Two-dimensional MTF characterization of a large format CMOS detector

Abstract

We are characterizing a 7638 x 5004 front-side illuminated CMOS detector for astronomical application. Mod- ulation Transfer Function (MTF) of a detector is considered as an important figure of merit for accurate target positioning in astronomy. It states the upper limit of the image quality. MTF knowledge also provides a better understanding of the design trade-off. In this work, two-dimensional (2D) sub-micrometer scanning method is used to extract 2D MTF profile of our CMOS detector with a pixel pitch of 6μm. Our optical measurement setup focuses a collimated beam onto the imaging surface with a microscope objective. The spot was scanned in a raster over a single pixel. We generate an oversampled point spread function (PSF) of the detector which contains sub-pixel elements. 2D MTF map is calculated from the measured oversampled PSF. This 2D MTF map is used to characterize the resolving ability of our detector. We analyze the importance of the 2D MTF map to describe the full pixel MTF of the CMOS pixel having low fill-factor. 1D MTFs are calculated from the 2d MTF to do a quantitative comparison of the MTF in horizontal and vertical directions. This study emphasizes advantages and necessity of the 2D MTF for CMOS detector performance analysis, especially for anisotropic resolution.