EMCCD Real-time Image Processing System Design And FPGA Implementation

Night-vision imaging and detection is becoming more and more important in recent times. As an advanced CCD technology that offers performance in excess of the best intensified CCDs, EMCCD is receiving more attentions. EMCCD finds its main areas of application in photon-starved situations such as night-time surveillance, astronomy or the detection of fluorescent in life sciences. Due to its ability to operate across the full range of light levels and its high quantum efficiency, EMCCD has a wide developing future. However, the images acquired by EMCCD are often interfered with various noises and perform lower contrast in photon-starved situations.These problems decreases the signal-to-noise ratio. That's why the low-light-level images processing has important theoretic significance and value.According to the imaging features and the noise characteristics of the EMCCD device which is designed by our own country, this paper will talk about how to choose suitable algorithms to make up a real time image processing system through calculation and simulation. Then we transplant system to hardware based in FPGA chip EP4CE22F17C8N and SDRAM successfully. The test results show that the resolution ratio and contrast of images acquired by EMCCD are evidently improved by adding the real time image processing system. The output image of EMCCD is stable and clear, meet the requirement of application.