[en] A visible wavelength linear photosensor featuring a pixel size of 3 μm has been designed for fabrication using commercial 0.25 μm CMOS technology. For the photo-sensing element, the design uses a special 'deep N-well' in P-epi diode offered by the foundry for imaging devices. Pixel reset is via an adjacent p-FET, thus allowing high reset voltages for a wide pixel voltage swing. The pixel voltage is buffered using a voltage-follower op-amp and a sampling scheme is used to allow correlated double sampling (CDS) for removal of reset noise. Reset and signal levels are buffered through a 16:1 multiplexer to a switched capacitor amplifier which performs the CDS function. Incorporated in the CDS circuit is a programmable gain of 1-8 for increased signal-to-noise ratio at low signal levels. Data output is via 4 analogue output drivers for off-chip conversion. Each driver supplies a differential output voltage with a ±1 V swing for improved power supply noise rejection. The readout circuitry is designed for 12 bit accuracy at frame rates of up to 6.25 kHz. This gives a peak data rate at each output driver of 10 M samples/s. The device will operate on a 3.3 V supply and will dissipate approximately 950 mW. Simulations indicate an equivalent noise charge at the pixel of 66.3 e^- for a full well capacity of 255,000 e^-, giving a dynamic range of 71.7 dB

[en] A configured detector system based on an 80x80 element x-ray sensitive CCD array has been developed to replace the conventional transmitted x-ray detector used in the scanning transmission x-ray microscope. This from of detector allows a flexible choice of imaging modes to be made simultaneously from only a single scan of the sample. Details of the theoretical benefits expected, and the hardware implementation, are described

[en] We describe our programme to develop a large-format, science-grade, monolithic CMOS active pixel sensor for future space science missions, and in particular an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrograph for solar physics studies on ESA's Solar Orbiter. Our route to EUV sensitivity relies on adapting the back-thinning and rear-illumination techniques first developed for CCD sensors. Our first large-format sensor consists of 4kx3k 5 μm pixels fabricated on a 0.25 μm CMOS imager process. Wafer samples of these sensors have been thinned by e2v technologies with the aim of obtaining good sensitivity at EUV wavelengths. We present results from both front- and back-illuminated versions of this sensor. We also present our plans to develop a new sensor of 2kx2k 10 μm pixels, which will be fabricated on a 0.35 μm CMOS process. In progress towards this goal, we have designed a test-structure consisting of six arrays of 512x512 10 μm pixels. Each of the arrays has been given a different pixel design to allow verification of our models, and our progress towards optimizing a design for minimal system readout noise and maximum dynamic range. These sensors will also be back-thinned for characterization at EUV wavelengths