Evaluation of silicon active pixel sensors for alpha particle detection

Alpha particles can be used as a test stimulus offering several advantages for probing materials of micrometre thicknesses. In this work a silicon CMOS Active Pixel Sensor (APS) is evaluated for alpha particle detection and imaging. These devices can replace traditionally used solid-state track detectors, giving advantages of increased sensitivity, improved linearity and higher dynamic range. CMOS APSs offer high detection efficiency, low noise and digital readout. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the back-illuminated back-thinned (BT) and standard sensor response to 5.5 MeV alpha particles is presented. Alpha particle detection efficiency was estimated and energy resolution was measured. Imaging capabilities were assessed and quantified. Cluster centroiding algorithms were implemented for image quality improvement.