A 36 cm/sup 2/ monolithic pn-CCD for X-ray detection on the XMM and ABRIXAS satellites

X-ray sensitive CCDs with outstanding properties have been developed and produced at the MPI Halbleiterlabor. They are contributed to the focal plane instrumentation of two space missions: the European XMM and the German ABRIXAS satellites. These CCDs, which are presented, use exclusively pn-junctions on ultra-pure, high-ohmic silicon for all active components, in particular for the transfer electrodes and the on-chip readout circuitry. Full depletion of the detector chip, a homogeneous and thin entrance window and large pixel sizes can be realized by this technological concept. It results in low noise performance, spectroscopic energy resolution, high detection efficiency, radiation hardness and fast readout. With those properties the so-called pn-CCDs ideally match the requirements of the satellites, which are given by the specifics of their X-ray imaging optics as well as the intensity, energy range and dynamic behavior of the objects to be observed.