Near-infrared InGaAs detectors for background-limited imaging and photometry

Peter W. Sullivan; Bryce Croll; Robert A. Simcoe

doi:10.1117/12.2056425

Translator Disclaimer

23 July 2014 Near-infrared InGaAs detectors for background-limited imaging and photometry

Peter W. Sullivan, Bryce Croll, Robert A. Simcoe

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9154, High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VI; 91541F (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056425
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Originally designed for night-vision equipment, InGaAs detectors are beginning to achieve background-limited performance in broadband imaging from the ground. The lower cost of these detectors can enable multi-band instruments, arrays of small telescopes, and large focal planes that would be uneconomical with high-performance HgCdTe detectors. We developed a camera to operate the FLIR AP1121 sensor using deep thermoelectric cooling and up-the-ramp sampling to minimize noise. We measured a dark current of 163 e- s^-1 pix^-1, a read noise of 87 e- up-the-ramp, and a well depth of 80k e-. Laboratory photometric testing achieved a stability of 230 ppm hr^-1/2, which would be required for detecting exoplanet transits. InGaAs detectors are also applicable to other branches of near-infrared time-domain astronomy, ranging from brown dwarf weather to gravitational wave follow-up.

Citation Download Citation

Peter W. Sullivan, Bryce Croll, and Robert A. Simcoe "Near-infrared InGaAs detectors for background-limited imaging and photometry", Proc. SPIE 9154, High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VI, 91541F (23 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056425

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE