Q1 :What are the characteristics of CQD sensors compared to InGaAs sensors?

This series of cameras is equipped with a CQD CMOS sensor (colloidal quantum dot sensor). CQD (Colloidal Quantum Dot) sensors are a recently developed type of short-wave infrared imaging technology, with the following features: Wide spectral response: Covers 400–1700 nm and even broader rangesCMOS-compatible process: Can be manufactured on large silicon wafers, making it more cost-effectiveHigh sensitivity: With a 15 µm large pixel design, it performs excellently in low-light conditions This series of cameras, combined with TEC cooling design, achieves high sensitivity and low noise performance.

Q2 : How to choose between SWIR1503QU1 and SWIR1503QU2 based on spectral needs?

SWIR1503QU1 (800–1700nm) blocks the 400–800nm visible light range, so there’s no visible light stray interference; it’s suitable for 1064/1550nm laser inspection, photovoltaic EL, pure plastic sorting, mineral long-wave spectroscopy, and smoke monitoring. Best for projects that don’t need visible light for comparison. SWIR1503QU2 (400–1700nm) combines visible and short-wave infrared response, letting you capture appearance and internal material info at the same time; it’s great for checking fruit and vegetable moisture, medicine sorting, anti-counterfeit printing, multi-band research, and synchronized inspection of silicon wafer appearance and sub-surface quality. Ideal for projects that need both visible and infrared images simultaneously.

Q3 : Can Linux/ARM embedded systems run the collection program independently of Attos?

Sure. The SDK provides precompiled libraries for various architectures and complete example source code, so you can write standalone collection programs for offline mineral analyzers or small fruit and vegetable sorting embedded devices, without needing a Windows host to stay running.

0.33 MP 15µm Pixels 400-1700nm CQD SWIR Camera

Overview

Specification

Dimensions & Pin

Triggering(I/O Interface)

Software

Features

FAQ

Feedback

Cooled CQDs CMOS SWIR Cameras

The SWIR1503Q series cameras are equipped with CQD CMOS sensors, delivering exceptional imaging performance. With 0.33MP resolution and 15 µm pixel size, combined with a TEC cooling design, the cameras offer high sensitivity and low noise performance, ensuring clear, stable, and high-quality imaging in widely applicable in innovative fields such as scientific research, medical imaging, and semiconductor inspection.

Features

400-1700 nm ultra-wide spectral response

USB 3.0 high-speed data interface

TEC cooling design

Global shutter, high-speed acquisition

12/14-bit selectable ADC

Hardware ROI & external triggering

512MB large cache buffer

CE/FCC Cerifcation，Multi-platform SDK

Software

AttosView supports Windows® 7 (64-bit),10 and 11 operating systems. The SDK supports development languages such as C/C++, C #/VB.net, Python, Java, etc, Third-party support including LabVIEW, MATLAB, Micro-Manager, DirectShow, and TWAIN.

Images acquired by the SWIR camera

The CQD CMOS SWIR cameras are extensively applied in machine vision, material sorting, scientific experiments and industrial inspection. The SWIR camera enabling high-precision quality control for semiconductor defect detection, plastic/food/pharmaceutical sorting, and printing inspection. They also excel in complex environments, capturing clear images through haze, smoke, and dust.

Common Specifications
Product Model	SWIR1503QU1, SWIR1503QU2
Camera series	SWIRQ Series
Sensor type	CQD CMOS
Color Type	Monochrome
Pixel Size	15µm x 15µm
Sensor Size	3/4″
ADC	14-bit
Image Buffer	512MByte
QE	40%
Exposure Time Range	16µs~5s
Shutter Mode	Global Shutter
Data interface	USB3.0
Digital I/O	1 channel of optically isolated input, 1 channel of optically isolated output
Data Format	Mono 12 / Mono 14
Cooling Temperature Difference	40°C below ambient temperature
Optical Filter	400-1800nm (Standard); 1030-1800nm (Optional)
Power consumption	8.4W（TEC OFF）/ <16W（TEC ON）
Operating Temperature	-30 °C to +60 °C
Storage Temperature	-40 °C to +85 °C
Humidity	20%-80%，no condensation
Size	68mm×68mm×90.3mm
Weight	485g
Lens mount	C-mount
Software	AttosView / SDK
Certification	CE, FCC

