Radiation tests on solid state cameras for instrumentation

Technological advances in solid state camera design have provided a wider choice of equipment for beam diagnostics, but following simulations of the expected radiation environment in the LHC, knowledge of their radiation tolerance was required. Several cameras have been progressively exposed to a 60 MeV proton beam and their performance degradation monitored. The emCCD camera was progressively irradiated starting with the sensor area but initially keeping the memory and charge amplifiers sections shielded. The result of the analysis shows that the camera is very sensitive to radiation damage, in particular when the charge amplifier sections were first exposed there was an immediate loss of gain, seen at 25 Gy. As for radiation-hard cameras such as CID8712 and SIRA-APS250 devices the only effect was a progressive loss of contrast with increasing radiation. The SIRA-APS25O camera shows variable gain that can partially compensate for this loss of contrast. Following these results, further simulations have been carried out on the level of shielding needed to ensure satisfactory operation in the LHC