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We report on a measurement of the size of charge clouds produced by X-ray photons in X-ray Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) pixel sensor named XRPIX. We carry out a beam scanning experiment of XRPIX using a monochromatic X-ray beam at 5.0 keV collimated to $\sim 10{\mathrm{ ~\mu m}}$ with a 4- ${\mathrm{ \mu m\phi }}$ pinhole and obtain the spatial distribution of single-pixel events at a subpixel scale. The standard deviation of charge clouds of 5.0-keV X-ray is estimated to be $\sigma _{\mathrm{ cloud}}=4.30\pm 0.07{\mathrm{ \,\,\mu m}}$. Compared to the detector response simulation, the estimated charge cloud size is well explained by a combination of photoelectron range, thermal diffusion, and Coulomb repulsion. Moreover, by analyzing the fraction of multi-pixel events in various energies, we find that the energy dependence of the charge cloud size is also consistent with the simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to operate an ‘improved’ Fourier synthesis imager at higher photon energies than are accessible with solid-state detectors, we developed a new one-dimensional γ-ray position sensor consisting of inorganic scintillators whose light is read out by a silicon strip detector (SSD). The SSD is read out through stripped p-electrodes (DC-coupled, 32 channels at 400 μm pitch). The n-side of the SSD does not have a metallic surface, and has a relatively good optical transparancy. A stack of optically isolated thin CsI(TI) scintillator plates (10 mm × 10 mm in area and 0.3 mm thick) is attached, edge-on, to the n-side of the SSD. When a γ-ray photon hits the stacked scintillator, the generated scintillation light is detected by the SSD, with the signal pulse-height largest in the p-electrode which is just beneath the CsI plate hit by the γ-ray. The 32-channel outputs from the SSD are acquired simultaneously for each event with a low-noise analog ASIC. The γ-ray position can be calculated as a weighted mean of pulse heights. Using this system, we have obtained a position resolution significantly finer than 1 mm for γ-rays with energies greater than ∼500 keV up to ∼1300 keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have been developing P-channel Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) for the upcoming X-ray Astronomy Satellite XRISM, planned to be launched in 2021. While the basic design of the CCD camera (Soft X-ray Imager: SXI) is almost the same as that of the lost Hitomi (ASTRO-H) observatory, we are planning to reduce the phenomenon of "light leakages" that is one of the largest problems recognized in Hitomi data. We adopted a double-layer optical blocking layer on the XRISM CCDs and also added an extra aluminum layer on the backside of them. We develop a newly designed test sample CCD and irradiate it with optical light to evaluate the optical blocking performance. As a result, light leakages are effectively reduced compared with that of the Hitomi CCDs. We thus conclude that the issue is solved by the new design and that the XRISM CCDs satisfy the mission requirement for the SXI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We have been developing event driven X-ray Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) pixel sensors, called "XRPIX", for the next generation of X-ray astronomy satellites. XRPIX is a monolithic active pixel sensor, fabricated using the SOI CMOS technology, and is equipped with the so-called "Event-Driven readout", which allows reading out only hit pixels by using the trigger circuit implemented in each pixel. The current version of XRPIX has lower spectral performance in the Event-Driven readout mode than in the Frame readout mode, which is due to the interference between the sensor layer and the circuit layer. The interference also lowers the gain. In order to suppress the interference, we developed a new device, "XRPIX6E" equipped with the Pinned Depleted Diode structure. A sufficiently highly-doped buried p-well is formed at the interface between the buried oxide layer and the sensor layer, and acts as a shield layer. XRPIX6E exhibits improved spectral performances both in the Event-Driven readout mode and in the Frame readout mode in comparison to previous devices. The energy resolutions in full width at half maximum at 6.4 keV are 236 ± 1 eV and 335 ± 4 eV in the Frame and Event-Driven readout modes, respectively. There are differences between the readout noise and the spectral performance in the two modes, which suggests that some mechanism still degrades the performance in the Event-Driven readout mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We have been developing monolithic active pixel sensors, named "XRPIX", based on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) pixel technology for future X-ray astronomy satellites. XRPIX