Quantum Efficiency Curve of SWIR1503QU1

Quantum Efficiency Curve of SWIR1503QU2

Optical filter transmission curve

* Blue curve: 400-1800nm standard filter
* Red curve: 1030-1800nm optional filter

The SWIR1503Q series USB3.0 Interface Refrigerated Camera Dimensions & Port

Parameter	Specification
Size	686890.3mm
Mount	C mount

Item	Specification
1	DC 12V power
2	External IO connection port
3	USB3.0 port

SWIR Camera Pin Signal

Table1: USB port, GigE port, CL port refrigerated camera pin signal definitions
	Color	Pin	Signal	Description of the signal
	White	1	GDN	Direct-coupled signal ground
	Red	2	12V	12VDC power input
	Blue	3	OPTO_GND	Opto-isolated signal ground
	Yellow	4	DIR_GPIO0	Direct-coupled General Purpose I/O (Software configurable input/output) (line2)
	Black	5	DIR_GPIO1	Direct-coupled General Purpose I/O (Software configurable input/output) (line3)
	Green	6	OPTO_IN	Opto-isolated input signal (line0)
	Pink	7	OPTO_OUT	Opto-isolated output signal (line1)

I/O electrical characteristics

Opto-isolated input circuit (line0)

Logic 0 input level: 0~2.2VDC (OPTO_IN pin)
Logic 1 input level: 3.3~24VDC (OPTO_IN pin)
Maximum input current:30mA

When the input level is between 2.2V and 3.2V, the circuit operation state is uncertain, please do not let SWIR camera work within this voltage range.

Input rise delay (TDR): 6us

Input fall delay (TDF): 6us

Figure 1：Input logic levels

Opto-isolated output circuit (line1)

The opto-isolated output maximum current is 30mA.

Figure 2: Output logic levels

The electrical characteristics of the opto-isolated output (external voltage 5V, external resistor 1K) are shown in Table 2.

Table 2： Opto-isolated output signal’s electrical characteristics
Parameter name	Parameter notation	Parameter value
Output logic low	VL	742mV
Output logic high	VH	4.134V
Output rise time	TR	4us
Output fall time	TF	1.8us
Output rise delay	TDR	12us
Output fall delay	TDF	2us

The output of the corresponding output current and VL when using different voltages and resistors in externalcircuit are shown in Table 3.

Table 3：Opto-isolated output logic’s low levels parameters
External voltage	External resistor	VL	Output current
3.3V	1KΩ	510mV	2.82mA
5V	1KΩ	742mV	4.31mA
12V	2.4KΩ	795mV	4.68mA
24V	4.7KΩ	850mV	4.97mA

Input and output I/O circuit (line2/line3)

1. Line2/line3 is set as input pin
Logic 0 input level: 0~0.6VDC (DIR_GPIO0/DIR_GPIO1 pins)
Logic 1 input level: 2.0~24VDC (DIR_GPIO0/DIR_GPIO1 pins)
Maximum input current: 25mA
When the input level is between 0.6V and 2.0V, the circuit action state is uncertain, please avoid the input voltage range working in this range.

To prevent damage to the GPIO pins, please connect the pin GND first, and then input voltage to the Line2 pin.
Input rise delay (TDR): 0.02us
Input fall delay (TDF): 0.02us

2. Line2/line3 are set as output pins
The maximum current allowed through this pin is 25mA.
The external pull-up voltage is 5V, the pull-up resistor is 1KΩ, and the GPIO is configured to output the logic level and electrical characteristics as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 3: Input logic levels

Figure 4: Output logic levels

When the ambient temperature is 25 degrees Celsius, the relationship between the external voltage, resistance and low-level voltage output is shown in Table 4.

