Spectral characterisation and noise performance of Vanilla - an active pixel sensor

Blue, A. , Bates, R., Bonhiek, S.E., Clarkson, A., Costas, A., Greenshaw, T., Laing, A., Maneuski, D. , Turchetta, R. and O'Shea, V. (2008) Spectral characterisation and noise performance of Vanilla - an active pixel sensor. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment, 591(1), pp. 237-240. (doi: 10.1016/j.nima.2008.03.097)

Abstract

This work will report on the characterisation of a new active pixel sensor, Vanilla. The Vanilla comprises of 512×512 (25μm2) pixels. The sensor has a 12 bit digital output for full-frame mode, although it can also be readout in analogue mode, whereby it can also be read in a fully programmable region-of-interest (ROI) mode. In full frame, the sensor can operate at a readout rate of more than 100 frames per second (fps), while in ROI mode, the speed depends on the size, shape and number of ROIs. For example, an ROI of 6×6 pixels can be read at 20,000 fps in analogue mode. Using photon transfer curve (PTC) measurements allowed for the calculation of the read noise, shot noise, full-well capacity and camera gain constant of the sensor. Spectral response measurements detailed the quantum efficiency (QE) of the detector through the UV and visible region. Analysis of the ROI readout mode was also performed. Such measurements suggest that the Vanilla APS (active pixel sensor) will be suitable for a wide range of applications including particle physics and medical imaging.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bates, Dr Richard and O'Shea, Professor Val and Clarkson, Mr Anthony and Blue, Dr Andrew and Maneuski, Dr Dima and Laing, Mr Andrew
• Authors: Blue, A., Bates, R., Bonhiek, S.E., Clarkson, A., Costas, A., Greenshaw, T., Laing, A., Maneuski, D., Turchetta, R., and O'Shea, V.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment
• Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
• ISSN: 0168-9002
• ISSN (Online): 1872-9576
• Published Online: 26 March 2008