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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS2014

HgCdTe e-APD Detector Arrays with Single Photon Sensitivity for Space Lidar Applications

A multi-element HgCdTe electron initiated avalanche photodiode (e-APD) array has been developed for space lidar applications. The detector array was fabricated with 4.3-μm cutoff HgCdTe which covered a spectral response from 0.4 to 4.3 μm. We have characterized a 4x4 detector array with 80 μm square elements and an integrated custom cryogenic silicon read-out integrated circuit (ROIC). The device operated at 77K inside a small closed-cycle Dewar. Measurements showed a unity gain quantum efficiency of about 90% at 1.55 μm. The bulk dark current of the HgCdTe e-APD at 77K was less than 50,000 input referred electrons/s at 12 V APD bias where the APD gain was 620 and the measured noise equivalent power (NEP) was 0.4 fW/Hz1/2. The electrical bandwidth of the ROIC was about 6 MHz, which was chosen to match the laser pulse width of our CO2 lidar. Even with the relatively low bandwidth, the high APD gain and low dark current enabled the device to detect single photon events. Because the APD was biased below the break-down voltage, the detector output was linear with the input optical signal and there was no dead-time and afterpulsing. A new series of HgCdTe e-APDs are being developed with a much wider bandwidth ROIC and higher gain HgCdTe e-APD array, which is expected to give a much better performance in linear mode photon counting applications.

HgCdTe↗
NASA NTRS2011

Silica-Titania Composite (STC)'s Performance in the Photocatalytic Oxidation of Polar VOCs

The objective of this paper is to determine the performance of a Silica-Titania Composite (STC) in the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of polar VOCs for potential applications in trace contaminant control within space habitats such as the ISS and CEV Orion. Tests were carried out in a bench scale STC-packed annular reactor under continuous illumination by either a UV-C germicidal lamp(lambda (sub max) = 254 nm) or UV-A fluorescent BLB (lambda(sub max) = 365 nm) for the removal of ethanol (a predominant polar VOC in the ISS cabin). The STC's performance was evaluated in terms of the ethanol mineralization rate, mineralization efficiency, and the extent of its oxidation intermediate (acetaldehyde) formation in response to the type of light source (photon energy and photon flux) and relative humidity (RH) implemented. Results demonstrated that acetaldehyde was the only quantifiable intermediate in the effluent under UV illumination, but was not found in the dark adsorption experiments. The mineralization rate increased with an increase in photon energy (UV-C greater than UV-A), even though both lamps were adjusted to emit the same incident photon flux, and also increased with increasing photon flux. However, photonic efficiency decreased as the photon flux increased. More importantly, a higher photon flux gave rise to a lower effluent acetaldehyde concentration. The effect of RH on PCO was complex and intriguing because it affected both physical adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation. In general, increasing RH caused a decrease in adsorption capacity for ethanol and reduced the mineralization efficiency with a concomitant higher acetaldehyde evolution rate. The effect of RH was less profound than that of photon flux.

Levine, Lanfang H.↗
NASA NTRS2007

The JEM-EUSO Mission

JEM-EUSO is a science mission to explore extremes of the Universe. It observes the dark-side of the Earth and detects UV photons emitted from the extensive air shower caused by an extreme energy particle (about 10(exp 20) eV). Such a particle arrives almost straightly through our Milky Way Galaxy and is expected to allow us to trace the source location by its arrival direction. This will open the door to the new astronomy with charged particles. In its five years operation including the tilted mode, JEM-EUSO will detect at least 1,000 events with E>7 X 10(exp 19) eV and determine the energy spectrum of trans-GZK region with a statistical accuracy of several percent. JEM-EUSO is planned to be transported with HTV (H2 Transfer Vehicle) and attached to the Japanese Experiment Module/ Exposure Facility (JEM/EF) of International Space Station. JAXA has selected JEM-EUSO for one of the mission candidates of the second phase utilization of JEM/EF for the launch of early 2010s. One year-long phase-A study will be carried out under JAXA.

Adams, J.H.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Radiation and Temperature Hard Multi-Pixel Avalanche Photodiodes

The structure and method of fabricating a radiation and temperature hard avalanche photodiode with integrated radiation and temperature hard readout circuit, comprising a substrate, an avalanche region, an absorption region, and a plurality of Ohmic contacts are presented. The present disclosure provides for tuning of spectral sensitivity and high device efficiency, resulting in photon counting capability with decreased crosstalk and reduced dark current.

