High Performance Infrared Detectors: The Infrared Focal Plane Arrays in NASA’s Flagship Astrophysics Missions
About Event
Location
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
3700 San Martin Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218
Time
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
Description
Infrared astronomy is dependent on hybrid CMOS infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs). The most advanced FPAs are those that use HgCdTe as the detector material. This talk will start with a pedagogical introduction to the design and fabrication of HgCdTe FPAs and then discuss the FPAs being used in the following missions:
| Mission | Instrument(s) | FPA |
|---|---|---|
| Hubble Space Telescope | WFC3 | H1R |
| James Webb Space Telescope | NIRISS/FGS, NIRCam, NIRSpec | H2RG |
| Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope | Wide Field Instrument | H4RG-10 |
These FPAs have very good features such as high quantum efficiency, low dark current, low readout noise, and they operate with very low power. However, the FPAs are not perfect, and this talk will present some of the non-ideal “features”.
The talk will conclude with a short introduction to NASA’s next flagship astrophysics mission: the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). The visible and infrared detectors needed by HWO will be discussed, including a “holy grail” detector that may be able to detect and measure the wavelength of individual photons.
Speaker: James W. Beletic (Teledyne Digital Imaging)
Notes
You may join in person at STScI’s John N. Bahcall Auditorium or virtually. To stream the colloquium, please click the Webcast button above.
The goal of STScI Engineering and Technology Colloquia is to provide speakers for our community of the highest caliber from leading-edge engineering and technology disciplines and promote collaboration with professionals across the Institute. The steering committee invites speakers not only from conventional engineering disciplines, but from across business, academia, and government. Obtaining speakers with perspectives and knowledge that can enrich the understanding of our staff and simultaneously enhance their connections with other professionals across the nation is fundamental to ensuring STScI remains at the forefront of its mission.
Please direct questions or comments to seatc@stsci.edu. The 2024 committee members are Reena DeBerry, Melody Easton, Sherita Hanna, Phillip Johnson, Aiden Kovacs, Donald McLean, Lauretta Nagel (Chair), Susan Reed, Michael Register, Justin Trammell.