Search

We report the testing results of the Teledyne e2v CIS 113 CMOS sensor at temperatures from room temperature down to 168K. The CIS 113 sensor is a customized device for the Transneptunian Automatic Occultation Survey (TAOS II) project. The sensor has 1920 × 4608, 16 μm pixels with 8 outputs. The pixels have a 5T design to provide anti-blooming capability with 18 μm thick high resistivity epitaxial silicon. The sensor provides two parallel and eight serial registers so the region of interests can be addressed and rapidly read out separately through different output channels. More than one thousand 8 × 8 star boxes can be sampled at a frame rate higher than 20 Hz. With a package similar to large format Teledyne e2v CCDs, the CIS 113 is three-side buttable. The device shows peak QE about 77% in 500-600 nm, readout noise around 3eand dark current lower than 2 e-/s/pix at -40 ℃. The linear full well for the device is higher at lower temperature and it is about 14400 e- at temperature lower than 210K. The device performance meets the science requirements with the operation temperature around 200K for TAOS II.

This paper is a report from a recent meeting on "the Future of high-resolution imaging in the visible and infrared", reviewing the astronomical drivers for development and the technological advances that might boost performance. Each of the authors listed contributed a section themselves., 6 pages, 7 figures, 11 contributors, Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Geophysics of the RAS, June 2019 issue

Teledyne e2v continues to develop sensors for ground-based and space applications. These are back-thinned for high QE, exhibit low noise, and other high performance specifications. Large sets of such CCDs have been supplied for space missions-including GAIA & EUCLID, with the ESA PLATO program underway. We also highlight a new 2k2k CMOS space imager. Other examples of CMOS sensors for space missions will be shown.High red sensitivity remains important and CCD and CMOS sensors are presented with enhanced red wavelength quantum efficiency. An exciting new capability for back-biased CMOS imagers with significantly enhanced red-sensitivity is presented.It is now possible to supply CMOS sensors with comparable performance to CCDs. Performance information and the final design will be shown for two CMOS sensors-a 2k4k imager and an 800X800 wave-front sensor. Both are back-thinned and have very low readout noise. Finally, we present information on a sub-electron noise CMOS sensor.

The Transneptunian Automated Occultation Survey (TAOS II) is a three robotic telescope project to detect the stellar occultation events generated by TransNeptunian Objects (TNOs). TAOS II project aims to monitor about 10000 stars simultaneously at 20Hz to enable statistically significant event rate. The TAOS II camera is designed to cover the 1.7 degrees diameter field of view of the 1.3m telescope with 10 mosaic 4.5k×2k CMOS sensors. The new CMOS sensor (CIS 113) has a back illumination thinned structure and high sensitivity to provide similar performance to that of the back-illumination thinned CCDs. Due to the requirements of high performance and high speed, the development of the new CMOS sensor is still in progress. Before the science arrays are delivered, a prototype camera is developed to help on the commissioning of the robotic telescope system. The prototype camera uses the small format e2v CIS 107 device but with the same dewar and also the similar control electronics as the TAOS II science camera. The sensors, mounted on a single Invar plate, are cooled to the operation temperature of about 200K as the science array by a cryogenic cooler. The Invar plate is connected to the dewar body through a supporting ring with three G10 bipods. The control electronics consists of analog part and a Xilinx FPGA based digital circuit. One FPGA is needed to control and process the signal from a CMOS sensor for 20Hz region of interests (ROI) readout.

e2v continues to evolve its product range of sensors and systems, with CCD and CMOS sensors. We describe recent developments of high performance image sensors and precision system components. Several low noise backthinned CMOS sensors have been developed for scientific applications. CCDs have become larger whilst retaining very low noise and high quantum efficiency. Examples of sensors and sub-systems are presented including the recently completed 1.2 GigaPixel J-PAS cryogenic camera.

