Flash technology for charge-coupled-device imaging in the ultraviolet

The introduction of the flash gate has made possible the fabrication of backside-illuminated CCDs with high sensitivity and stability throughout a wide range of ultraviolet and visible wavelengths (100 to 5000 A). It had been determined previously that the characteristics of the oxide layer beneath the gate are critical to the ultimate achievable CCD performance. However, by creating an improved oxide layer in conjunction with the flash gate, it is now possible to consistently produce CCDs with near-ideal UV performance. In this paper recent results and related background theory that optimize the flash gate specifically for application in the UV are presented.