High resolution electron bombareded complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor for ultraviolet detection

Abstract

High resolution and high sensitive low light level imaging sensors are crucial in many applications such as astronomical observation, high energy physics, night vision and remote sensing. The electron bombarded complementary metal oxide semiconductor (EBCMOS) sensor is a novel imager in which very high gain can be produced by hitting the semiconductor with high voltage without any noise generation. In addition, it can process high-definition image with kHz frame rate. These advatages make the EBCMOS an ideal device for ultrafast single-photon imgaing. In this article, we present an EBCMOS sensor working in the ultraviolet range by combing the technology of vacuum photocathode and back illuminated CMOS together. This EBCMOS sensor can realize very high resolution in 40 mlx light illumination environment. The achieved spatial resolution is 25 lp/mm (line paris per millimeter) when the electric field intensity is 5000 V/mm. The liner relation between electric field intensity and the resolution indicates that much better perofromance can be achieved if the electric field intensity increases to a much higher value. The EBCMOS sensor developed in this paper can be directly applied to UV weak light detection, moreover it will provide a good reference for further developing the visible and near infrared sensitive EBCMOS sensors.