The success of the next generation of instruments for ELT class telescopes will depend upon improving the image quality by exploiting sophisticated Adaptive Optics (AO) systems. One of the critical components of the AO systems for the E-ELT has been identified as the optical Laser/Natural Guide Star WFS detector. The combination of large format, 1760×1680 pixels to finely sample the wavefront and the spot elongation of laser guide stars, fast frame rate of 700 frames per second (fps), low read noise ( 90%) makes the development of this device extremely challenging. Design studies concluded that a highly integrated Backside Illuminated CMOS Imager built on High Resistivity silicon as the most likely technology to succeed. Two generations of the CMOS Imager are being developed: a) the already designed and manufactured NGSD (Natural Guide Star Detector), a quarter-sized pioneering device of 880×840 pixels capable of meeting first light needs of the E-ELT; b) the LGSD (Laser Guide Star Detector), the larger full size device. The detailed design is presented including the approach of using massive parallelism (70,400 ADCs) to achieve the low read noise at high pixel rates of ~3 Gpixel/s and the 88 channel LVDS 220Mbps serial interface to get the data off-chip. To enable read noise closer to the goal of 1e- to be achieved, a split wafer run has allowed the NGSD to be manufactured in the more speculative, but much lower read noise, Ultra Low Threshold Transistors in the unit cell. The NGSD has come out of production, it has been thinned to 12μm, backside processed and packaged in a custom 370pin Ceramic PGA (Pin Grid Array). First results of tests performed both at e2v and ESO are presented.

The J-PAS project will perform a five-year survey of the northern sky from a new 2.5m telescope in Teruel, Spain. In this paper the build and factory testing of the commercially supplied cryogenic camera is described. The 1.2 Giga-pixel focal plane is contained within a novel liquid-nitrogen cooled vacuum cryostat, which maintains the flatness for the cooled, 0.45m diameter focal plane to better than 27 μm peak to valley. The cooling system controls the focal plane to a temperature of -100°C with a variation across the focal plane of better than 2.5oC and a stability of better than +/- 0.5 °C over the long periods of operation required. The proximity drive electronics achieves total system level noise performance better than 5 e- from the 224-channel CCD system.

The Second Workshop on Extreme Precision Radial Velocities defined circa 2015 the state of the art Doppler precision and identified the critical path challenges for reaching 10 cm/s measurement precision. The presentations and discussion of key issues for instrumentation and data analysis and the workshop recommendations for achieving this precision are summarized here. Beginning with the HARPS spectrograph, technological advances for precision radial velocity measurements have focused on building extremely stable instruments. To reach still higher precision, future spectrometers will need to produce even higher fidelity spectra. This should be possible with improved environmental control, greater stability in the illumination of the spectrometer optics, better detectors, more precise wavelength calibration, and broader bandwidth spectra. Key data analysis challenges for the precision radial velocity community include distinguishing center of mass Keplerian motion from photospheric velocities, and the proper treatment of telluric contamination. Success here is coupled to the instrument design, but also requires the implementation of robust statistical and modeling techniques. Center of mass velocities produce Doppler shifts that affect every line identically, while photospheric velocities produce line profile asymmetries with wavelength and temporal dependencies that are different from Keplerian signals. Exoplanets are an important subfield of astronomy and there has been an impressive rate of discovery over the past two decades. Higher precision radial velocity measurements are required to serve as a discovery technique for potentially habitable worlds and to characterize detections from transit missions. The future of exoplanet science has very different trajectories depending on the precision that can ultimately be achieved with Doppler measurements., Comment: 45 pages, 23 Figures, workshop summary proceedings

The Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Asset (WFIRST-AFTA) mission is a 2.4-m class space telescope that will be used across a swath of astrophysical research domains. JPL will provide a high-contrast imaging coronagraph instrument - one of two major astronomical instruments. In order to achieve the low noise performance required to detect planets under extremely low flux conditions, the electron multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) has been baselined for both of the coronagraph's sensors - the imaging camera and integral field spectrograph. JPL has established an EMCCD test laboratory in order to advance EMCCD maturity to technology readiness level-6. This plan incorporates full sensor characterization, including read noise, dark current, and clock-induced charge. In addition, by considering the unique challenges of the WFIRST space environment, degradation to the sensor's charge transfer efficiency will be assessed, as a result of damage from high-energy particles such as protons, electrons, and cosmic rays. Science-grade CCD201-20 EMCCDs have been irradiated to a proton fluence that reflects the projected WFIRST orbit. Performance degradation due to radiation displacement damage is reported, which is the first such study for a CCD201-20 that replicates the WFIRST conditions. In addition, techniques intended to identify and mitigate radiation-induced electron trapping, such as trap pumping, custom clocking, and thermal cycling, are discussed., Published in the J. Astron. Telesc. Instrum. Syst. 2(1), 011007 (2016), 31 pages, 18 figures, 9 tables

