Design of low-noise output amplifiers for P-channel charge-coupled devices fabricated on high-resistivity silicon

S. Haque; F. Dion; R. Frost; R. Groulx; S. E. Holland; A. Karcher; W. F. Kolbe; N. A. Roe; G. Wang; Y. Yu

doi:10.1117/12.905460

15 February 2012 Design of low-noise output amplifiers for P-channel charge-coupled devices fabricated on high-resistivity silicon

S. Haque, F. Dion, R. Frost, R. Groulx, S. E. Holland, A. Karcher, W. F. Kolbe, N. A. Roe, G. Wang, Y. Yu

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8298, Sensors, Cameras, and Systems for Industrial and Scientific Applications XIII; 82980X (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.905460
Event: IS&T/SPIE Electronic Imaging, 2012, Burlingame, California, United States

Abstract

We describe the design and optimization of low-noise, single-stage output amplifiers for p-channel charge-coupled devices (CCDs) used for scientific applications in astronomy and other fields. The CCDs are fabricated on highresistivity, 4000-5000 Ω-cm, n-type silicon substrates. Single-stage amplifiers with different output structure designs and technologies have been characterized. The standard output amplifier is designed with an n⁺ polysilicon gate that has a metal connection to the sense node. In an effort to lower the output amplifier readout noise by minimizing the capacitance seen at the sense node, buried-contact technology has been investigated. In this case, the output transistor has a p⁺ polysilicon gate that connects directly to the p⁺ sense node. Output structures with buried-contact areas as small as 2 μm × 2 μm are characterized. In addition, the geometry of the source-follower transistor was varied, and we report test results on the conversion gain and noise of the various amplifier structures. By use of buried-contact technology, better amplifier geometry, optimization of the amplifier biases and improvements in the test electronics design, we obtain a 45% reduction in noise, corresponding to 1.7 e- rms at 70 kpixels/sec.

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S. Haque, F. Dion, R. Frost, R. Groulx, S. E. Holland, A. Karcher, W. F. Kolbe, N. A. Roe, G. Wang, and Y. Yu "Design of low-noise output amplifiers for P-channel charge-coupled devices fabricated on high-resistivity silicon", Proc. SPIE 8298, Sensors, Cameras, and Systems for Industrial and Scientific Applications XIII, 82980X (15 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.905460

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