Publication Date:
2019-12-19
Description:
A HgCdTe avalanche photodiode (APD) focal plane array assembly with linear mode photon-counting capability has been developed for space lidar applications. An integrated detector cooler assembly (IDCA) has been built using a miniature Stirling cooler. A microlens array has been included to improve the fill factor. The HgCdTe APD has a spectral response from 0.9- to 4.3-m wavelengths, a photon detection efficiency as high as 70%, and a dark count rate of 〈250 kHz at 110 K. The mass of the IDCA is 0.8 kg and the total electrical power consumption is about 7 W. The HgCdTe APD arrays have been characterized at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. A series of environmental tests have been conducted for the IDCAs, including vibration, thermal cycling, and thermal vacuum tests. A description of the device and the test results at NASA are given in this paper.
Keywords:
Space Sciences (General)
Type:
GSFC-E-DAA-TN74136
,
Optical Engineering; 58; 6; 067103
Format:
application/pdf
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