Bensaoula, Abdelhak↗
NASA NTRS2007

Focal-Plane Arrays of Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetectors

Focal-plane arrays of semiconductor quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) are being developed as superior alternatives to prior infrared imagers, including imagers based on HgCdTe devices and, especially, those based on quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs). HgCdTe devices and arrays thereof are difficult to fabricate and operate, and they exhibit large nonunformities and high 1/f (where f signifies frequency) noise. QWIPs are easier to fabricate and operate, can be made nearly uniform, and exhibit lower 1/f noise, but they exhibit larger dark currents, and their quantization only along the growth direction prevents them from absorbing photons at normal incidence, thereby limiting their quantum efficiencies. Like QWIPs, QDIPs offer the advantages of greater ease of operation, greater uniformity, and lower 1/f noise, but without the disadvantages: QDIPs exhibit lower dark currents, and quantum efficiencies of QDIPs are greater because the three-dimensional quantization of QDIPs is favorable to the absorption of photons at normal or oblique incidence. Moreover, QDIPs can be operated at higher temperatures (around 200 K) than are required for operation of QWIPs. The main problem in the development of QDIP imagers is to fabricate quantum dots with the requisite uniformity of size and spacing. A promising approach to be tested soon involves the use of electron-beam lithography to define the locations and sizes of quantum dots. A photoresist-covered GaAs substrate would be exposed to the beam generated by an advanced, high-precision electron beam apparatus. The exposure pattern would consist of spots typically having a diameter of 4 nm and typically spaced 20 nm apart. The exposed photoresist would be developed by either a high-contrast or a low-contrast method. In the high-contrast method, the spots would be etched in such a way as to form steep-wall holes all the way down to the substrate. The holes would be wider than the electron beam spots perhaps as wide as 15 to 20 nm, but may be sufficient to control the growth of the quantum dots. In the low-contrast method, the resist would be etched in such a way as to form dimples, the shapes of which would mimic the electron-beam density profile. Then by use of a transfer etching process that etches the substrate faster than it etches the resist, either the pattern of holes or a pattern comprising the narrow, lowest portions of the dimples would be imparted to the substrate. Having been thus patterned, the substrate would be cleaned. The resulting holes or dimples in the substrate would serve as nucleation sites for the growth of quantum dots of controlled size in the following steps. The substrate would be cleaned, then placed in a molecular-beam-epitaxy (MBE) chamber, where native oxide would be thermally desorbed and the quantum dots would be grown.

Gunapala, Sarath↗
NASA NTRS1996

PtSi/Si MWIR Detectors Made With p+ Doping Spikes

Ptsi/Si Schottky-barrier devices detecting medium-wavelength infrared (MWIR) photons demonstrated. Cutoff wavelengths extended to 7 micrometer and dark currents low enough that when cooled to temperature of liquid nitrogen devices suitable for night imaging of scenes at temperatures less than 0 degrees C.

Lin, True-Lon↗
NASA NTRS2004

A Chip and Pixel Qualification Methodology on Imaging Sensors

This paper presents a qualification methodology on imaging sensors. In addition to overall chip reliability characterization based on sensor s overall figure of merit, such as Dark Rate, Linearity, Dark Current Non-Uniformity, Fixed Pattern Noise and Photon Response Non-Uniformity, a simulation technique is proposed and used to project pixel reliability. The projected pixel reliability is directly related to imaging quality and provides additional sensor reliability information and performance control.

Chen, Yuan↗
NASA NTRS2019

HgCdTe Avalanche Photodiode Array Detectors with Single Photon Sensitivity and Integrated Detector Cooler Assemblies for Space Lidar Applications

A HgCdTe avalanche photodiode (APD) focal plane array assembly with linear mode photon-counting capability has been developed for space lidar applications. An integrated detector cooler assembly (IDCA) has been built using a miniature Stirling cooler. A microlens array has been included to improve the fill factor. The HgCdTe APD has a spectral response from 0.9- to 4.3-μm wavelengths, a photon detection efficiency as high as 70%, and a dark count rate of <250 kHz at 110 K. The mass of the IDCA is 0.8 kg and the total electrical power consumption is about 7 W. The HgCdTe APD arrays have been characterized at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. A series of environmental tests have been conducted for the IDCAs, including vibration, thermal cycling, and thermal vacuum tests. A description of the device and the test results at NASA are given in this paper.

