Calculation of resolution for a windowless charge coupled device (CCD)-Digicon

Abstract

A new version of an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) system, which is based on the incorporation of a CsI mesh photocathode and a thinned backside-illuminated CCD into a Space Telescope design Digicon tube, is being developed for future use in space-based observations in the Extreme Ultraviolet waveband. In this paper, a report is presented of the results of computer simulations involving the effects of the non-uniform electrostatic field near the mesh photocathode on imaging properties (especially, the spread function and modulation transfer function) of the detector system. The results are of importance in the design of the front end of the tube and the selection of optimum tube operating conditions. The overall resolution characteristics of the tube, including the effects of the mesh, the electron optics of the region between the mesh photocathode and the CCD target, and the structure of the CCD itself, are estimated.