Back-thinned CMOS sensor optimization

Back-thinning of a CCD image sensor is a very well established process for achieving high quantum efficiency and the majority of high-specification space and science applications have used such back-thinned devices for many years. CMOS sensors offer advantages over CCDs for a number of these applications and, in principle, it should be possible to back-thin CMOS devices and obtain the same performance as the CCD. This has now been demonstrated by e2v and results from two recent programmes to back-thin CMOS sensors show excellent quantum efficiency values.