Sun, Xiaoli↗
NASA NTRS1976

Carbon recombination line observations of the sharpless 140 region

Carbon recombination-line emission has been detected at two frequencies from a dark cloud contiguous with the small H II region Sharpless 140. The observations show the dark cloud to be of unusually low temperature and to have a markedly inhomogeneous density distribution, with localized region of high density surrounding one or more embedded stars. The carbon is probably ionized by photons from both the exciting star of S140 and the embedded stars. The dark cloud and S140 apparently represent two stages of star formation which have occurred over a period of at least 500,000 years in adjacent regions of the same dark cloud.

Knapp, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Re-ionization and decaying dark matter

Gunn-Peterson tests suggest that the Universe was reionized after the standard recombination epoch. A systematic treatment is presented of the ionization process by deriving the Boltzmann equations appropriate to this regime. A compact solution for the photon spectrum is found in terms of the ionization ratio. These equations are then solved numerically for the Decaying Dark Matter scenario, wherein neutrinos with mass of order 30 eV radiatively decay producing photons which ionize the intergalactic medium. It was found that the neutrino mass and lifetime are severely constrained by Gunn-Peterson tests, observations of the diffuse photon spectrum in the ultraviolet regime, and the Hubble parameter.

Dodelson, Scott↗
NASA NTRS2007

InGaAsP Avalanche Photodetectors for Non-Gated 1.06 micrometer Photon-Counting Receivers

The efficient detection of single photons at 1.06 micron is of considerable interest for lidar/ladar systems designed for remote sensing an d ranging as well as for free-space optical transmission in photon-st arved applications. However, silicon-based single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) used at shorter wavelengths have very low single photon d etection efficiency (approximately 1 - 2%) at 1.06 micron, and InP/In GaAs SPADs designed for telecommunications wavelengths near 1.5 micro n exhibit high dark count rates that generally inhibit non-gated (free-running) operation. To bridge this "single photon detection gap" for wavelengths just beyond 1 micron, we have developed high performance , large area (80 - 200 micron diameter) InP-based InGaAsP quaternary absorber SPADs optimized for operation at 1.06 micron and based on a highly reliable planar geometry avalanche photodiode structure. We wil l show that dark count rates are sufficiently low to allow for non-ga ted operation while achieving detection efficiencies far surpassing t hose found for Si SPADs. At a detection efficiency of 10%, 80 micron diameter devices exhibit dark count rates below 1000 Hz and count rate s of at least 3 MHz when operated at -40 C. Significantly higher dete ction efficiencies (30 - 50%) are achievable with acceptable tradeoff s in dark count rate. In this paper, we will also discuss performance modeling for these devices and compare their behavior with longer wav elength InP-based InGaAs ternary absorber SPADs fabricated on a relat ed device design platform.

Itzler, Mark A.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Low-Noise Free-Running High-Rate Photon-Counting for Space Communication and Ranging

We present performance data for low-noise free-running high-rate photon counting method for space optical communication and ranging. NASA GSFC is testing the performance of two types of novel photon-counting detectors 1) a 2x8 mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) avalanche array made by DRS Inc., and a 2) a commercial 2880-element silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) array. We successfully measured real-time communication performance using both the 2 detected-photon threshold and logic AND-gate coincidence methods. Use of these methods allows mitigation of dark count, after-pulsing and background noise effects without using other method of Time Gating The HgCdTe APD array routinely demonstrated very high photon detection efficiencies ((is) greater than 50%) at near infrared wavelength. The commercial silicon APD array exhibited a fast output with rise times of 300 ps and pulse widths of 600 ps. On-chip individually filtered signals from the entire array were multiplexed onto a single fast output. NASA GSFC has tested both detectors for their potential application for space communications and ranging. We developed and compare their performances using both the 2 detected photon threshold and coincidence methods.

