Improvements of the PLD (Pulsed Laser Deposition) Method for Fabricating Photocathodes in ICMOS (Intensified CMOS) Sensors

Abstract

Abstract. We introduce new technologies improving the PLD (Pulsed LaserDeposition) method to fabricate visible (370 ~ 600 nm) and NUV (Near Ultraviolet, 185 ~ 320 nm) photocathodes for ICMOS (Intensified CMOS) sensors. First, we have improved the PLD VC (Vacuum Chamber) by utilizing optical window viewports and a couple of internal carousels, so that we can do cleaning, deposition various alkalis, measurement of the QE (Quantum Efficiency) in-situ, for multiple photocathode targets in a single process. Second, we have designed a Load/Degassing/Assembly (LDA) VC to prepare, load, degas, and assemble the alkali targets and photocathode substrates. Finally, we have connected the PLD VC with the LDA VC through a vacuum gate to prevent the photocathodes from oxidation and water contamination during the process. In this paper, we describe detail procedures of our new technologies and discuss about the design results of ICMOS products.