Shahid Aslam

4H-SiC UV photo detectors with large area and very high specific detectivity

Pt/4H-SiC Schottky photodiodes have been fabricated with the device areas up to 1 cm/sup 2/. The I-V characteristics and photoresponse spectra have been measured and analyzed. For a 5 mm/spl times/5 mm area device leakage current lower than 10/sup -15/ A at zero bias and 1.2/spl times/10/sup -14/ A at -1 V have been established. The quantum efficiency is over 30% from 240 to 320 nm. The specific detectivity, D/sup */, has been calculated from the directly measured leakage current and quantum efficiency are shown to be higher than 10/sup 15/ cmHz/sup 1/2//W from 210 to 350 nm with a peak D/sup */ of 3.6/spl times/10/sup 15/ cmHz/sup 1/2//W at 300 nm.

Design and fabrication of superconducting transition edge X-ray calorimeters

Abstract We report on progress made so far at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center towards the development of arrays of X-ray microcalorimeters as candidates for the high-resolution X-ray spectrometer on the Constellation-X mission. In the design concept presently under consideration, the microcalorimeter consists of (i) a Bi/Cu multilayer absorber for stopping and thermalizing the incident X-rays, (ii) an e-beam evaporated Mo/Au proximity bilayer with sputtered Nb leads for sensing the resultant temperature rise, and (iii) a silicon nitride membrane to provide a weak thermal link to the sink temperature so that the calorimeter can return to its equilibrium temperature. Fabrication details and preliminary results are reported.

Infrared limb sounding of Titan with the Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer: effects of the mid-IR detector spatial responses

The composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) instrument on board the Cassini Saturn orbiter employs two 1×10 HgCdTe detector arrays for mid-infrared remote sensing of Titans and Saturns atmospheres. In this paper we show that the real detector spatial response functions, as measured in ground testing before launch, differ significantly from idealized “boxcar” responses. We further show that neglecting this true spatial response function when modeling CIRS spectra can have a significant effect on interpretation of the data, especially in limb-sounding mode, which is frequently used for Titan science. This result has implications not just for CIRS data analysis but for other similar instrumental applications.

Fabrication of superconducting bilayer transition edge thermometers and their application for spaceborne X-ray microcalorimetry

The transition between normal conduction and superconductivity in superconducting materials can be exploited as a highly sensitive thermometer. Transition temperatures can be tailored through the selection of materials, their component cases of more than one material. Two bilayer configurations, Ag/Al and Au/Mo, are examined, including details of preparation, testing, and encountered difficulties. Proposed designs for spaceflight detector applications are discussed.

Magnetically actuated microshutter arrays

Two-dimensional microshutter arrays are being developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) for use in the near-infrared region. Functioning as focal plane object selection devices, the microshutter arrays are 2-D programmable masks with high efficiency and high contrast. The NGST environment requires cryogenic operation at 45 K. Arrays are close-packed silicon nitride membranes with a unit cell size of 100x100 micrometer. Individual shutters are patterned with a torsion flexure permitting shutters to open 90 degrees with minimized mechanical stress concentration. The mechanical shutter arrays are fabricated with MEMS technologies. The processing includes a RIE front-etch to form shutters out of the nitride membrane, an anisotropic back-etch for wafer thinning, and a deep RIE (DRIE) back-etch down to the nitride shutter membrane to form frames and to relieve the shutters from the silicon substrate. A layer of magnetic material is deposited onto each shutter. Onto the side-wall of the support structure a metal layer is deposited that acts as a vertical hold electrode. Shutters are rotated into the support structure by means of an external magnet that is swept across the shutter array for opening. Addressing is performed through a scheme using row and column address lines on each chip and external addressing electronics.