The WFIRST-AFTA (Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Asset) is a NASA space observatory. It will host two major astronomical instruments: a wide-field imager (WFI) to search for dark energy and carry out wide field near infrared (NIR) surveys, and a coronagraph instrument (CGI) to image and spectrally characterize extrasolar planets. In this paper, we discuss the work that has been carried out at JPL in advancing Electron Multiplying CCD (EMCCD) technology to higher flight maturity, with the goal of reaching a NASA technology readiness level of 6 (TRL-6) by early-to-mid 2016. The EMCCD has been baselined for both the coronagraph's imager and integral field spectrograph (IFS) based on its sub-electron noise performance at extremely low flux levels - the regime where the AFTA CGI will operate. We present results from a study that fully characterizes the beginning of life performance of the EMCCD. We also discuss, and present initial results from, a recent radiation test campaign that was designed and carried out to mimic the conditions of the WFIRST-AFTA space environment in an L2 orbit, where we sought to assess the sensor's end of life performance, particularly degradation of its charge transfer efficiency, in addition to other parameters such as dark current, electron multiplication gain, clock induced charge and read noise.

To complement previously published information on E2V CCDs, we present here some less well-known information about Marconi CCDs. We show details of the performance of deep depletion silicon variants, and discuss other subtleties of performance. We also present an update on L3vision (sub-electron noise) devices, indicating current availability, options, and ongoing development work. Finally, we will give a flavour of the range of custom designs that have been made. Many of these are not commercially available, and may not be familiar to all astronomers or CCD technologists.

We present recent development in the technology of silicon sensors for astronomical applications. Novel CCD and CMOS sensors have been designed for low noise and high sensitivity astronomical use. High resistivity sensors allow thicker silicon for higher red sensitivity in several types of new CCD. The capability to manufacture large sets of CCDs to form large focal planes has allowed several very large mosaics to be built for astronomy with increasing formats on the ground and in space. In addition to supplying sensors we discuss increasing capacity and interest in the commercial supply of integrated “camera” systems.

The CCD282 is a large low-light level (L3 - Electron multiplying CCD) imaging sensor developed by e2v technologies for the University of Montreal. The intended use is for photon counting and very low light level imaging. The device will be used on the 3DNTT instrument which is a scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer. There is also the intention to place a device on a 10m class telescope for scanning Fabry-Perot application. This sensor is the largest electron multiplying CCD device produced to date with a 4k×4k backside illuminated frame transfer architecture. The sensor uses 8 parallel EM (Electron Multiplying) amplified outputs to maximize throughput. This paper present the first results and performance measurements of this device, and especially of the clock induced charge (CIC) which is one order of magnitude lower than previous devices thanks to a specific design optimized for photon counting operation.

JPCam is a 14-CCD mosaic camera, using the new e2v 9k-by-9k 10 μm-pixel 16-channel detectors, to be deployed on a dedicated 2.55 m wide-field telescope at the OAJ (Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre) in Aragon, Spain. The camera is designed to perform a Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) survey of the northern sky. The J-PAS survey strategy will use 54 relatively narrow-band (~ 13.8 nm) filters equi-spaced between 370 and 920 nm plus 3 broad-band filters to achieve unprecedented photometric red-shift accuracies for faint galaxies over ~8000 square degrees of sky. The cryostat, detector mosaic and read electronics, is being supplied by e2v under contract to J-PAS while the mechanical structure, housing the shutter and filter assembly, is being designed and constructed by a Brazilian consortium led by INPE (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais). The cryostat is bridged to the telescope via a hexapod actuator system to maintain image quality across the field. Four sets of 14 filters are placed in the ambient environment, just above the dewar window but directly in line with the detectors, leading to a mosaic having ~ 10 mm gaps between each CCD. The massive 500 mm aperture shutter is expected to be supplied by the Bonn-Shutter UG. We will present an overview of JPCam, from the filter configuration through to the CCD mosaic camera. A brief outline of the main J-PAS science projects will be included.

