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At least 397 records · Page 22

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NASA NTRS1986

SQUID readout and ultra-low magnetic fields for Gravity Probe-B (GP-B)

The superconducting readout system to be used for resolving 0.001 arcsec changes in the gyroscope spin direction in the Relativity Gyroscope (GP-B) experiment is described. This system couples the London magnetic moment flux of the spinning gyro to a low noise superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) detector. Resolution limits and noise performance of the detection system are discussed, and improvements obtained and expected with advanced SQUIDs are presented. Also described is the novel use of superconducting magnetic shielding techniques to obtain a 250 dB attenuation of the earth's magnetic field at the location of the gyroscopes. In this approach, expanded superconducting foil shields are coupled with fixed cylindrical superconducting shields and special geometric considerations to obtain the extremely high attenuation factor required. With these shielding techniques, it appears that the 0.5-Gauss earth field (which appears to the gyroscopes as an ac field at the satellite roll rate) can be reduced to the 10 to the -13th G level required by the experiment. Recent results concerning improvements in the performance of the superconducting foil techniques obtained with the use of a new computer-controlled cooling system are presented.

Lockhart, James M.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Readout techniques for photon-counting microchannel image systems

A comparative evaluation is made of such readout methods for the microchannel plates that are commonly used in EUV, FUV, and X-ray low light level image systems as the (1) phosphor-video, (2) phosphor and binary-mask encoder, (3) direct discrete-position encoder, (4) direct analog amplitude position-encoder systems, and (5) delay-line encoders. Relative advantages and limitations are discussed in the context of low light level space-based astronomy applications. The delay-line technique offers great promise for high-resolution applications where oversampling is mandatory, as in spectroscopy.

Lampton, Michael↗

NASA NTRS1989

High pressure gas scintillation drift chambers with wave shifter fiber readout. I

The authors present results from a prototype xenon-gas scintillation drift chamber. It was operated at pressures up to 20 atm, and the scintillation light yield was measured at various pressures and reduced fields. Scintillation-reduced fields ranged from 1.3 to 3 kV/cm/atm in a 5.4-mm scintillation gap. Drift fields ranged from 45 to 100 V/cm/atm in an 8-cm drift region. The chamber was exposed to an 241Am source in a port either 2.7 or 5.4 cm from the secondary scintillation region. The authors also describe the high-voltage problems encountered during operation at high pressures. Further tests with the wave shifter fiber readout showed that the problem of gas contamination by the fibers is manageable but that the interaction between the optical fibers and the high-pressure xenon gas can lead to fiber damage. A solution to this problem is described.

Parsons, A.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Laboratory characterization of direct readout Si:Sb and Si:Ga infrared detector arrays

Highlights of recent results obtained at Ames Research Center in performance evaluations of infrared detector arrays are presented. Antimony- and gallium-doped silicon direct readout 58x62 element hybrid devices from Ames' ongoing detector technology development program are described. The observed characteristics meet most of the performance goals specified by the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) instrument teams and compare favorably with the best performance reported for discrete non-integrating extrinsic silicon detectors. Initial results of radiation environment testing are reported, and non-ideal behavior demonstrated by these test devices is discussed.

Mckelvey, Mark E.↗

NASA NTRS1990

High pressure gas scintillation drift chambers with wave-shifter fiber readout. II

Results from a prototype high-pressure xenon gas scintillation drift chamber using a novel wave-shifter fiber readout scheme are presented. The primary scintillation light yield was measured to be one photon per 76 + or - 12 eV deposited energy. Initial results on the chamber are presented for two-interaction separation (less than 4 mm in the drift direction and about 7 mm orthogonal to the drift); for position resolution (less than 400 microns rms in the plane orthogonal to the drift direction); and for energy resolution (less than 6 percent FWHM at 122 keV).

