CMOS image sensors for x-ray interferometry

Buggey, Thomas W.; Hubbard, Michael W.J; Stefanov, Konstantin; Holland, Andrew D. and Hall, David J. (2024). CMOS image sensors for x-ray interferometry. In: Proc. SPIE 13103, X-Ray, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy XI (Holland, Andrew D. and Minoglou, Kyriaki eds.), SPIE, article no. 131030A.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018322

Abstract

X-ray interferometry (XRI) was first demonstrated in the early 2000’s, and many early mission concepts followed which exploited the significant improvement in spatial resolution that XRI offered. Unfortunately, optical technology was not mature enough to meet the requirements, and the idea remained dormant. ESA’s voyage 2050 programme, in combination with optical and pointing accuracy technology developments, has reignited interest in the concept, but large technological challenges still remain to realise such a groundbreaking telescope. Given the spectral and now spatial requirements of a XRI, the next generation of detector technologies must be developed which can meet those requirements to enable such a telescope. For the proposed ESA THESEUS x-ray astronomy mission, strict requirements on instrument operating temperature (-40°C) have necessitated developments of new detectors technologies, namely CMOS image sensors (CIS). The CEI, in collaboration with Te2v, have designed, manufactured, and characterised a monolithic fully depleted CIS specifically optimised for soft x-ray astronomy. The prototype detector currently meets the THESEUS soft x-ray imager requirements and boasts a near Fano-limited energy resolution of 130eV (@5.9keV) at -40°C. Although the new technology can perform well, the specific detector requirements of XRI need to balance opposing parameters of spatial and energy resolution. This paper will outline the current performance of the CIS221-X for soft x-ray astronomy (as well as other competing technologies) and describe future plans for developing CIS to meet the challenging requirements of XRI.

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