The J-PAS (Javalambre Physics-of-the-Accelerating-Universe Astrophysical Survey) project will perform a five-year survey of the northern sky from a new 2.5m telescope in Teruel, Spain. We describe the design concept of a complete cryogenic camera with a mosaic focal plane and 1.2 gigapixel science array which is to be commercially supplied. The focal plane is contained within a novel liquid-nitrogen-cooled vacuum cryostat, with proximity drive electronics designed to achieve a 4 e- readout noise from the 224-channel CCD system.

The success of the next generation of instruments for 8 to 40-m class telescopes will depend upon improving the image quality (correcting the distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence) by exploiting sophisticated Adaptive Optics (AO) systems. One of the critical components of the AO systems for the E-ELT has been identified as the Laser/Natural Guide Star (LGS/NGS) WaveFront Sensing (WFS) detector. The combination of large format, 1760x1680 pixels to finely sample (84x84 sub-apertures) the wavefront and the spot elongation of laser guide stars, fast frame rate of 700 (up to 1000) frames per second, low read noise ( 90%) makes the development of such a device extremely challenging. Design studies by industry concluded that a thinned and backside-illuminated CMOS Imager as the most promising technology. This paper describes the multi-phased development plan that will ensure devices are available on-time for E-ELT first-light AO systems; the different CMOS pixel architectures studied; measured results of technology demonstrators that have validated the CMOS Imager approach; the design explaining the approach of massive parallelism (70,000 ADCs) needed to achieve low noise at high pixel rates of ~3 Gpixel/s ; the 88 channel LVDS data interface; the restriction that stitching (required due to the 5x6cm size) posed on the design and the solutions found to overcome these limitations. Two generations of the CMOS Imager will be built: a pioneering quarter sized device of 880x840 pixels capable of meeting first light needs of the E-ELT called NGSD (Natural Guide Star Detector); followed by the full size device, the LGSD (Laser Guide Star Detector). Funding sources: OPTICON FP6 and FP7 from European Commission and ESO.

The TAOS II Project requires high-speed differential photometry of 10-20 thousand stars over a telescope field of 154mm diameter with 16-micron spatial resolution and good noise performance. We are developing a custom CMOS imager array to accomplish this task.

We present the design for the 340 Mpixel KMTNet CCD camera comprising four newly developed e2v CCD290-99 imaging sensors mounted to a common focal plane assembly. The high performance CCDs have 9k x 9k format, 10 micron pixels, and multiple outputs for rapid readout time. The camera Dewar is cooled using closed cycle coolers and vacuum is maintained with a cryosorption pump. The CCD controller electronics, the electronics cooling system, and the camera control software are also described.

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the state of the art wavefront sensor detectors developments held in Europe for the last decade. The success of the next generation of instruments for 8 to 40-m class telescopes will depend on the ability of Adaptive Optics (AO) systems to provide excellent image quality and stability. This will be achieved by increasing the sampling, wavelength range and correction quality of the wave front error in both spatial and time domains. The modern generation of AO wavefront sensor detectors development started in the late nineties with the CCD50 detector fabricated by e2v technologies under ESO contract for the ESO NACO AO system. With a 128x128 pixels format, this 8 outputs CCD offered a 500 Hz frame rate with a readout noise of 7e-. A major breakthrough has been achieved with the recent development by e2v technologies of the CCD220. This 240x240 pixels 8 outputs EMCCD (CCD with internal multiplication) has been jointly funded by ESO and Europe under the FP6 programme. The CCD220 and the OCAM2 camera that operates the detector are now the most sensitive system in the world for advanced adaptive optics systems, offering less than 0.2 e readout noise at a frame rate of 1500 Hz with negligible dark current. Extremely easy to operate, OCAM2 only needs a 24 V power supply and a modest water cooling circuit. This system, commercialized by First Light Imaging, is extensively described in this paper. An upgrade of OCAM2 is foreseen to boost its frame rate to 2 kHz, opening the window of XAO wavefront sensing for the ELT using 4 synchronized cameras and pyramid wavefront sensing. Since this major success, new developments started in Europe. One is fully dedicated to Natural and Laser Guide Star AO for the E-ELT with ESO involvement. The spot elongation from a LGS Shack Hartman wavefront sensor necessitates an increase of the pixel format. Two detectors are currently developed by e2v. The NGSD will be a 880x840 pixels CMOS detector with a readout noise of 3 e (goal 1e) at 700 Hz frame rate. The LGSD is a scaling of the NGSD with 1760x1680 pixels and 3 e readout noise (goal 1e) at 700 Hz (goal 1000 Hz) frame rate. New technologies will be developed for that purpose: advanced CMOS pixel architecture, CMOS back thinned and back illuminated device for very high QE, full digital outputs with signal digital conversion on chip. In addition, the CMOS technology is extremely robust in a telescope environment. Both detectors will be used on the European ELT but also interest potentially all giant telescopes under development. Additional developments also started for wavefront sensing in the infrared based on a new technological breakthrough using ultra low noise Avalanche Photodiode (APD) arrays within the RAPID project. Developed by the SOFRADIR and CEA/LETI manufacturers, the latter will offer a 320x240 8 outputs 30 microns IR array, sensitive from 0.4 to 3.2 microns, with 2 e readout noise at 1500 Hz frame rate. The high QE response is almost flat over this wavelength range. Advanced packaging with miniature cryostat using liquid nitrogen free pulse tube cryocoolers is currently developed for this programme in order to allow use on this detector in any type of environment. First results of this project are detailed here. These programs are held with several partners, among them are the French astronomical laboratories (LAM, OHP, IPAG), the detector manufacturers (e2v technologies, Sofradir, CEA/LETI) and other partners (ESO, ONERA, IAC, GTC). Funding is: Opticon FP6 and FP7 from European Commission, ESO, CNRS and Universite de Provence, Sofradir, ONERA, CEA/LETI and the French FUI (DGCIS).

