We have developed different types of photodetectors that are based on the photoionization of a gas at a low target density. The almost transparent devices were optimized and tested for online photon diagnostics at current and future x-ray free-electron laser facilities on a shot-to-shot basis with a temporal resolution of better than 100 ns. Characterization and calibration measurements were performed in the laboratory of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt at the electron storage ring BESSY II in Berlin. As a result, measurement uncertainties of better than 10% for the photon-pulse energy and below $20\mu \text{m}$ for the photon-beam position were achieved at the Free-electron LASer in Hamburg (FLASH). An upgrade for the detection of hard x-rays was tested at the Sub-Picosecond Photon Source in Stanford.

Recently, it has been shown that experimental data from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on oriented molecular films can be utilized to retrieve real-space images of molecular orbitals in two dimensions. Here, we extend this orbital tomography technique by performing photoemission initial state scans as a function of photon energy on the example of the brickwall monolayer of 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) on Ag(110). The overall dependence of the photocurrent on the photon energy can be well accounted for by assuming a plane wave for the final state. However, the experimental data, both for the highest occupied and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of PTCDA, exhibits an additional modulation attributed to final state scattering effects. Nevertheless, as these effects beyond a plane wave final state are comparably small, we are able, with extrapolations beyond the attainable photon energy range, to reconstruct three-dimensional images for both orbitals in agreement with calculations for the adsorbed molecule.

In order to measure the photon flux of highly intense and extremely pulsed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation in absolute terms, we have developed a gas-monitor detector which is based on the atomic photoionization of a rare gas at low particle density. The device is indestructible and almost transparent. By first pulse-resolved measurements of VUV free-electron laser radiation at the TESLA test facility in Hamburg, a peak power of more than 100 MW was detected. Moreover, the extended dynamic range of the detector allowed its accurate calibration using spectrally dispersed synchrotron radiation at much lower photon intensities.

This paper gives an assessment of old and new data relevant to the optical and electrical performance of PureB photodiodes for application in the wavelength range 2 nm to 400 nm. The PureB layer, fabricated by depositing pure boron on Si, forms the anode region of devices that function as p ⁺ n junction diodes. The results show that the high sensitivity and high stability of the PureB diodes is related to the integrity of the interface with the Si. When measures are taken to retain a complete PureB coverage, thermal processing steps with minute long exposure to temperatures up to 900 °C do not compromise the robustness and a lower-than-ideal but still high responsivity is maintained. Besides the thermal processing considerations, other aspects that impact the integration of PureB in CMOS are reviewed.