SBIR Phase II: Ultra-Sensitive Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Technology: A Photon Counting Camera

这个小型企业创新研究二期项目将产生一个创新的、技术先进的成像系统——具有捕获和计数单个光子的潜力。成像系统将是一个紧凑的雪崩增益，电荷耦合器件数码相机。这项研究成果所产生的技术将对许多检测和识别应用产生深远的影响。这项创新将在非常低的光照水平下提供从深紫外到近红外的高光响应，以及光敏光条件。此外，该相机系统将具有固态可靠性，没有典型的增强成像管限制，例如图像老化和闪烁。简而言之，这项创新将大大节省当前传统多光谱成像系统的成本，并将提供增强的成像性能。该摄像机可能应用于研究、军事、执法或国土安全领域，用于黑对黑探测——也就是说，当微弱的物体难以从背景中分辨出来时。这项影响深远的技术也将有利于许多非军事应用：如微光物理、深空和法医科学，以及光（日光）医学和生命科学。综上所述，在需要实时和尽可能低的噪声的情况下，成像系统将产生最大的影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will result in an innovative, technologically advanced, imaging system--with the potential of capturing and counting individual photons. The imaging system will be a compact avalanche-gain, charge-coupled device digital camera. The technology generated from this research effort will profoundly benefit many detection and discrimination applications. The innovation will offer high-photoresponse from the deep ultraviolet to the near infrared in very Low-Light-Level, as well as photopic light conditions. In addition, the camera system will have solid-state reliability without typical intensifier imaging tube limitations, such as, image burn-in and blooming. In short, the innovation will have significant cost savings over current conventional multi-spectrum imaging systems and will offer enhanced imaging performance. A possible research, military, law enforcement, or homeland security application for the camera will be black-on-black detection--that is, when faint objects are difficult to discriminate from the background. This far-reaching technology will also be beneficial for many non-military applications: such as, Low-Light-Level physical, deep space and forensic sciences, as well as, photopic (daylight) medical and life sciences. In summary, the imaging system will have the most impact where real-time and lowest possible noise is required.