Charge coupled devices (CCDs) — A detector system for particles with time resolution and local assignment with particle trajectories

Abstract

The properties of Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) have been investigated with respect to the detection of charged particles. Using standard TV-techniques for reading the particle induced charge distribution in the pixel elements, these devices yield the local information of the trajectory of particles with an resolution of 10 x 15 μm and information on the linear energy transfer (LET) of the particle. A linear response is expected for particles with LET between that of relativistic protons and relativistic iron ions. For particles with higher LET irreversible damage of single pixel elements have been observed. In the low LET region the CCD elements can be used as local and time resolving active detector with a fast continuous electronic read out, whereas in the high LET region permanent damage is accumulated like as in an usual passive particle track detector for off-line evaluation. Examples for the advancement of experiments with CCDs in the field of radiobiology is discussed.