has the function of event trigger and hit address outputs. This function allows us to read out analog signals only of hit pixels on trigger timing, which is referred to as the event-driven readout mode. Recently, we processed "XRPIX5b" with the largest imaging area of 21.9 mm × 13.8 mm in the XRPIX series. X-ray spectra are successfully obtained from all the pixels, and the readout noise is 46 e − (rms) in the frame readout mode. The gain variation was measured to be 1.2% (FWHM) among the pixels. We successfully obtain the X-ray image in the event-driven readout mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Suzaku results of the two Galactic supernova remnants (SNRs) G350.1−0.3 and G349.7+0.2. We find Al and Ni Kα lines from both the SNRs for the first time, in addition to previously detected K-shell lines of Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, and Fe. The spectra are well described by two optically thin thermal plasmas: a low-temperature (low-kT) plasma in collisional ionization equilibrium and a high-temperature (high-kT) plasma in non-equilibrium ionization. Since the low-kT plasma has solar metal abundances, it is thought to be of interstellar medium origin. The high-kT plasma has super-solar abundances, hence it is likely to be of ejecta origin. The abundance patterns of the ejecta components are similar to those of core-collapse supernovae with progenitor masses of ∼ 15–25 M⊙ for G350.1−0.3 and ∼ 35–40 M⊙ for G349.7+0.2. We find extremely high abundances of Ni compared to Fe (ZNi/ZFe ∼ 8). Based on the measured column densities between the SNRs and the near sky background, we propose that G350.1−0.3 and G349.7+0.2 are located at distances of 9 ± 3 kpc and 12 ± 5 kpc, respectively. Then the ejecta masses are estimated to be ∼ 13 M⊙ and ∼ 24 M⊙ for G350−0.3 and G349.7+0.2, respectively. These values are consistent with the progenitor masses of ∼ 15–25 M⊙ and ∼ 35–40 M⊙ for G350.1−0.3 and G349.7+0.2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We have been developing silicon-on-insulator pixel sensors, “XRPIXs,” for future X-ray astronomy satellites. XRPIXs are equipped with a function of “event-driven readout,” with which we can read out only hit pixels by trigger signals and hence realize good time resolution reaching ∼ 10 μ s . The current version of XRPIX suffers from a problem that the spectral performance degrades in the event-driven readout mode compared to the frame-readout mode, in which all the pixels are read out serially. Previous studies have clarified that one of the causes is capacitive coupling between the sense node and the trigger signal line in the circuit layer. In order to solve the problem, we adopt the Double SOI structure having a middle silicon layer between the circuit and the sensor layers. We expect the middle silicon layer to work as an electrostatic shield and reduces the capacitive coupling. In this paper, we report the spectroscopic performance of XRPIX with the middle silicon layer. We successfully reduce the capacitive coupling and the readout noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have been developing Kyoto's X-ray astronomy SOI pixel sensors, called “XRPIX”, aiming to extend the frontiers of X-ray astronomy with the wide-band imaging spectroscopy in the 0.5–40 keV band. A dead layer on the X-ray incident surface should ideally be as thin as possible to achieve a high sensitivity below 1 keV, and the depletion layer is required to be thick enough to detect 40 keV X-rays. Thus, we have started developing fully-depleted back-side illuminated (BI) types of XRPIXs. This paper reports on our first two BI devices and their X-ray evaluation (2.6–12 keV). The device named “XRPIX2b-FZ-LA” successfully reaches a full depletion with a thickness of 500 μm. On the other hand, it has a dead layer with a thickness of 1.1–1.5 μm and struggles to achieve the requirement of 1.0 μm. The other device named “XRPIX2b-CZ-PZ”, which is applied with a thin Si sensor-layer and an improved back-side process, is found to satisfy the requirement with its thickness of 0.9–1.0 μm, including Al optical blocking filter of 0.2 μm, although the Si sensor-layer is rather thin with 62 μm. We also describe in this paper the X-ray calibration system that we have built for the X-ray evaluation of XRPIXs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have been developing a new type of active pixel sensor, referred to as “XRPIX” for future X-ray astronomy satellites on the basis of silicon-on-insulator CMOS technology. The problem on our previous device, XRPIX1b, was degradation of the charge-collection efficiency (CCE) at pixel borders. In order to investigate the non-uniformity of the CCE within a pixel, we measured sub-pixel response with X-ray beams whose diameters are 10 μ m Φ at SPring-8. We found that the X-ray detection efficiency and