Parsons, A.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Planar double delay-line readout technique for microchannel plate detectors

A two-dimensional position-sensitive electrical readout system for microchannel plate detectors in spectroscopic applications has been devised. Two adjacent parallel coplanar delay lines are used. The difference in time of arrival of the electron event signal between the ends of the delay lines gives one coordinate of the centroid of each event pulse. The ratio of the event amplitudes on the two delay lines gives the orthogonal coordinate by means of charge partitioning. The performance characteristics of operational double delay lines for systems of this type are presented.

Lampton, M.↗

NASA NTRS1989

A high resolution delay line readout for microchannel plates

Investigations are reported of delay line configurations used to encode photon event locations in microchannel plate (MCP) detectors. Several delay line schemes of planar and multilayer structure are discussed. The importance of the delay line substrate material is examined, and it is shown that the raw signals from delay lines are narrow (about 3-4 ns FWHM). The factors determining the delay line resolution are evaluated, and it is demonstrated that these are in agreement with measurements. Resolutions of about 18-micron FWHM have been achieved. Measurements of the linearity of the delay line readout show that event centroid locations deviate from perfect linearity by less than 50 microns, even with the very simple anode fabrication methods employed. The image stability has also been evaluated and it is shown that image shifts are less than one resolution element over a period of two months.

Siegmund, O. S. W.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Multiplexing readout channels in proportional counters

Proportional counters are important instruments used in sensing hard x-rays. The possibility is described of doubling the number of readout channels in the detector without increasing the electronics needed to amplify channel signals. This suggests that it should be possible, conversely, to reduce the number of amplifiers, thereby reducing the weight and energy budget of the instrument. Various numerical multiplexing schemes are analyzed, and a computer program is presented that can reconstruct multiplexed channel outputs with very good accuracy.

Caristi, James↗

NASA NTRS1992

Optical Link For Readout From Focal-Plane Array

Outputs of photodetectors modulate beam of light. Proposed optical link carries analog readout signals from photodetectors in focal-plane array to external signal-processing circuitry. Insensitive to electromagnetic interference at suboptical frequencies, and imposes smaller heat load on cryogenic apparatus because it does not include high-power electronic amplifier or laser transmitter within cold chamber.

Fossum, Eric R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Rapid, Nondestructive Readout From Ferroelectric Memory

Proposed devices with nondestructive readout offer attractive alternatives for rugged, solid-state memories suitable for contactless optical addressing and parallel processing and for nonvolatile analog memories. Pulses of light from lasers induce photoresponses in ferroelectric capacitors. Magnitude and polarity of response of each capacitor indicates magnitude and polarity of remanent polarization which, in turn, represents datum stored in that memory cell.

Thakoor, Sarita↗

NASA NTRS1992

Gamma-ray astronomy using a high pressure gas scintillation drift chamber with a waveshifting fiber readout

We describe a balloon-borne hard X-ray telescope called SIGHT (Scintillation Imaging Gas-filled Hard X-ray Telescope). SIGHT is a high sensitivity, good energy resolution instrument that images in the 30 to 300 keV region. We discuss the development of a large area, 20 atmosphere, position sensitive xenon gas scintillation drift chamber which is the gamma-ray detector at the heart of the telescope package. Results of the development of the novel waveshifting fiber readout for this chamber are presented.

Wilkerson, J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Compensated digital readout family

ISC has completed test on an IC which has 32 channels of amplifiers, low pass anti-aliasing filters, 13-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) converters with non-uniformity correction per channel and a digital multiplexer. The single slope class of A/D conversion is described, as are the unique variations required for incorporation of this technique for use with on-focal plane detector readout electronics. This paper describes the architecture used to implement the digital on-focal plane signal processing functions. Results from measured data on a test IC are presented for a circuit containing these functions operating at a sensor frame rate of 1000 hertz.

