Engineering topics

Vogelsong, T. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Vogelsong, T. L..

3 records

NASA NTRS1979

Design, fabrication, and delivery of a charge injection device as a stellar tracking device

Six 128 x 128 CID imagers fabricated on bulk silicon and with thin polysilicon upper-level electrodes were tested in a star tracking mode. Noise and spectral response were measured as a function of temperature over the range of +25 C to -40 C. Noise at 0 C and below was less than 40 rms carriers/pixel for all devices at an effective noise bandwidth of 150 Hz. Quantum yield for all devices averaged 40% from 0.4 to 1.0 microns with no measurable temperature dependence. Extrapolating from these performance parameters to those of a large (400 x 400) array and accounting for design and processing improvements, indicates that the larger array would show a further improvement in noise performance -- on the order of 25 carriers. A preliminary evaluation of the projected performance of the 400 x 400 array and a representative set of star sensor requirements indicates that the CID has excellent potential as a stellar tracking device.

Burke, H. K.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Charge injection device as a candidate sensor for stellar tracking

Charge transfer devices (CTDs) are superior to the image dissector as stellar tracking sensors, considering their low voltage requirements, insensitivity to magnetic fields, good linearity, and low weight and power. An analysis of one type of CTD, called the charge injection device (CID), revealed an X-Y addressing capability which provides exceptional flexibility in array readout and results in enhanced S/N capability, a surface channel device which produces a larger dynamic range of operation, and exceptional and unique tolerance to optical overloads. A 128 row by 128 column CID array processed on silicon was evaluated in a cooled breadboard camera, and measured results indicate projected performance parameters of a large area CID array as follows: 20 micron square sensing site, noise not greater than 25 carriers per pixel, quantum yield of approximately 40% from 0.4 to 1.0 micron, and cooling requirements on the order of 0 degrees C.

Jones, C. S., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1979

The charge injection device /CID/ as a stellar tracking sensor

A 128 x 128 element CID imager was operated in a simulated stellar trackling environment and evaluated for temporal and pattern noise and spectral response over a temperature range of -40 C to +25 C. The test devices were fabricated on long-lifetime bulk silicon material and utilized very thin upper-level polysilicon electrodes for enhanced spectral response. A standard microcomputer was used to generate all control signals and to collect and process performance data. The results of this program were used to predict the performance of a 400 x 400 CID array designed specifically for stellar-tracking.

Burke, H. K.↗