Table 4：Non-isolated output Logic’s low level parameters
External voltage	External resistor	VL(GPIO)
3.3V	1KΩ	0.11V
5V	1KΩ	0.167V
12V	2.4KΩ	0.184V
24V	4.7KΩ	0.385V

Table 5: Non-isolated output electrical characteristics
Parameter name	Parameter notation	Parameter value
Output rise time	TR	0.08us
output fall time	TF	0.02us
Output rise delay	TDR	0.1us
Output fall delay	TDF	0.04u

AttosView

AttosView support all Attostek UV-VIS and SWIR cameras, it is a professional software that integrates camera control, image acquisition and processing, image browsing and analysis functions.

AttosView has the following characteristics:

x86: XP SP3 and above; CPU support SSE2 and above
x64: Win7 and above

Introduction to SDK

ascamsdk support a variety of APIs, including: Native C/C++,.NET/C#/VB.NET, Python, Java, DirectShow, Twain, LabView, Matlab, etc. Compared with other APIs, Native C/C++ API as a low-level API is characterized by using pure C/C++ development without relying on other runtime libraries. The interface is simple and the control is flexible.

Supported SDK platforms include: Win32 and WinRT, macOS, Linux, Android.

The supported versions for Win32 are as follows:

x86: XP SP3 and above; the CPU needs to support at least the SSE2 instruction set.
x64: Win7 and above.
arm: Win10 and above.
arm64: Win10 and above.

Third-party interface software

AttosTek provides extensive third-party software support for its UV-Vis cameras and SWIR cameras, facilitating rapid integration and use in various development environments. This includes SDK and demo programs for LabVIEW and MATLAB, as well as DirectShow drivers, Micromanager, and TWAIN SDK drivers. These features enable seamless compatibility with mainstream development environments and third-party software, greatly simplifying the workflow for system integration and secondary development.

AttosView

Support all Attostek UV-VIS and SWIR cameras.

Click the button below to download the AttosView software.

Download

SDK

Support a variety of APIs.

Click the button below to download the SDK.

Download

Third-Party Software

DirectShow Driver:

Download

Micromanager Driver:

Download

TWAIN SDK Driver:

Download

Recommended PC Configuration

AttosView Recommended System Requirements
Operating System	Microsoft® Windows® XP / Vista / 7 / 8 /10 /11(32 & 64 bit), Mac OSX, Linux
Processor (CPU)	≥3.0 GHz Intel Core i5 or Higher
Memory (RAM)	≥8 GB
Hard Drive	NVMe Solid State Drive (SSD)
Graphics Card	Dedicated Adapter with ≥256 MB RAM
Motherboard	USB 3.0 (-USB) Cameras: Integrated Intel USB 3.0 Controller or One Unused One Unused PCle3.0*16 Slot
Connectivity	Internet Connectivity for Driver Installation

User interface design

The image below shows the interface of the Attosview software. For more detailed information, please download the product manual.

Function	Function description
Operating mode	Operating mode: video mode or trigger mode Trigger mode: soft trigger mode or external trigger mode
Denoise	The camera hardware incorporates denoise
Automatic exposure	Automatic exposure or manual exposure function
Gain	HG, MG, LG 3 gain modes
Frame rate	Supports precise frame rate control
ROI	Supports single-zone ROI with a maximum frame rate of 8000fps after ROI
Flip	Supports Vertical/horizontal flip
Custom dark field correction	The hardware supports up to 12 groups of user-defined dark field correction image functions
Timestamp function	Timestamps can be turned on or off. After the timestamp function is enabled, the low 8bits of 1-8 pixels, 9-16 pixels, and 17-24 pixels will be modified to: 0-7: frame number; 8-15: Frame time; 16-23: trigger signal count
Firmware update	Supports firmware online update
Pipette function	Supports the display of the gray value of the mouse pixel position
Histogram display	Supports histogram display and statistics
Plane line function	Supports the function of viewing surface data
Regional gray statistics	Support the average gray statistics function of user-defined areas
Cooling system	1) The cooling system of the camera uses a built-in TEC cooling chip for the sensor, with external heat dissipation structure and fan auxiliary heat dissipation, the working temperature can be adjusted to a specific value, the effective cooling temperature can be lower than the ambient temperature of 40℃, and the high-efficiency cooling system ensures extremely low dark current level; 2) The TEC system adopts PID algorithm control, so that TEC can accurately adjust the sensor to the target temperature, and the temperature deviation is 0.3℃;