Ludwig, David E.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Unfulfilled needs in IR astronomy focal-plane readout electronics

The NOAO's 8-m IR optimized telescope for Mauna Kea and NASA's SIRTF show that from 1 to 200 microns there are a number of unfulfilled needs in readout electronics. These include: extremely low readnoise, less than 10 electrons, stable operation at temperatures as low as 2 K, high well capacity, greater than 1 e 7 electrons, and integration times from 30 msec to over 100 sec. Sensors for adaptive optics systems are required with readnoise less than 10 electrons and response times of 30 msec. They should be highly efficient from 1 to 2.5 microns, but may have small formats. Ground-based imagers at these wavelengths need comparable readnoise but longer integration times, and the largest possible formats are essential. To achieve these goals improved cryogenic MOSFETS are essential and complete cryogenic CMOS circuits are highly desirable. Experimental cryoptimized MFETS promise to exceed the above noise requirements at 77 K and approach the needs at 2 K.

Low, Frank J.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Multiplexed Readout of Thermal Bolometers with Superconducting Transition Edge Thermometers

History shows that in astronomy, more is better. In the near future, direct detector arrays for the far-infrared and submillimeter will contain hundreds to thousands of elements. A multiplexed readout is necessary for practical implementation of such arrays, and has been developed using SQUIDs. The technology permits a 32 x 32 array of bolometers to be read out using approximately 100 wires rather than the >2000 needed with direct wiring. These bolometer arrays are made by micromachining techniques, using superconducting transition edge sensors as the thermistors. We describe the development of this multiplexed superconducting bolometer array architecture as a step toward bringing about the first astronomically useful arrays of this design. This technology will be used in the Submillimeter and Far Infrared Experiment (SAFIRE) instrument on Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), and is a candidate for a wide variety of other spectroscopic and photometric instruments.

Benford, Dominic J.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Fabrication of Tunnel Junctions For Direct Detector Arrays With Single-Electron Transistor Readout Using Electron-Beam Lithography

This paper will describe the fabrication of small aluminum tunnel junctions for applications in astronomy. Antenna-coupled superconducting tunnel junctions with integrated single-electron transistor readout have the potential for photon-counting sensitivity at sub-millimeter wavelengths. The junctions for the detector and single-electron transistor can be made with electron-beam lithography and a standard self-aligned double-angle deposition process. However, high yield and uniformity of the junctions is required for large-format detector arrays. This paper will describe how measurement and modification of the sensitivity ratio in the resist bilayer was used to greatly improve the reliability of forming devices with uniform, sub-micron size, low-leakage junctions.

Stevenson, T. R.↗

NASA NTRS1997

GaAs Multiplexers for VLWIR Detector Readout Below 10 Kelvin

A multiplexer and buffer based on GaAs JFET technology is presented. This multiplexer operates normally from room temperature down to 4 Kelvin and is suitable for the readout of Very Long Wavelength Infrared Detectors that must be cooled to below 10 Kelvin.

detector arrays GaAs multiplexers↗

NASA NTRS1999

Active pixel sensor array with multiresolution readout

An imaging device formed as a monolithic complementary metal oxide semiconductor integrated circuit in an industry standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor process, the integrated circuit including a focal plane array of pixel cells, each one of the cells including a photogate overlying the substrate for accumulating photo-generated charge in an underlying portion of the substrate and a charge coupled device section formed on the substrate adjacent the photogate having a sensing node and at least one charge coupled device stage for transferring charge from the underlying portion of the substrate to the sensing node. There is also a readout circuit, part of which can be disposed at the bottom of each column of cells and be common to all the cells in the column. The imaging device can also include an electronic shutter formed on the substrate adjacent the photogate, and/or a storage section to allow for simultaneous integration. In addition, the imaging device can include a multiresolution imaging circuit to provide images of varying resolution. The multiresolution circuit could also be employed in an array where the photosensitive portion of each pixel cell is a photodiode. This latter embodiment could further be modified to facilitate low light imaging.

Fossum, Eric R.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Method of acquiring an image from an optical structure having pixels with dedicated readout circuits

Fossum, Eric R.↗