Performance evaluation of a photon-counting intensified CCD

Paolo Bergamini; Giuseppe Bonelli; Sergio D'Angelo; Stefano Latorre; Luca Poletto; Giacomo Sechi; Enrico G. Tanzi; Giuseppe Tondello; Michela C. Uslenghi

doi:10.1117/12.283773

15 October 1997 Performance evaluation of a photon-counting intensified CCD

Paolo Bergamini, Giuseppe Bonelli, Sergio D'Angelo, Stefano Latorre, Luca Poletto, Giacomo Sechi, Enrico G. Tanzi, Giuseppe Tondello, Michela C. Uslenghi

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3114, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.283773
Event: Optical Science, Engineering and Instrumentation '97, 1997, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The performance of a prototype photon counting imaging detector, being developed for the international UV space mission spectrum-UV, is presented. The detector is based on a 4-cm diameter, Z stack, high gain microchannel plate (MCP) intensifier endowed with a RbTe photocathode. The electron cascade generated by the MCP intensifier is transduced, via a phosphor screen and a 1:3.6 fiber optics reducer, into a 5 by 5 pixel², quasi-Gaussian charge distribution on a 15 micrometer, 512 by 512 pixel² format CCD matrix read out in the frame-transfer mode at 20 MHz, corresponding to 60 frame sec^-1 in the full frame mode and to 220 frame sec^-1 in the window (128 by 512 pixel²) mode. The data flow is acquired serially as to generate a 5 by 5 pixel² event sash that sweeps dynamically the CCD matrix at the 50 ns place of the readout clock. Each and every event sash is searched for the presence of events whose charge distribution lie within set thresholds and satisfy given morphological rules, i.e. a peaked charge profile. The centroid coordinates of identified events are subsequently determined with sub-pixel accuracy and stored in an external, high resolution memory. The data acquisition and processing system, based on field programmable gate array technology, is well able to resolve the front MCP pore geometry (10 micrometer diameter pores at 12 micrometer pitch).

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Paolo Bergamini, Giuseppe Bonelli, Sergio D'Angelo, Stefano Latorre, Luca Poletto, Giacomo Sechi, Enrico G. Tanzi, Giuseppe Tondello, and Michela C. Uslenghi "Performance evaluation of a photon-counting intensified CCD", Proc. SPIE 3114, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy VIII, (15 October 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.283773

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