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At least 145 records · Page 8

Room-temperature InGaAs detector arrays for 2.5 microns

This paper describes new alloy heterojunction detectors of In(.8)Ga(.2)As/InAs(.6)P(.4) which can detect light between 1.7 and 2.6 microns with 50 percent quantum efficiency and 5 mA/sq cm dark current (-1 V) density at room temperature. Wafer probe data showed that over 50 good contiguous 100 micron diameter devices (spaced 400 microns) could be made on a 25 x 30 mm wafer with overall yield above 93 percent. The ability to operate under -1 V reverse bias makes these devices ideally compatible with existing commercial multiplexer readouts.

Olsen, G. H.↗

Optimization of Noise Performance of Low-Back Ground Detector Arrays

The performance of the 2k x 2k Teledyne H2RG detectors is key to the success of the JWST mission. For broadband imaging, where background limited sensitivity is quickly reached, the key parameter is the quantum efficiency of the detectors, which is, in general, very good. For near infrared spectroscopy and narrow band imaging, we cannot generally reach the back-round limit, so instrument sensitivity is directly dependent on the read noise of the detector. We have initiated a program to analyze the noise characteristics of the H2RG detectors, studying the correlations among the detector outputs and with the reference output, as well as the temporal correlations in a given detector section. Lasing the measured characteristics of the noise correlations, we can determine the optimal coefficients for the removal of correlated noise as a function of frequency. By using available reference sources and adding more frequent references, we have been able to reduce the noise by a factor of two. We find that the detectors have significantly lower noise that observed in prior tests, and can offer significant improvements in the performance of the JWST instruments. We will present the analysis and mitigation techniques, discuss prospects for further improvements with existing detectors, and describe considerations for improvements in next-generation detectors.

Rauscher, Bernard J.↗

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↗

Germanium blocked-impurity-band detector arrays - Unpassivated devices with bulk substrates

We have fabricated and characterized six-element monolithic arrays of Ge:Ga blocked-impurity-band detectors, with threshold wavelength 220 microns, peak quantum efficiency 14 percent, detective quantum efficiency 9 percent, dark current 300 e(-)/s, and response uniformity better than 4 percent. The devices are described very well by the standard model of blocked-impurity-band detectors and appear to satisfy many of the requirements of low-background astronomical instruments.

Watson, Dan M.↗

Detector Arrays for an Airborne Infrared Echelle Spectrometer

The design of a long-slit echelle spectrograph covering the 16 - 210 micron range for use on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is under study at NASA-Ames. This wavelength range is selected for its content of important astrophysical spectral lines accessible from an airborne platform, and availability of suitable detectors. Two dimensional arrays will be used to simultaneously provide spectral coverage in the dispersion direction and imaging in the cross-dispersion direction. Major goals are: (1) to reach sensitivities limited primarily by the background from the residual atmosphere and the telescope; (2) to provide imaging not far from the diffraction limit of the 2.5 meter (effective) aperture of the telescope; and (3) to obtain diffraction-limited spectral resolution from the large echelle grating, which means that the resolving power increases with decreasing wavelength. To meet these requirements, three detector types are forseen: a commercially available monolithic Si:Sb IBC array to cover the wavelength range from 16 to 40 microns, a Ge:Sb photoconductor array to cover the range from 40 to 125 microns, and a stressed Ge:Ga photoconductor array covering the range from 125 to 210 microns. The paper discusses details of the studies and plans for the field optics, detectors, and readouts.

Erickson, E. F.↗

Detector Arrays For Infrared Astronomy

Paper describes status of program for developing integrated infrared detectors for astronomy. Program covers variety of detectors, including extrinsic silicon, extrinsic germanium, and indium antimonide devices with hybrid silicon multiplexers. Paper notes for arrays to reach background noise limit in cryogenic telescope, continued reductions in readout noise and dark current needed.

Mccreight, C. R.↗

Stressed and unstressed Ge:Ga detector arrays for airborne astronomy

The construction and operation of 2D arrays of both unstressed and stressed Ge:Ga photoconductive detectors for far-IR astronomy from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory is presented. The 25 element (5 x 5) arrays are designed for a new cryogenically cooled spectrometer. The 2D spatial array described has the advantage of absolute registry between pixels in a map.