CCE degrade in the sensor region under the pixel circuitry placed outside the buried p-wells (BPW). A 2D simulation of the electric fields with the semiconductor device simulator HyDeLEOS shows that the isolated pixel circuitry outside the BPW makes local minimums in the electric potentials at the interface between the sensor and buried oxide layers, where a part of charge is trapped and is not collected to the BPW. Based on this result, we modified the placement of the in-pixel circuitry in the next device, XRPIX2b, for the electric fields to be converged toward the BPW, and confirmed that the CCE at pixel borders is successfully improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are developing a monolithic active pixel sensor referred to as XRPIX for X-ray astronomy on the basis of silicon-on-insulator CMOS technology. A crucial issue in our recent development is the impact of incomplete charge collection on the spectroscopic performance. In this paper, we report the spectral responses of several devices having different intra-pixel structures or produced from different wafers. We found that an emission line spectrum exhibits large low-energy tails when the size of the buried p-well, which acts as the charge-collection node, is small. Moreover, in charge sharing events, the peak channels of the emission lines shift toward channels lower than those without charge sharing. This peak shift is more pronounced as the distance between the pixel center and the position of incident photon increases. This suggests that the charge-collection efficiency is degraded at the pixel boundary. We also found that the charge-collection efficiency depends on the strength of the electric field at the interface of the depletion and insulator layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have been developing active pixel sensors based on silicon-on-insulator technology for future X-ray astronomy missions. Recently we fabricated the new prototype named “XRPIX2”, and investigated its spectroscopic performance. For comparison and evaluation of different chip designs, XRPIX2 consists of 3 pixel types: Small Pixel, Large Pixel 1, and Large Pixel 2. In Small Pixel, we found that the gains of the 68% pixels are within 1.4% of the mean value, and the energy resolution is 656eV (FWHM) for 8keV X-rays, which is the best spectroscopic performance in our development. The pixel pitch of Large Pixel 1 and Large Pixel 2 is twice as large as that of Small Pixel. Charge sharing events are successfully reduced for Large Pixel 1. Moreover Large Pixel 2 has multiple nodes for charge collection in a pixel. We confirmed that the multi-nodes structure is effective to increase charge collection efficiency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We have been developing silicon-on-insulator (SOI) pixel detectors with a pinned depleted diode (PDD) structure, named "XRPIX", for X-ray astronomy. The PDD structure is formed in a thick p-type substrate, to which high negative voltage is applied to make it fully depleted. A pinned p-well is introduced at the backside of the insulator layer to reduce a dark current generation at the Si-SiO 2 interface and to fix the back-gate voltage of the SOI transistors. An n-well is further introduced between the p-well and the substrate to make a potential barrier between them and suppress a leakage current. An optimization study on the n-well dopant concentration is necessary because a higher dopant concentration could result in a higher potential barrier but also in a larger sense-node capacitance leading to a lower spectroscopic performance, and vice versa. Based on a device simulation, we fabricated five candidate chips having different n-well dopant concentrations. We successfully found out the best n-well design, which suppressed a large leakage current and showed satisfactory X-ray spectroscopic performance. Too low and too high n-well dopant concentration chips showed a large leakage current and degraded X-ray spectroscopic performance, respectively. We also found that the dependency of X-ray spectroscopic performance on the n-well dopant concentration can be largely explained by the difference in sense-node capacitance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ASTRO-H satellite is the 6th Japanese X-ray astronomical observatory to be launched in early 2016. The satellite carries four kinds of detectors, and one of them is an X-ray CCD camera, the soft X-ray imager (SXI), installed on the focal plane of an X-ray telescope. The SXI contains four CCD chips, each with an imaging area of 31 mm × 31 mm , arrayed in mosaic, covering the field-of-view of 38 ′ × 38 ′ , the widest ever flown in orbit. The CCDs are a P-channel back-illuminated (BI) type with a depletion layer thickness of 200 μ m . We operate the CCDs in a photon counting mode in which the position and energy