-bit enabled application for Windows (8, 8.1 and 10) offering rich functionality for data
acquisition and processing. AndorBasic provides macro language control of data acquisition, processing, display and export.
Andor iQ A comprehensive multi-dimensional imaging software package. Offers tight synchronization of camera with a
comprehensive range of microscopy hardware, along with comprehensive rendering and analysis functionality. Modular
architecture for best price/performance package on the market. Compatible with 32-bit Windows (8, 8.1 and 10).
Andor SDK3 A software development kit that allows you to control Andor sCMOS cameras from your own application.
Software Available as a 64-bit library for Windows (8, 8.1 and 10) and Linux. Compatible with C/C++, LabView and Matlab.
GPU Express Andor GPU Express library has been created to simplify and optimize data transfers from camera to a CUDA-
enabled NVidia Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) card to facilitate accelerated GPU processing as part of the acquisition
pipeline. Integrates easily with Andor SDK3 for Windows.

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 5.5 Megapixel, -40ºC, 1 e- Noise
Neo 5.5 sCMOS Rolling and Global Shutter
Scientific CMOS

Product Drawings
Dimensions in mm [inches]
Weight: 3.4 kg [7 lb 8 oz]

26-way D-type pinouts

1 External Trigger
2 Reserved
3 GND
4 Reserved
5 Reserved
6 GND
7 Reserved
8 Fire
9 AUX_OUT_1
10 Reserved
11 Reserved
12 Reserved

Connecting to the Neo 5.5 13 Reserved

14 Reserved
Camera Control 15 Reserved
Connector type: 3 meter Camera Link 3-tap (longer cable lengths
16 Reserved
available as accessories).
17 Reserved
TTL / Logic
18 GND+5 °C
Connector type: 26 way D Type with TTL I/Os for External Trigger,
Fire Pulse and Arm 19 +5V Output
20 GND
Firmware updates through USB
21 Reserved
Minimum cable clearance required at rear of camera 90 mm 22 Reserved
23 AUX_OUT_2
24 Arm
Regulatory Compliance
25 GND
Compliant with the requirements of the EU EMC and LV Directives 26 GND
through testing to EN 61326-1 and EN 61010-1 *Aux_Out_1 is configurable as Fire, Fire n, Fire All or Fire
Any. Refer to the Neo 5.5 hardware manual.
External power supply PSE-approved

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 5.5 Megapixel, -40ºC, 1 e- Noise
Neo 5.5 sCMOS Rolling and Global Shutter
Scientific CMOS

Order Today
Need more information?andor.com/contact
At Andor we are committed to finding
the correct solution for you. With a dedicated team of technical
advisors, we are able to offer you one-to-one guidance and
technical support on all Andor products. For a full listing of our
regional sales offices, please see: andor.com/contact

Our regional headquarters are:

EUROPE JAPAN
Belfast, Northern Ireland Tokyo
Phone +44 (28) 9023 7126 Phone +81 (3) 6732 8968
Fax +44 (28) 9031 0792 Fax +81 (3) 6732 8939

NORTH AMERICA CHINA

Concord, MA, USA Beijing
Phone +1 (860) 290 9211 Phone +86 (10) 5884 7900
Fax +1 (860) 290 9566 Fax +86 (10) 5884 7901

Items shipped with your camera Footnotes: Specifications are subject to change without notice
1x Camera Link card and 3 meter connector 1. Assembled in a state-of-the-art Class 1,000 clean room facility, Andor’s UltraVac™ vacuum process
combines a permanent hermetic vacuum seal (no o-rings), with a stringent protocol to minimize out-gassing,
cable.
including use of proprietary materials. Outgassing is the release of trapped gases that would otherwise prove
1x Andor ACZ-02991: 3m Multi I/O timing highly problematic for sensor longevity.
cable, offering External Trigger, Arm, Fire, 2. Figures are typical unless otherwise stated.
Aux_Out_1 and Aux_Out_2 3. Readout noise is defined as the median over the sensor area excluding any regions of blemishes. It is a
1x 3m USB 2.0 cable Type A to Type B combination of sensor readout noise and A/D noise.
4. Specified minimum air cooled temperature assumes ambient temperature of 25°C. Specified minimum
1x Power supply with mains cable
temperature with coolant assumes coolant temperature of 16°C.
1x Quick launch guide 5. Dark current measurement is taken as a median over the sensor area excluding any regions of blemishes in
1x CD containing Andor user guides Rolling Shutter mode.
1x Individual system performance sheet 6. Linearity is measured from a plot of Signal vs. Exposure Time over the full dynamic range.
7. Software Exposure Events provide rapid software notification (SDK only) of the start and end of acquisition,
useful for tight synchronization to moving peripheral devices e.g. Z-stage.
8. Maximum speed at which the camera can acquire images at full resolution and a range of sub-array sizes.
The tables present (a) frame rates which can be sustained until the limit imposed by the storage capacity; (b)
frame rates achieved during burst to 4 GB on-head camera memory. Note that the write speed of hard drive
and additional processing overheads can impact these figures. See technical note entitled ‘PC Specifications
for sCMOS’ for further detail on speed tests, PC recommendations and sustained acquisition performance.
9. Quantum efficiency of the sensor at 20°C as supplied by the sensor manufacturer.
10. Total darksignal in Global Shutter mode carries an additional fractional fixed ‘Global Shutter Darksignal’
(GSD) contribution that is imposed during readout and is therefore independent of exposure time. GSD is
equal to 0.11 e- @ -30°C; 0.045 e- @ -40°C. Darksignal for a given exposure time in Global Shutter mode
is thus calculated by (dark current x exposure) + GSD. GSD represents the offset between the two curves
shown for -40°C.

Minimum Computer Requirements: Operating and Storage Conditions

• 2.4 GHz Quad Core + 4 GB RAM (1600MHz DDR3) • Operating Temperature: 0ºC to 40ºC ambient
• Hard drive: Minimum 250 MB/sec continuous write • Relative Humidity: <70% (non-condensing) FM40523 EMS91062 OHS502497

for Spooling • Storage Temperature: -25ºC to 55ºC

• PCIe x4 slot for Frame Grabber card
Power Requirements
• Windows (8, 8.1 and 10) or Linux
• 100 - 240 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz
• USB 2.0 (for future firmware upgrades): Intel
• Power Consumption:
82801 (or equivalent) I/O controller hub to provide
Camera alone (Typ./Max): 30 W/60 W
interface for USB 2.0
Camera and external PSU (Typ./Max):
* Refer to technical note: ‘PC Specifications for
34 W/71 W
sCMOS’ Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
** Note: Andor supply PC workstations for Neo, see Project part financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the
page 4 European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland.

LNeoSS 0120 R1