A Linear Charge-Coupled Device Detector System for Spectroscopy

Abstract

The spectroscopically important performance capabilities of a linear charge-coupled device detector system, along with the methods used to evaluate the detector performance, are described. The linearity, read noise, full-well capacity, charge transfer efficiency, and ultraviolet to near-infrared quantum efficiency of the detector are presented along with the methods required to operate the detector in unconventional modes allowing low noise and antiblooming operation. With the antiblooming mode of operation, the detector performance is shown to be unaffected by light overloads hundreds of times over the saturation level. The performance of the detector for high-resolution diagnostic studies of hollow cathode lamps as well as for molecular fluorescence is presented.