From Film to HPCs: Why Detector Technology Matters

Join us for a free 45-minute webinar exploring the evolution of X-ray detector technology and its impact on modern single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCX).

Detector performance is one of the most critical factors determining data quality, experiment speed, and experimental success. From photographic film to CCDs and now Hybrid Photon Counting (HPC) detectors, each technological shift has dramatically improved how crystallographic data is collected and processed.

In this session, we will review the history of X-ray detection and explain why HPC detectors represent a major advancement in precision, efficiency, and experimental capability.

What You’ll Learn:

• How detector technology has evolved in X-ray crystallography
• The challenges associated with film and early electronic detectors
• The operating principle of Hybrid Photon Counting detectors
• Why direct photon counting improves accuracy and dynamic range
• The benefits of shutterless data collection
• How detector performance affects weak, small, or radiation-sensitive samples
• Practical advantages for modern SCX laboratories

Who Should Attend?
This webinar is ideal for:

• Current SCX users
• Crystallographers in academic and industrial laboratories
• Researchers evaluating new SCX instrumentation
• Laboratory managers considering system upgrades
• Scientists working with challenging or weakly diffracting samples