A new TCAD simulation method for direct CMOS electron detectors optimization.

A custom CMOS image sensor hardened by design is characterized in a transmission electron microscope, with the aim to extract basic parameters such as the quantum efficiency, the modulation transfer function and finally the detective quantum efficiency. In parallel, a new methodology based on the combination of Monte Carlo simulation of electron distributions and TCAD simulations is proposed and performed on the same detector, and for the first time the basic parameters of a direct CMOS electron detector are extracted thanks to the TCAD. The methodology is validated by means of the comparison between experimental and simulation results. This simulation method may be used for the development of future electron detectors.

Vulnerability of CMOS image sensors in Megajoule Class Laser harsh environment.

CMOS image sensors (CIS) are promising candidates as part of optical imagers for the plasma diagnostics devoted to the study of fusion by inertial confinement. However, the harsh radiative environment of Megajoule Class Lasers threatens the performances of these optical sensors. In this paper, the vulnerability of CIS to the transient and mixed pulsed radiation environment associated with such facilities is investigated during an experiment at the OMEGA facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), Rochester, NY, USA. The transient and permanent effects of the 14 MeV neutron pulse on CIS are presented. The behavior of the tested CIS shows that active pixel sensors (APS) exhibit a better hardness to this harsh environment than a CCD. A first order extrapolation of the reported results to the higher level of radiation expected for Megajoule Class Laser facilities (Laser Megajoule in France or National Ignition Facility in the USA) shows that temporarily saturated pixels due to transient neutron-induced single event effects will be the major issue for the development of radiation-tolerant plasma diagnostic instruments whereas the permanent degradation of the CIS related to displacement damage or total ionizing dose effects could be reduced by applying well known mitigation techniques.