Development and Performance of Kyotos X-ray Astronomical SOI pixel (SOIPIX) sensor


Abstract in English

We have been developing monolithic active pixel sensors, known as Kyotos X-ray SOIPIXs, based on the CMOS SOI (silicon-on-insulator) technology for next-generation X-ray astronomy satellites. The event trigger output function implemented in each pixel offers microsecond time resolution and enables reduction of the non-X-ray background that dominates the high X-ray energy band above 5--10 keV. A fully depleted SOI with a thick depletion layer and back illumination offers wide band coverage of 0.3--40 keV. Here, we report recent progress in the X-ray SOIPIX development. In this study, we achieved an energy resolution of 300~eV (FWHM) at 6~keV and a read-out noise of 33~e- (rms) in the frame readout mode, which allows us to clearly resolve Mn-K$alpha$ and K$beta$. Moreover, we produced a fully depleted layer with a thickness of $500~{rm mu m}$. The event-driven readout mode has already been successfully demonstrated.

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