Results from Cs activated GaN photocathode development for MCP detector systems at NASA GSFC

We describe the development of high quantum efficiency UV photocathodes for use in large area two dimensional microchannel plated based, detector arrays to enable new UV space astronomy missions. Future UV missions will require improvements in detector sensitivity, which has the most leverage for cost-effective improvements in overall telescope/instrument sensitivity. We use new materials such as p-doped GaN, AlGaN, ZnMgO, SiC and diamond. We have currently obtained QE values > 40% at 185 nm with Cesiated GaN, and hope to demonstrate higher values in the future. By using controlled internal fields and nano-structuring of the surfaces, we plan to provide field emission assistance for photoelectrons while maintaining their energy distinction from dark noise electrons. We will transfer these methods from GaN to ZnMgO a new family of wide band-gap materials more compatible with microchannel plates. We also are exploring technical parameters such as doping profiles, internal and external field strengths, angle of incidence, field emission assistance, surface preparation, etc.

Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) on Cassini

The Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn carries the composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) designed to study thermal emission from Saturn and its rings and moons. CIRS, a Fourier transform spectrometer, is an indispensable part of the payload providing unique measurements and important synergies with the other instruments. It takes full advantage of Cassinis 13-year-long mission and surpasses the capabilities of previous spectrometers on Voyager 1 and 2. The instrument, consisting of two interferometers sharing a telescope and a scan mechanism, covers over a factor of 100 in wavelength in the mid and far infrared. It is used to study temperature, composition, structure, and dynamics of the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan, the rings of Saturn, and surfaces of the icy moons. CIRS has returned a large volume of scientific results, the culmination of over 30 years of instrument development, operation, data calibration, and analysis. As Cassini and CIRS reach the end of their mission in 2017, we expect that archived spectra will be used by scientists for many years to come.

Evaluation of Hyperspectral Snapshot Imagers onboard Nanosatellite Clusters for Multi-Angular Remote Sensing

Hyperspectral snapshot imagers are capable of producing 2D spatial images with a single exposure at selected and numerous wavelength bands instead of 1D spatial at all spectral band images like in push-broom instruments. Snapshot imagers are critical technologies for multi-angle remote sensing using distributed space missions. They help to relax the attitude control requirements of clusters of small satellites whose narrow field-of-view payloads point at the same ground spot or to increase the footprint area of small satellite constellations with wide field-of-view payloads. This paper reviews the existing spectral imagers for multi-angle remote sensing, performs a feasibility study to incorporate existing state-of-the-art snapshot imagers and proposes baseline imagers to serve as payload for the distributed nanosatellites. The overall approach includes an extensive trade study to identify the optics, spectral elements, their parameters and compare the identified choices both qualitatively and quantitatively. The proposed baseline design has an telescope aperture diameter of 7 cm, focal plane pixel size of 20 μm, 1000 pixels per side of the focal plane array sampling the scene and acousto-optic tunable filters or waveguide spatial heterodyne imagers that simulate a swath up to 90 km, image up to 86 wavebands with an SNR above 100. The tradeoff between spectral and spatial ranges sampled by the two baseline imager options has been highlighted.

Comparison of 4H-SiC impact ionization models using experiments and self-consistent simulations

We report comparisons of measured photocurrent versus voltage curves of avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with those calculated using different 4H-SiC hole and electron impact ionization coefficients. As the published impact ionization coefficients result in ionization rates that differ greatly in magnitude, the predicted breakdown voltages using these models vary by many volts. To this end, we investigate the breakdown voltage prediction capability of three prevailing impact ionization models in conjunction with several experiments. To obtain APD performance numerically, we developed a device simulator, which shows that the inclusion of proper electric field-dependent impact ionization rates can accurately predict a variety of measured current-voltage curves, breakdown voltages, and current multiplication rates.

Progress on development of UV photocathodes for photon-counting applications at NASA GSFC

The development of high quantum efficiency photemissive detectors is recognized as a significant advancement for astronomical missions requiring photon-counting detection. For solar-blind NUV detection, current missions (GALEX, STIS) using Cs2Te detectors are limited to ~10% DQE. Emphasis in recent years has been to develop high QE (>50%) GaN and AlGaN photocathodes (among a few others) that can then be integrated into imaging detectors suitable for future UV missions. We report on progress we have made in developing GaN photocathodes and discuss our observations related to parameters that effect efficiency and stability, including intrinsic material properties, surface preparation, and vacuum environment. We have achieved a QE in one case of 65% at 185 nm and are evaluating the stability of these high QEs. We also discuss plans for incorporating photocathodes into imaging and non-imaging sealed devices in order to demonstrate long term stability.