Using a delta-doped CCD to determine the energy of a low-energy particle
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsShouleh Nikzad, Donald R. Croley, Gerald B. Murphy
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Abstract
The back surface of a thinned charged-coupled device (CCD) is treated to eliminate the backside potential well that appears in a conventional thinned CCD during backside illumination. The backside of the CCD includes a delta layer of high-concentration dopant confined to less than one monolayer of the crystal semiconductor. The thinned, delta-doped CCD is used to determine the energy of a very low-energy particle that penetrates less than 1.0 nm into the CCD, such as a proton having energy less than 10 keV.
Claims8
A method for use in determining the energy of a low-energy particle, the method comprising:
- exposing the back surface of a backside-thinned, delta-doped CCD to the low-energy particle,
- measuring an amount of electric charge collected in the CCD as a result of the penetration of the low-energy particle through the back surface of the CCD, and
- applying a conversion factor to the measured charge to calculate the energy of the low-energy particle,
- wherein the low-energy particle is a proton having energy between approximately 10.0 KeV and 1.2 keV.
An apparatus for use in determining the energy of a low-energy particle comprising:
- a backside-thinned, delta-doped CCD having a back surface through which the low-energy particle penetrates, and
- circuitry configured to:
- measure an amount of electric charge collected in the CCD as a result of the penetration of the low-energy particle, and
- apply a conversion factor to the measured charge to calculate the energy of the low-energy particle,
- wherein the low-energy particle is a proton having energy between approximately 10.0 KeV and 1.2 keV.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.