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Achieving sub electron noise in CCD systems by means of digital filtering techniques that lower 1/f pixel correlated noise

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Abstract

Scientific CCDs designed in thick high resistivity silicon (Si) are excellent detectors for astronomy, high energy and nuclear physics, and instrumentation. Many applications can benefit from CCDs ultra low noise readout systems. The present work shows how sub electron noise CCD images can be achieved using digital signal processing techniques. These techniques allow 0.4 electrons of noise at readout bandwidths of up to 10 Kpixels per second while keeping the full CCD spatial resolution and signal dynamic range.

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank the Fermilab staff at SiDet facility, in particular Kevin Kuk, Donna Kubik, Walter Stuermer who helped us with the operations of CCDs systems; and Stephen Holland from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for always being available to answer our CCD questions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Kirk Road and Pine Street, Batavia, Il, 60510, USA

    Gustavo Indalecio Cancelo, Juan Cruz Estrada, Ken Treptow, Ted Zmuda & H. Thomas Diehl

  2. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ing. Eléctrica (IIIE) “Alfredo C. Desages”, Departamento de Ingenieria Eléctrica, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Av. Alem 1253 - (B8000CPB), Bahıa Blanca, Argentina

    Guillermo Fernandez Moroni

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  1. Gustavo Indalecio Cancelo
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  2. Juan Cruz Estrada
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  3. Guillermo Fernandez Moroni
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  4. Ken Treptow
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  5. Ted Zmuda
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  6. H. Thomas Diehl
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gustavo Indalecio Cancelo.

Additional information

FERMILAB-PUB-11-391, Work supported by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11359 with the United States Department of Energy.

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Cancelo, G.I., Estrada, J.C., Moroni, G.F. et al. Achieving sub electron noise in CCD systems by means of digital filtering techniques that lower 1/f pixel correlated noise. Exp Astron 34, 13–29 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-012-9294-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-012-9294-1

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