Q1 :What are the characteristics of CQD sensors compared to InGaAs sensors?
This series of cameras is equipped with a CQD CMOS sensor (colloidal quantum dot sensor). CQD (Colloidal Quantum Dot) sensors are a recently developed type of short-wave infrared imaging technology, with the following features:

Wide spectral response: Covers 400–1700 nm and even broader ranges
CMOS-compatible process: Can be manufactured on large silicon wafers, making it more cost-effective
High sensitivity: With a 15 µm large pixel design, it performs excellently in low-light conditions

This series of cameras, combined with TEC cooling design, achieves high sensitivity and low noise performance.
Q2 : How to choose between SWIR1503QU1 and SWIR1503QU2 based on spectral needs?
SWIR1503QU1 (800–1700nm) blocks the 400–800nm visible light range, so there’s no visible light stray interference; it’s suitable for 1064/1550nm laser inspection, photovoltaic EL, pure plastic sorting, mineral long-wave spectroscopy, and smoke monitoring. Best for projects that don’t need visible light for comparison.

SWIR1503QU2 (400–1700nm) combines visible and short-wave infrared response, letting you capture appearance and internal material info at the same time; it’s great for checking fruit and vegetable moisture, medicine sorting, anti-counterfeit printing, multi-band research, and synchronized inspection of silicon wafer appearance and sub-surface quality. Ideal for projects that need both visible and infrared images simultaneously.
Q3 : Can Linux/ARM embedded systems run the collection program independently of Attos?
Sure. The SDK provides precompiled libraries for various architectures and complete example source code, so you can write standalone collection programs for offline mineral analyzers or small fruit and vegetable sorting embedded devices, without needing a Windows host to stay running.

SWIR1503Q Series CQDs CMOS SWIR Cameras

Model	SWIR1503QU1	SWIR1503QU2
Sensor	CQD CMOS
QE	40%
Pixel Size	15µm x 15µm
Spectral Range	800nm-1700nm	400nm-1700nm
FPS/Resolution	8/12/14bit:110 @640×512	200 @ 640 × 512
Conversion Gain	45 e-/DN	TBD
Dynamic Range	71.6dB	TBD
Readout Noise	< 180e-	TBD
Full Well	690ke-	TBD
Maximum SNR	58.4dB	TBD

Item

Docs

Available

Price

Qty

SWIR1503QU1

800-1700nm CQD CMOS Camera, 0.33 MP 15µm Pixels, USB 3.0 Interface

2 Weeks

$6,000.00

SWIR1503QU2

400-1700nm CQD CMOS Camera, 0.33 MP 15µm Pixels, USB 3.0 Interface

2 Weeks

$6,000.00

Optional accessories – lenses

To meet the diverse application demands of short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging, Attostek offer a series of high-performance SWIR lenses. This lineup covers focal lengths from 6mm to 100mm and features a wide aperture range of F1.4 to F2.0 as standard, ensuring high signal-to-noise ratio and superior image quality even in low-light conditions. Users can flexibly select different models based on field of view, working distance, and resolution requirements, providing high sensitivity and versatile scene adaptability for SWIR cameras in applications such as security surveillance, industrial inspection, and scientific research.

Item

Docs

Available

Price

Qty