Towards megapixel-class germanium charge-coupled devices for broadband x-ray detectors

C. W. Leitz; M. Zhu; S. Rabe; B. Burke; D. Young; D. O'Mara; I. Prigozhin; K. Ryu; M. Cooper; R. Reich; K. Johnson; M. Cook; C. Stull; S. Zarr

doi:10.1117/12.2528158

9 September 2019 Towards megapixel-class germanium charge-coupled devices for broadband x-ray detectors

C. W. Leitz, M. Zhu, S. Rabe, B. Burke, D. Young, D. O'Mara, I. Prigozhin, K. Ryu, M. Cooper, R. Reich, K. Johnson, M. Cook, C. Stull, S. Zarr

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11118, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXI; 1111802 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2528158
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2019, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

A germanium charge-coupled device (CCD) offers the advantages of a silicon CCD for X-ray detection – excellent uniformity, low read noise, high energy resolution, and noiseless on-chip charge summation – while covering an even broader spectral range. Notably, a germanium CCD offers the potential for broadband X-ray sensitivity with similar or even superior energy resolution than silicon, albeit requiring lower operating temperatures (≤ 150K) to achieve sufficiently low dark noise due to the lower band gap of this material. The recent demonstration of high-quality gate dielectrics on germanium with low surface-state density and low gate leakage is foundational for realization of high-quality imaging devices on this material. Building on this advancement, MIT Lincoln Laboratory has been developing germanium CCDs for several years, with design, fabrication, and characterization of kpixel-class front-illuminated devices discussed recently. In this article, we describe plans to scale these small arrays to megapixel-class imaging devices with performance suitable for scientific applications. Specifically, we discuss our efforts to increase charge-transfer efficiency, reduce dark current, improve fabrication yield, and fabricate backside-illuminated devices with excellent sensitivity.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

C. W. Leitz, M. Zhu, S. Rabe, B. Burke, D. Young, D. O'Mara, I. Prigozhin, K. Ryu, M. Cooper, R. Reich, K. Johnson, M. Cook, C. Stull, and S. Zarr "Towards megapixel-class germanium charge-coupled devices for broadband x-ray detectors", Proc. SPIE 11118, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXI, 1111802 (9 September 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2528158

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