of each photon are measured in the energy band of 0.4–12 keV. To evaluate the X-ray spectra obtained with the SXI, an accurate calibration of its response function is essential. For this purpose, we performed calibration experiments at Kyoto and Photon Factory of KEK, each with different X-ray sources with various X-ray energies. We fit the obtained spectra with 5 components; primary peak, secondary peak, constant tail, Si escape and Si fluorescence, and then model their energy dependence using physics-based or empirical formulae. Since this is the first adoption of P-channel BI-type CCDs on an X-ray astronomical satellite, we need to take special care on the constant tail component which is originated in partial charge collection. It is found that we need to assume a trapping layer at the incident surface of the CCD and implement it in the response model. In addition, the Si fluorescence component of the SXI response is significantly weak, compared with those of front-illuminated type CCDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) and Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) onboard the 6th Japanese X-ray satellite, ASTRO–H, utilize double-sided silicon strip detectors (DSSD) and pixel array-type silicon sensors (Si-pad), respectively. The DSSD with a 3.4cm×3.4cm area has an imaging capability in the lower energy band for the HXI covering 5–80keV. The Si-pad consists of 16×16 pixels with a 5.4cm×5.4cm area and measures a photon direction with the Compton kinematics in 10–600keV. Since the ASTRO–H will be operated in a low earth orbit, these detectors will be damaged by irradiation of cosmic-ray protons mainly in the South Atlantic Anomaly. In order to evaluate damage effects of the sensors, we have carried out irradiation tests with 150MeV proton beams and 60Co gamma-rays with a total dose of 10–20 years irradiation level. In both experiments, the leakage current has increased by under an expected operation temperature at −15°C, which resulted in the noise level within a tolerance of 20 years. In this report, we present a summary of the basic performance of silicon detectors, and radiation effects on them by the irradiation tests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: SN 1006 is one of the supernova remnants (SNRs) with relatively low-temperature electrons, considering the young age of just 1000 years. We carried out SN 1006 mapping observations with the X-ray Imaging Spectrometers (XIS) and the Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) onboard Suzaku, the fifth Japanese X-ray satellite. Thanks to the excellent spectral resolution of XIS in the soft X-ray band, H-like and He-like oxygen emission lines were clearly detected, and we could make a map of the line intensity, and as well as a flux and the photon index of nonthermal component. We found that these parameters have spatial dependences from region to region in the SNR; the north region is bright in nonthermal, while dim in thermal; the east region is bright in both nonthermal and thermal; the inner region shows dim nonthermal and bright thermal emission. The photon index is the smallest in the north region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The X-ray SOI pixel sensor onboard the FORCE satellite will be placed in the low earth orbit and will consequently suffer from the radiation effects mainly caused by geomagnetically trapped cosmic-ray protons. Based on previous studies on the effects of radiation on SOI pixel sensors, the positive charges trapped in the oxide layer significantly affect the performance of the sensor. To improve the radiation hardness of the SOI pixel sensors, we introduced a double-SOI (D-SOI) structure containing an additional middle Si layer in the oxide layer. The negative potential applied on the middle Si layer compensates for the radiation effects, due to the trapped positive charges. Although the radiation hardness of the D-SOI pixel sensors for applications in high-energy accelerators has been evaluated, radiation effects for astronomical application in the D-SOI sensors has not been evaluated thus far. To evaluate the radiation effects of the D-SOI sensor, we perform an irradiation experiment using a 6-MeV proton beam with a total dose of ∼ 5 krad , corresponding to a few tens of years of in-orbit operation. This experiment indicates an improvement in the radiation hardness of the X-ray D-SOI devices. On using an irradiation of 5 krad on the D-SOI device, the energy resolution in the full-width half maximum for the 5.9-keV X-ray increases by 7 ± 2 % , and the chip output gain decreases by 0. 35 ± 0. 09 %. The physical mechanism of the gain degradation is also investigated; it is found that the gain degradation is caused by an increase in the parasitic capacitance due to the enlarged buried n-well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]