Linear-mode avalanche photodiode arrays for low-noise near-infrared imaging in space
- Paper number
IAC-19,A7,3,10,x49665
- Author
Dr. James Gilbert, Australia, Australian National University (ANU)
- Coauthor
Mr. Alexey Grigoriev, Australia, Australian National University (ANU)
- Coauthor
Ms. Shanae King, Australia, Australian National University (ANU)
- Coauthor
Dr. Joice Mathew, Australia, Australian National University (ANU)
- Coauthor
Dr. Rob Sharp, Australia, Australian National University (ANU)
- Coauthor
Mr. Annino Vaccarella, Australia, Australian National University (ANU)
- Year
2019
- Abstract
Astronomical observations often require the detection of faint signals in the presence of noise, and the near-infrared regime is certainly no exception. In particular, where the application has short exposure time constraints, we are frequently and unavoidably limited by the read noise of a system. A recent and revolutionary development in detector technology is that of electron avalanche photodiode (eAPD) arrays. By the novel introduction of a signal gain layer within the array itself, effective read noise can be reduced to <0.2 e-, enabling the detection of very small signals at frame rates of up to 1 kHz. This is already impacting ground-based astronomy in high-speed applications such as wavefront sensing and fringe tracking, but has not yet been exploited for scientific space missions. We present the current status of a collaboration with Leonardo - creators of the Saphira eAPD array - as we work towards the first in-orbit demonstration of a Saphira device in 'Emu', a hosted payload on the International Space Station. The Emu camera will fully benefit from the 'zero' read noise characteristics of eAPD technology as it produces an all-sky drift scan survey in the 1.4 μm band, using compact readout electronics developed at the Australian National University. This is one example of a use case that could not be achieved with conventional CMOS sensors. We believe that there are many more.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-19,A7,3,10,x49665.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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