CCD-Digicon Detector System Performance Parameters

Abstract

We are developing an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) detector system, based on the incorporation of a thinned backside-illuminated CCD as the anode of a Hubble Space Telescope design Digicon tube, for particular application to astronomical observations with stringent requirements for accuracy, rapid temporal response, low background, and high two-dimensional resolution. In this paper, images are presented which demonstrate the capability this system provides in achieving sub-CCD-cell resolution, representing a substantial increase in this attribute. These results also indicate that the amount of this increase is at present constrained by the limited extent of the spreading of photoelectron-generated charge evident in the particular thinned CCD used here, and that further increases in resolution remain possible with the use of thicker chips. In connection with this, the potential benefits of magnetic deflection substepping in ensuring excellent uniformity of elemental response in the overall sensor system are shown dramatically in this study. Additionally, we present preliminary results from the fabrication and testing of mesh photocathodes suitable for inclusion in such a system, which may be applied to extend wavelength coverage into the extreme ultraviolet, and from the successful processing and operation of a sealed CCD-Digicon tube.