Stacey, G. J.↗

Si:Bi array detectors and astronomical applications of the Goddard 10 micron camera

An improved 4 to 18 micron array camera system was developed at NASA Goddard SFC for astronomical photometry, using an Aerojet Electro Systems Corp. 16 x 16 Si:Bi accumulation mode charge injection device (AMCID) which could be suitable for eventual low-background spaceflight applications. An astronomical observing program using this device was carried out as a collaboration between NASA Goddard (Infrared and Radio Astronomy Branch and Micro Electronics Branch), the Harvard/Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona. In 1983 the camera system was revised, and a new Aeroject Si:Bi array with 16 x 16 active pixels was obtained from NASA/Ames Research Center as part of a new scientific collaboration between the Ames and Goddard infrared array research groups. The 16 x 16 device had sufficiently good sensitivity, uniformity and noise characteristics to be used for successful observations at the Mt. Lemmon 60 and 61 inch telescopes in May 1983. Complete laboratory characterization of the 16 x 16 array was carried out in summer of 1983. Initial results indicate that this detector has sensitivity and noise characteristics comparable to other devices from the same generation of Aerojet arrays.

Lamb, Gerald↗

Development of a Spectral Model Based on Charge Transport for the Swift/BAT 32K CdZnTe Detector Array

The properties of 32K CdZnTe (4 x 4 sq mm large, 2 mm thick) detectors have been studied in the pre-flight calibration of the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on-board the Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer (scheduled for launch in November 2004). In order to understand the energy response of the BAT CdZnTe array, we first quantify the mobility-lifetime (mu tau) products of carriers in individual CdZnTe detectors, which produce a position dependency in the charge induction efficiency and results in a low energy tail in the energy spectrum. Based on a new method utilizing (57)Co spectra obtained at different bias voltages, the mu tau for electrons ranges from 5.0 x 10(exp -4) to 1.0 x 10(exp -2) sq cm/V while the mu tau for holes ranges from 1.3 x 10(exp -5 to 1.8 x 10(exp -4) sq cm/V. We find that this wide distribution of mu tau products explains the large diversity in spectral shapes between CdZnTe detectors well. We also find that the variation of mu tau products can be attributed to the difference of crystal ingots or manufacturing harness. We utilize the 32K sets of extracted mu tau products to develop a spectral model of the detector. In combination with Monte Carlo simulations, we can construct a spectral model for any photon energy or any incident angle.

Sato, Goro↗

Development of 256 x 256 Element Impurity Band Conduction Infrared Detector Arrays for Astronomy

This report describes the work performed on a one and a half year advance technology program to develop Impurity Band Conduction (IBC) detectors with very low dark current, high quantum efficiency, and with good repeatable processes. The program fabricated several epitaxial growths of Si:As detecting layers from 15 to 35 microns thick and analyzed the performance versus the thickness and the Arsenic concentration of these epitaxial layers. Some of the epitaxial runs did not yield because of excessive residual impurities. The thicker epitaxial layers and the ones with higher Arsenic concentration resulted in good detectors with low dark currents and good quantum efficiency. The program hybridized six detector die from the best detector wafers to a low noise, 256 x 256 readout array and delivered the hybrids to NASA Ames for a more detailed study of the performance of the detectors.

Domingo, George↗

Lens-and-Detector Array for Spectrometer

Supporting structure alines lenses and serves as light baffle. Lenses and infrared detectors mounted together in cavities in electroformed plate. Plate and cavities maintain optical alinement while serving as light baffle and aperture stop.

Oberheuser, J.↗

Progress Towards High-Sensitivity Arrays of Detectors of Sub-mm Radiation using Superconducting Tunnel Junctions with Radio-Frequency Single-Electron Transistors

The science drivers for the SPIRIT/SPECS missions demand sensitive, fast, compact, low-power, large-format detector arrays for high resolution imaging and spectroscopy in the far infrared and submillimeter. Detector arrays with 10,000 pixels and sensitivity less than 10(exp 20)-20 W/Hz(exp 20)0.5 are needed. Antenna-coupled superconducting tunnel junction detectors with integrated rf single-electron transistor readout amplifiers have the potential for achieving this high level of sensitivity, and can take advantage of an rf multiplexing technique when forming arrays. The device consists of an antenna structure to couple radiation into a small superconducting volume and cause quasiparticle excitations, and a single-electron transistor to measure currents through tunnel junction contacts to the absorber volume. We will describe optimization of device parameters, and recent results on fabrication techniques for producing devices with high yield for detector arrays. We will also present modeling of expected saturation power levels, antenna coupling, and rf multiplexing schemes.

