Investigating Artefacts Associated with α Particle Interactions in Charge Coupled Devices

The response of charge coupled devices (CCDs) to \alpha radiation has been investigated to assess the potential of using these devices to perform \alpha -particle detection and measurement. Previous research indicates that \alpha radiation leaves distinctive patterns in the images produced by CCDs when compared with other types of radiation. In this research, CCD responses to \alpha and \beta radiation have been compared to highlight these differences. The CCD used was a Sony ICX825AL interline transfer CCD with an 9.98 \times 6.71 mm imaging area consisting of 1392 \times 1040 pixels, each of size 6.45 \times 6.45 {\mu } m, covered with a thin aluminised Mylar film to stop exposure to light. Images have been taken of exposures to a ^{\mathbf {210}}Po source and horizontal streaks have been observed. It is thought the horizontal streaks are caused by the charge produced by the \alpha particles being read out over several cycles. The average length of the streaks was found to be 14.5 \pm 2.0 pixels. Future research will be done to further assess streaks produced by different energy \alpha particles to investigate the potential of using CCDs for spectroscopy, using the MC40 cyclotron at the University of Birmingham