To fully realize the potential of charge coupled devices for solid state low light level imaging additional gain before the array appears necessary. This can be accomplished either by coupling the device to an image intensifier tube optically or by operating in the electron bombarded mode (i.e. EBS). As in the case of the electron bombarded silicon diode array vidicon the performance in the electron-in mode is expected to be superior to the performance in the optically coupled mode. 100 x 160 element thinned CCD arrays have been operated in the EBS mode and the results indicate that substantial improvement in low light level performance can be realized when compared to direct photon-in performance. Imaging has been demonstrated at an equivalent signal level of 5 electrons/pixel (i.e. Actual No./Gain).

Date Published: 27 July 1976
PDF: 4 pages
Proc. SPIE 0078, Low Light Level Devices for Science and Technolgy, (27 July 1976); doi: 10.1117/12.954772

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0078:
Low Light Level Devices for Science and Technolgy
Charles Freeman, Editor(s)