We have been developing monolithic active pixel sensors, X-ray Astronomy SOI pixel sensors, XRPIXs, based on a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) CMOS technology as soft X-ray sensors for a future Japanese mission, FORCE (Focusing On Relativistic universe and Cosmic Evolution). The mission is characterized by broadband (1-80 keV) X-ray imaging spectroscopy with high angular resolution (<15~arcsec), with which we can achieve about ten times higher sensitivity in comparison to the previous missions above 10~keV. Immediate readout of only those pixels hit by an X-ray is available by an event trigger output function implemented in each pixel with the time resolution higher than 10μsec (Event-Driven readout mode). It allows us to do fast timing observation and also reduces non-X-ray background dominating at a high X-ray energy band above 5--10~keV by adopting an anti-coincidence technique. In this paper, we introduce our latest results from the developments of the XRPIXs. (1) We successfully developed a 3-side buttable back-side illumination device with an imaging area size of 21.9~mm×13.8~mm and an pixel size of 36μm×36μm. The X-ray throughput with the device reaches higher than 0.57~kHz in the Event-Driven readout mode. (2) We developed a device using the double SOI structure and found that the structure improves the spectral performance in the Event-Driven readout mode by suppressing the capacitive coupling interference between the sensor and circuit layers. (3) We also developed a new device equipped with the Pinned Depleted Diode structure and confirmed that the structure reduces the dark current generated at the interface region between the sensor and the SiO2 insulator layers. The device shows an energy resolution of 216~eV in FWHM at 6.4~keV in the Event-Driven readout mode.
@article{arxiv.1807.11005,
title = {Kyoto's Event-Driven X-ray Astronomy SOI pixel sensor for the FORCE mission},
author = {Takeshi G. Tsuru and Hideki Hayashi and Katsuhiro Tachibana and Sodai Harada and Hiroyuki Uchida and Takaaki Tanaka and Yasuo Arai and Ikuo Kurachi and Koji Mori and Ayaki Takeda and Yusuke Nishioka and Nobuaki Takebayashi and Shoma Yokoyama and Kohei Fukuda and Takayoshi Kohmura and Kouichi Hagino and Kenji Ohno and Kohsuke Negishi and Keigo Yarita and Shoji Kawahito and Keiichiro Kagawa and Keita Yasutomi and Sumeet Shrestha and Shunta Nakanishi and Hiroki Kamehama and Hideaki Matsumura},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1807.11005},
year = {2018}
}
Comments
11 pages, 10 figures, Proceedings Volume 10709, High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VIII