Joerg Stegmeier

CRIRES: A High Resolution Infrared Spectrograph for ESO’s VLT

CRIRES is a cryogenic, pre-dispersed, infrared echelle spectrograph designed to provide a resolving power lambda/(Delta lambda) of 105 between 1 and 5mu m at the Nasmyth focus B of the 8m VLT unit telescope #1 (Antu). A curvature sensing adaptive optics system feed is used to minimize slit losses and to provide diffraction limited spatial resolution along the slit. A mosaic of 4 Aladdin~III InSb-arrays packaged on custom-fabricated ceramics boards has been developed. This provides for an effective 4096x512 pixel focal plane array, to maximize the free spectral range covered in each exposure. Insertion of gas cells to measure high precision radial velocities is foreseen. For measurement of circular polarization a Fresnel rhomb in combination with a Wollaston prism for magnetic Doppler imaging is foreseen. The implementation of full spectropolarimetry is under study. This is one result of a scientific workshop held at ESO in late 2003 to refine the science-case of CRIRES. Installation at the VLT is scheduled during the first half of 2005. Here we briefly recall the major design features of CRIRES and describe its current development status including a report of laboratory testing.

HAWK-I: A new wide-field 1- to 2.5-μm imager for the VLT

HAWK-I (High Acuity, Wide field K-band Imaging) is a 0.9 μm - 2.5 μm wide field near infrared imager designed to sample the best images delivered over a large field of 7.5 arcmin x 7.5 arcmin. HAWK-I is a cryogenic instrument to be installed on one of the Very Large Telescope Nasmyth foci. It employs a catadioptric design and the focal plane is equipped with a mosaic of four HAWAII 2 RG arrays. Two filter wheels allow to insert broad band and narrow band filters. The instrument is designed to remain compatible with an adaptive secondary system under study for the VLT.

Evaluation and optimization of NIR HgCdTe avalanche photodiode arrays for adaptive optics and interferometry

The performance of the current high speed near infrared HgCdTe sensors operating in fringe trackers, wavefront sensors and tip-tilt sensors is severely limited by the noise of the silicon readout interface circuit (ROIC), even if state-of-the- art CMOS designs are used. A major improvement can only be achieved by the amplification of the photoelectron signal directly at the point of absorption by means of avalanche gain inside the infrared pixel. Unlike silicon, HgCdTe offers noiseless avalanche gain. This has been verified with the LPE grown 320x256 pixel λc=2.5 μm HgCdTe eAPD arrays from SELEX both on a prototype ROIC called SWALLOW and on a newly developed ROIC, specifically designed for AO applications, called SAPHIRA. The novel features of the new SAPHIRA ROIC, which has 32 parallel video channels operating at 5 MHz, will be described, together with the new high speed NGC data acquisition system. Performance results will be discussed for both ROICs. The LPE material on the SWALLOW prototype was excellent and allowed operation at an APD gain as high as 33. Unfortunately, the LPE material of the first devices on the SAPHIRA ROIC suffers from problems which are now understood. However, due to the excellent performance of the SAPHIRA ROIC even with the limitations of present HgCdTe material, it is possible with simple double correlated sampling to detect test patterns with signal levels of 1 electron. An outlook will be given on further developments of heterojunctions grown by MOVPE, which eventually may replace eAPD arrays grown by LPE.

ESO infrared detector high-speed array control and processing electronic IRACE

The ESO IR detector high speed array control and processing electronic IRACE is designed as a modular system and supports readout and data processing of arrays with four as well as multiple output channels. In addition the system can handle multiple separate arrays and the data re routed to multiple processing chains. Detector front-ends are galvanically separated form data processing and system administration with fiberoptic links. Interfaces to different data processing systems for on-line data handling are implemented. The paper describes principles of system operation, and the achieved readout and on-line processing speeds.

Performance of large-format HgCdTe and InSb arrays for low-background applications

The first VLT IR instrument, ISAAC, was installed at the 8 meter Antu telescope in 1998. Experience and results with both InSb and HgCdTe large format arrays will be reported. Effects limiting the performance and strategies to partially overcome these limitations will be discussed.

HAWK-I: the new wide-field IR imager for the VLT

HAWK-I is a new wide-field infrared camera under development at ESO. With four Hawaii-2RG detectors, a 7.5 arcminute square field of view and 0.1 arcsecond pixels, it will be an optimum imager for the VLT, and a major enhancement to existing and future infrared capabilities at ESO. HAWK-I will eventually make use of ground-layer AO achieved through a deformable secondary mirror/laser guide star facility planned for the VLT.

