Optical measurements with the aid of a one-dimensional CCD detector

The metrological characteristics of a multichannel optical detector based on a linear charge-coupled device (CCD) array were investigated. The method and results of measurements of the following quantities are given: the absolute sensitivity, conversion efficiency, noise, dynamic range, and nonlinearity. Sources of systematic errors are identified and ways for reducing them are discussed. A description is given of an image recording system in which a CCD 1200TsL7 array was used. The following parameters are reported for this system: the dynamic range (1600), the absolute sensitivity (400 photons per pixel), the conversion effciency (200 photons per reading), the nonuniformity of sensitivity (0.5%), and the nonlinearity coefficient (1.07). Software developed for this system makes it possible to correct for the CCD signal distortion. After correction, the large-signal measurement error is 0.15%.