A laser-plasma source for CCD calibration in the soft X-ray range

A CCD calibration system based on a laser-plasma X-ray source has been developed. The system is particularly suited for CCD calibration in the soft X-ray spectral range and allows the user to continuously tune in energy the incident radiation. This last issue is of great interest when studying the X-ray response of Si detectors near the K-edge. We report on the use of this facility for calibration of a back-illuminated CCD for single-photon spectroscopy of laser-plasma emission.