Infrared detector development programs for the VLT instruments at the European Southern Observatory

Instrument platforms like the VLT represent a new challenge to IR focal plane technology. Since the large telescope diameter and the improved image quality provided by adaptive optics reduce the pixel scale, larger array formats are needed. To meet this challenge ESO is participating in development programs for both InSb and HgCdTe large format arrays. To cover the spectral region of 1 to 5 micron ESO has funded a foundry run at SBRC to produce 1024 X 1024 InSb arrays, which will be installed in ISAAC, the IR Spectrometer and Array Camera built for the VLT. Since the delivery of the 1K X 1K InSb array is delayed, the test results obtained with a 256 X 256 InSb array and the application of off chip cryogenic amplifiers to InSb detectors will be discussed. Results obtained with a (lambda) c equals 2.5 micrometers Rockwell 1024 X 1024 HgCdTe array will be presented, where an off chip cryogenic operational amplifier was used yielding a rms read noise of 3 electrons. Sensitivity profiles of individual pixels have been measured with a single mode IR fiber. Limitations of PACE 1 technology, such as persistence, will be discussed. First results with the 1K X 1K array, which was installed in SOFI, an IR focal reducer providing 1-2.5 micron imaging and long slit grism spectroscopy at the NTT telescope, will be presented. Advanced techniques of real time image sharpening will also be included. An outlook to the development of (lambda) c equals 2048 X 2048 HgCdTe array formats will be given. The optical layout of NIRMOS, a multi-object spectrograph for the VLT telescope, is base don the availability of 2K X 2K HgCdTe arrays.

A CMOS Visible Silicon Imager hybridized to a Rockwell 2RG multiplexer as a new detector for ground based astronomy

For the past 25 years Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) have been used as the preferred detector for ground based astronomy to detect visible photons. As an alternative to CCDs, silicon-based hybrid CMOS focal plane array technology is evolving rapidly. Visible hybrid detectors have a close synergy with IR detectors and are operated in a similar way. This paper presents recent test results for a Rockwell 2K x 2K silicon PIN diode array hybridized to a Hawaii-2RG multiplexer, the Hybrid Visible Silicon Imager (HyViSI). Since the capacitance of the integrating node of Si-PIN diodes is at least a factor of two smaller than the capacitance of the Hawaii-2RG IR detector pixel, lower noise was expected. However, those detectors suffer from interpixel capacitance which introduces an error to the value of the conversion factor measured with the photon transfer method. Therefore QE values have been overestimated by almost a factor of two in the past. Detailed test results on QE, noise, dark current, and other basic performance values as well as a discussion how to interpret the measured values will be presented. Two alternative methods, direct measurement of the nodal capacity and the use of Iron-55 X-rays to determine the actual nodal capacitance and hence the conversion factor will be briefly presented. PSF performance of this detector was analyzed in detail with an optical spot and single pixel reset measurement.

Evaluation of the Teledyne SIDECAR ASIC at cryogenic temperature using a visible hybrid H2RG focal plane array in 32 channel readout mode

Teledyne Imaging Sensors (TIS) has developed a new CMOS device known as the SIDECAR application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). This single chip provides all the functionality of FPA drive electronics to operate visible and infrared imaging detectors with a fully digital interface. At the last SPIE conference we presented test and performance results of a Teledyne 2K×2K silicon PIN diode array hybridized to a Hawaii-2RG multiplexer, the Hybrid Visible Silicon Imager (HyViSI). This detector was read out with the ESO standard IR detector controller IRACE, which delivers detector limited performance. We have now tested the H2RG HyViSI detector with the new TIS SIDECAR ASIC in 32 channel readout mode at cryogenic temperatures. The SIDECAR has been evaluated down to 105 Kelvin operating temperature and performance results have been compared to those obtained with external electronics. We find that the SIDECAR ASIC provides performance equal to optimized external electronics.

The CRIRES InSb megapixel focal plane array detector mosaic

For the high-resolution IR Echelle Spectrometer CRIRES (1-5 μm range), to be installed at the VLT in 2005, ESO is developing a 512 x 4096 pixels focal plane array mosaic based on Raytheon Aladdin III InSb detectors with a cutoff wavelength of 5.2 microns. To fill the useful field of 135 mm in the dispersion direction and 21 mm in the spatial direction and to maximize simultaneous spectral coverage, a mosaic solution similar to CCD mosaics has been chosen. It allows a minimum spacing between the detectors of 264 pixels. ESO developed a 3-side buttable mosaic package for both the Aladdin II and Aladdin III detectors which are mounted on multilayer co-fired AlN ceramic chip carriers. This paper presents the design of the CRIRES 512 x 4096 pixel Aladdin InSb focal plane array and a new test facility for testing mosaic focal planes under low flux conditions.