Stability and photometric accuracy of CMOS image sensors in space: Radiation damage, surface charge and quantum confinement in silicon detectors

Abstract

Stability and photometric accuracy of silicon imaging detectors are essential for the Habitable Worlds Observatory and a range of NASA missions that will explore time domain astrophysics and astronomy over a spectral range spanning soft X-rays through the ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared. Detector stability is one of the oldest and most challenging problems in NASA missions. The challenges are particularly acute in the extreme ultraviolet range, where near-surface absorption of high-energy photons causes surfaces to degrade rapidly. In this paper, the effects of radiation-induced variability of surface charge on detector stability and photometric accuracy are analyzed in order to assess the implications for future NASA missions.