Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Holst is Head of the Research Department at PCO AG, a manufacturer of digital cameras and digital camera systems with high dynamic values and high resolutions, which are used all over the globe in scientific and industrial applications.

1. The image processing industry expects to see stronger growth in 2008 than 2007. The manufacturers of image processing cameras in particular, however, have already had an extremely successful year in 2007. So can significant growth be expected for 2008?

Gerhard Holst: Well the way things are looking at the moment, despite the global economic developments in the last quarter of the year, we can look back at a successful year, which for us is certainly attributable to a healthy combination of end customers, OEM partners and industrial customers.

2. What percentage of the possible areas of application has already been opened up for image processing then? Including with regard to the future-oriented areas of activity, photovoltaic production, environmental protection and saving resources.

Gerhard Holst: I think this is a hard one to estimate, because we can really only see a small portion of the overall camera requirements. With respect to photovoltaic production in particular, it looks like new markets are developing here on the basis of newer methods in quality assurance. Coverage definitely hasn't been more than 2% in this area. We don't have enough applications for our products in the two other areas for me to be able to make a meaningful estimation.

3. More than 85% of the industry's turnover was generated in 2007 with industrial image processing. The most important customer business here once again was in the automotive industry, including suppliers, with a share of almost 30%. What does the ratio at PCO between scientific and industrial systems look like?

Gerhard Holst: PCO traditionally focuses on scientific systems, which means very high quality systems with high prices and moderate unit numbers. The number of industrial customers looking for cameras for demanding applications, i.e. moderate prices and high unit numbers, however, has risen. I'd have to say that PCO's turnover ratio is 65% scientific systems and 35% industrial systems, but when it comes to unit numbers then it's more like 10% to 90%.

4. A generation change from CCD sensors to CMOS sensors has been underway for some time now. All professional image recording requirements can no longer be met with classic CCD image conversion technology. Is CCD going to disappear entirely? Or are there areas where CCD sensors will still have benefits?

Gerhard Holst: Well this really puts me in mind of the very little asked question about which image sensors are the better ones. It really only depends on the application and the area of application. So far it is still the case that very quiet camera applications with little light only work with the CCD image sensors, and applications with very high image rates, or high-speed cameras, only have to be implemented with CMOS image sensors. More recent developments in the CMOS sector, however, indicate that CMOS sensors are improving in leaps and bounds in the noise area, and are making headway in the established CCD areas. Both sensor types will only lose their advantages if they are adapted to the original readout structure of the respective other. If you want, for example, to increase the image rate of CCDs and use more output amplifier, the image becomes inhomogeneous, and you get more structural noise. If you want to save components on the CMOS image sensor and reduce structural noise, and therefore combine the pixels into columns and lines, then the CCD readout becomes similar, and slower as well. There will probably always be applications that require a particularly low dark current (e.g. astronomy or fluorescence measurements), which will remain dependent on CCD image sensors, otherwise, I believe, CMOS image sensors will even increase in our field.

5. Are there basic differences with image processing systems for the scientific market and the industrial market?

Gerhard Holst: Well I think the different requirements create differences. With scientific applications these are mostly more demanding requirements for dynamics, noise performance, resolution, image rate, etc. The systems are frequently utilized here right to the very boundaries of their possibilities. The requirements in the industrial sector are increasing slower here, but constantly without a doubt.

6. Products in the high-tech area generally require very high outlay in terms of research and development. How high are R&D investments at PCO? And how much work is being done together with scientific institutions?

Gerhard Holst: R&D is very important and highly valued at PCO, which I think you can see in the fact that 25% of our employees work in the research and development area. Together with the respective scientific institutions and other companies, we work regularly on research projects, which are intended in particular to improve our know-how and technological progress.

7. How important is a trade fair like LASER World of PHOTONICS for you as Head of Research at PCO?

Gerhard Holst: Here again I'd have to say that traditionally speaking this laser trade fair is one of the most important trade fairs for our company. This has a lot to do with the fact that a large number of our customers from the scientific sector come to our stand, with the benefit of attending scientific conferences being held at the same time, whereby the breaks provide a great opportunity, which is always used, to visit the trade fair stands. Many, many scientists take advantage of this opportunity to inform themselves about the latest state of technology and discuss the latest applications with us. And of course students don't miss the chance of coming to us to talk about camera applications and getting advice on the various technologies.

Thank you for the interview.