Photon transfer methods and results for electron multiplication CCDs

Optical systems designed for some defense, environmental, and commercial remote-sensing applications must simultaneously have a high dynamic range, high sensitivity, and low noise-equivalent contrast. We have adapted James Janesick’s photon transfer technique for characterizing the noise performance of an electron multiplication CCD (EMCCD), and we have developed methods for characterizing performance parameters in a lab environment. We have defined a new figure of merit to complement the traditionally used dynamic range that quantifies the usefulness of EMCCD imagers. We use the results for EMCCDs to predict their performance with hyperspectral and multispectral imaging systems.