Overview
The CCD207 is a spectroscopic format sensor in the L3VisionTM range of products from e2v Technologies. This device uses a novel output amplifier circuit that is capable of operating at an equivalent output noise of less than one electron at pixel rates of over 15 MHz. The sensor converts photons to charge in the image area during the integration period, then transfers this charge into the readout register. Following transfer through the readout register, the charge is multiplied in the gain register before conversion to a voltage by an output amplifier. The sensor can also operate in inverted mode to suppress dark current, as this is now the dominant noise source (even at short integration times). This makes the sensor well suited to high readout rate spectroscopic imaging, particularly when the focal plane irradiance is low.
The CCD207 is a full-frame L3Vision-type sensor with either 1632(H) x 208(V) elements (CCD207-00) or 1632(H) x 408(V) elements (CCD207-10). Each element is 16 µm square. The image section is designed to operate in 2-phase mode, in order to achieve the highest parallel transfer frequency.
The CCD207 has two different output circuits. There is a large-signal (LS) higher-speed type output at the end of the gain register for when multiplication gain is employed, and a high-responsivity (HR) type output at the end of the normal register for normal CCD operation. Either amplifier can be powered-down by disconnecting the output drain bias (with the reset drain still biased and the reset gate held at dc high or low, or clocked as normal). Operation of the high gain mode is controlled by adjustment of the multiplication phase amplitude Rφ2HV.
