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The effect of radiation on HgCdTe photodiodes is an important parameter to understand when determining the long-term performance limitations for the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), a Fourier Transform interferometric sensor that will fly as part of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). The CrIS sensor uses relatively large area photovoltaic detectors, 1 mm in diameter. Each p-on-n HgCdTe photodiode consists of MBE grown, n-type material on lattice matched CdZnTe, with arsenic implantation used to form the junction. A 1mm diameter detector is achieved by using a lateral collection architecture. Solar, and trapped protons are a significant source of radiation in the NPOESS 833 km orbits. We irradiated 22 LWIR detectors with protons at the Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory (HCL) and monitored the I-V performance and dynamic impedance of each detector. Three groups of detectors were irradiated with either 44, 99, or 153-MeV protons, each between 1×1010 - 4×1012 p+/cm2. Several I-V data sets were collected within that fluence range at all three energies. All the detectors were warmed to room temperature for approximately 96 hours following the largest proton dose, re-cooled, and then re-characterized in terms of I-V performance and dynamic impedance. The total noise increase predicted for CrIS after 7-years in orbit is less than 1%.

The mechanical design characteristics of the CrIS sensor module is presented. Several structural and thermal challenges are addressed. An 8-cm optical system, which includes a scanner, interferometer, 25-cm focal length telescope, aft optics, and cooler, efficiently use the available volume (0.158 m3). The sensor manages 90 Watts of electronic dissipation while maintaining a stable radiometric environment. It uses multi-stage passive cooling to provide 81 K focal plane and 220 K aft optics temperatures for low-earth orbits at up to 90-degree orbit normal-to-sun angles. Structurally, the interferometer scanning mirror maintains pointing accuracy of less than 20 microradians in the presence of self-induced and external disturbances.