Charge transfer efficiency in proton damaged CCD's

Abstract

We have performed detailed measurements of the charge transfer efficiency (CTE) in a thinned, backside-illuminated imaging charge-coupled device (CCD). The device had been damaged in three separate sections by proton radiation typical of that which a CCD would receive in space-borne experiments, nuclear imaging, or particle detection. We examined CTE as a function of signal level, temperature, and radiation dose. The dominant factor affecting the CTE in radiation-damaged CCD's is seen to be trapping by bulk states. We present a simple physical model for trapping as a function of transfer rate, trap concentration, and temperature. We have made calculations using this model and arrived at predictions which closely match the measured results. The CTE was also observed to have a nonlinear dependence on signal level. Using two-dimensional device simulations to examine the distribution of the charge packets in the CCD channel over a range of signal levels, we were able to explain the observed variation.