Stevenson, T. R.↗

Detector Arrays for the James Webb Near Infrared Spectrograph

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is delivering the detector subsystem for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec). Of all JWST instruments, NIRSpec has the most stringent detector requirements. In this poster, we describe recent performance testing results and relate them to NIRSpec's science requirements.

Rauscher, Bernard J.↗

A low power X-ray diffractometer for soil analysis in remote locations employing a multiwire proportional counter detector array.

A low power X-ray powder diffraction system suitable for remote mineralogical analysis of lunar, planetary, or asteroid soils has been designed. A one Curie Fe-55 source provides a monochromatic X-ray beam of 5.9 keV. Seeman-Bohlin focusing geometry is employed in the camera, allowing peak detection to proceed simultaneously at all angles and obviating the need for moving parts. The detector system is an array of 500-600 proportional counters with a wire-spacing of 1 mm. An electronics unit comprising preamplifier, postamplifier, window discriminators, and storage flip-flops requiring only 3.5 milliwatts has been designed and tested. Total instrument power is less than 5 W.

Gregory, J. C.↗

The DUV Stability of Superlattice-Doped CMOS Detector Arrays

JPL and Alacron have recently developed a high performance, DUV camera with a superlattice doped CMOS imaging detector. Supperlattice doped detectors achieve nearly 100% internal quantum efficiency in the deep and far ultraviolet, and a single layer, Al2O3 antireflection coating enables 64% external quantum efficiency at 263nm. In lifetime tests performed at Applied Materials using 263 nm pulsed, solid state and 193 nm pulsed excimer laser, the quantum efficiency and dark current of the JPL/Alacron camera remained stable to better than 1% precision during long-term exposure to several billion laser pulses, with no measurable degradation, no blooming and no image memory at 1000 fps.

silicon detectors↗

The 55Fe X-ray Energy Response of Mercury Cadmium Telluride Near-Infrared Detector Arrays

A technique involving Fe-55 X-rays provides a straightforward method to measure the response of a detector. The detector's response can lead directly to a calculation of the conversion gain (e(-) ADU(-1) ), as well as aid detector design and performance studies. We calibrate the Fe-15 X-ray energy response and pair production energy of HgCdTe using 8 HST WFC3 1.7 micron flight grade detectors. The results show that each Ka X-ray generates 2273 +/- 137 electrons, which corresponds to a pair-production energy of 2.61 +/- 0.16 eV. The uncertainties are dominated by our knowledge of the conversion gain. In future studies, we plan to eliminate this uncertainty by directly measuring conversion gain at very low light levels.

Fox, Ori↗

Charge Sharing and Charge Loss in a Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride Fine-Pixel Detector Array

Because of its high atomic number, room temperature operation, low noise, and high spatial resolution a Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) multi-pixel detector is ideal for hard x-ray astrophysical observation. As part of on-going research at MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center) to develop multi-pixel CdZnTe detectors for this purpose, we have measured charge sharing and charge loss for a 4x4 (750micron pitch), lmm thick pixel array and modeled these results using a Monte-Carlo simulation. This model was then used to predict the amount of charge sharing for a much finer pixel array (with a 300micron pitch). Future work will enable us to compare the simulated results for the finer array to measured values.

Gaskin, J. A.↗

The DUV Stability of Superlattice-Doped CMOS Detector Arrays

In this paper, we present experimental results and band structure calculations that illuminate the unique properties of superlattice-doped detectors. Numerical band structure calculations are presented to analyze the dependencies of surface passivation on dopant profiles and interface trap densities (Figure 3). Experiments and calculations show that quantum-engineered surfaces, grown at JPL by low temperature molecular beam epitaxy, achieve a qualitative as well as quantitative uniqueness in their near-immunity to high densities of surface and interface traps.

doped silicon surfaces↗