Photons↗
NASA NTRS2016

Low-Noise Free-Running High-Rate Photon-Counting for Space Communication and Ranging

We present performance data for low-noise free-running high-rate photon counting method for space optical communication and ranging. NASA GSFC is testing the performance of two types of novel photon-counting detectors 1) a 2x8 mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) avalanche array made by DRS Inc., and a 2) a commercial 2880-element silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) array. We successfully measured real-time communication performance using both the 2 detected-photon threshold and logic AND-gate coincidence methods. Use of these methods allows mitigation of dark count, after-pulsing and background noise effects without using other method of Time Gating The HgCdTe APD array routinely demonstrated very high photon detection efficiencies (50) at near infrared wavelength. The commercial silicon APD array exhibited a fast output with rise times of 300 ps and pulse widths of 600 ps. On-chip individually filtered signals from the entire array were multiplexed onto a single fast output. NASA GSFC has tested both detectors for their potential application for space communications and ranging. We developed and compare their performances using both the 2 detected photon threshold and coincidence methods.

Photons↗
NASA NTRS2003

Effects of CO2 concentration and light intensity on photosynthesis of a rootless submerged plant, Ceratophyllum demersum L., used for aquatic food production in bioregenerative life support systems

In addition to green microalgae, aquatic higher plants are likely to play an important role in aquatic food production modules in bioregenerative systems for producing feed for fish, converting CO2 to O2 and remedying water quality. In the present study, the effects of culture conditions on the net photosynthetic rate of a rootless submerged plant, Ceratophyllum demersum L., was investigated to determine the optimum culture conditions for maximal function of plants in food production modules including both aquatic plant culture and fish culture systems. The net photosynthetic rate in plants was determined by the increase in dissolved O2 concentrations in a closed vessel containing a plantlet and water. The water in the vessel was aerated sufficiently with a gas containing a known concentration of CO2 gas mixed with N2 gas before closing the vessel. The CO2 concentrations in the aerating gas ranged from 0.3 to 10 mmol mol-1. Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) in the vessel ranged from 0 (dark) to 1.0 mmol m-2 s-1, which was controlled with a metal halide lamp. Temperature was kept at 28 degrees C. The net photosynthetic rate increased with increasing PPFD levels and was saturated at 0.2 and 0.5 mmol m-2 s-1 PPFD under CO2 levels of 1.0 and 3.0 mmol mol-1, respectively. The net photosynthetic rate increased with increasing CO2 levels from 0.3 to 3.0 mmol mol-1 showing the maximum value, 75 nmol O2 gDW-1 s-1, at 2-3 mmol mol-1 CO2 and gradually decreased with increasing CO2 levels from 3.0 to 10 mmol mol-1. The results demonstrate that C. demersum could be an efficient CO2 to O2 converter under a 2.0 mmol mol-1 CO2 level and relatively low PPFD levels in aquatic food production modules. c2003 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecological Systems, Closed↗
NASA NTRS2011

Vacuum Nuller Testbed Performance, Characterization and Null Control

The Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC) can detect and characterize exoplanets with filled, segmented and sparse aperture telescopes, thereby spanning the choice of future internal coronagraph exoplanet missions. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has developed a Vacuum Nuller Testbed (VNT) to advance this approach, and assess and advance technologies needed to realize a VNC as a flight instrument. The VNT is an ultra-stable testbed operating at 15 Hz in vacuum. It consists of a MachZehnder nulling interferometer; modified with a "W" configuration to accommodate a hexpacked MEMS based deformable mirror (DM), coherent fiber bundle and achromatic phase shifters. The 2-output channels are imaged with a vacuum photon counting camera and conventional camera. Error-sensing and feedback to DM and delay line with control algorithms are implemented in a real-time architecture. The inherent advantage of the VNC is that it is its own interferometer and directly controls its errors by exploiting images from bright and dark channels simultaneously. Conservation of energy requires the sum total of the photon counts be conserved independent of the VNC state. Thus sensing and control bandwidth is limited by the target stars throughput, with the net effect that the higher bandwidth offloads stressing stability tolerances within the telescope. We report our recent progress with the VNT towards achieving an incremental sequence of contrast milestones of 10(exp 8) , 10(exp 9) and 10(exp 10) respectively at inner working angles approaching 2A/D. Discussed will be the optics, lab results, technologies, and null control. Shown will be evidence that the milestones have been achieved.

Lyon, R. G.↗