SINGLE-ELEMENT CHARGE-INJECTION DEVICE AS A SPECTROSCOPIC DETECTOR.

The need for a single-element charge-transfer device as a spectroscopic detector is discussed. Such a detector promises to offer superior performance compared to current photomultiplier tubes over a wide range of illumination levels. As a detector to address this need, the prototype CID75 manufactured by General Electric Co. is described and characterized. The CID75 is a single-element charge-injection-device sensor with a 1 mm by 1 mm photoactive area and a readout rate adjustable from 0 to 20 kHz. The electro-optical characteristics reported in this study include linearity, read noise, full-well capacity, dark count rate, and quantum efficiency. The sensors have good photometric linearity with a full-well capacity in excess of 1. 2 multiplied by 10**8 e** minus . The read noise of the detector can be lowered to 80 e** minus when its nondestructive readout mode is employed. The quantum efficiency of the CID75 is reported for the wavelength range from 200 to 1000 nm.