|
For low light level imaging application, a proximity focused electron bombardment CCD (EB-CCD) tube has been developed. In the tube, electrons emitted from the multi-alkali (S-20) photocathode in response to incident light are accelerated by the electric field and bombarded the specially processed CCD which is sensitive to electrons. The electron bombardment gain is 600 at applied voltage of -8kV to the photocathode. Single photon counting operation is possible, because the gain is larger than the readout noise and the dark noise of the CCD. The spatial resolution is better than 360 TV lines, which is the theoretical limit of the full frame transfer CCD (FFT-CCD) of 512 by 512 pixels. No major degradation of either the photocathode sensitivity or the incorporated CCD was observed during the operation for a few tens hours. The life of the EB-CCD tube is being under evaluation. Keywords: Electron tube, Photocathode, Image intensifier, Electron-bombardment, CCD, Low light level imaging
|