Charge-coupled devices (CCDs) are now the most widely used optical sensor at all major astronomical observatories. As low-light-level detectors they are both sensitive and stable. At first, only small-format sensors were available with limited performance: quantum efficiencies (the conversion of photons to electrons) ranged from 10–40% sizes were ~1 cm2 and minimum detectable signals were 10–20 electrons. Now, due to innovative technology and improved understanding of the underlying physics, arrays have been developed with greatly enhanced light-gathering power: efficiencies now approach 100% sizes can exceed 5 cm2 and signal sensitivities are almost at the single-electron level. Most importantly these desirable qualities can now be exploited together in large array sizes, essentially producing large silicon "photoplates"

International audience; For the first time, subelectron readout noise has been achieved with a camera dedicated to astronomical wavefront-sensing applications. The OCam system demonstrated this performance at a 1300 Hz frame rate and with 240 x 240 pixel frame size. ESO and JRA2 OPTICON jointly funded e2v Technologies to develop a custom CCD for adaptive optics (AO) wavefront-sensing applications. The device, called CCD220, is a compact Peltier-cooled 240 x 240 pixel frame-transfer eight-output back-illuminated sensor using the EMCCD technology. This article demonstrates, for the first time, subelectron readout noise at frame rates from 25 Hz to 1300 Hz and dark current lower than 0.01 e(-) pixel(-1) frame(-1). It reports on the quantitative performance characterization of OCam and the CCD220, including readout noise, dark current, multiplication gain, quantum efficiency, and charge transfer efficiency. OCam includes a low-noise preamplifier stage, a digital board to generate the clocks, and a microcontroller. The data acquisition system includes a user-friendly timer file editor to generate any type of clocking scheme. A second version of OCam, called OCam(2), has been designed to offer enhanced performance, a completely sealed camera package, and an additional Peltier stage to facilitate operation on a telescope or environmentally challenging applications. New features of OCam(2) are presented in this article. This instrumental development will strongly impact the performance of the most advanced AO systems to come.

MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) is a second generation VLT panoramic integral field spectrograph developed for the European Southern Observatory (ESO), operating in the visible wavelength range (0.465-0.93 μm). It is composed of 24 identical Integral Field Units (IFU); each one incorporates an advanced image slicer associated with a classical spectrograph and a detector vessel. The Image Slicer subsystem -ISS- is composed of two mirror arrays of 48 spherical elements each. It is made of Zerodur and uses an innovative polishing approach where all individual components are polished together by classical method. The MUSE Spectrograph -SPS-, with fast output focal ratio of f/1.95, implements a Volume Phase Holographic Grating - VPHG. The last subsystem, the Detector Vessel -DV- includes a chip of 4k by 4k 15μm pixels supported by a Vacuum and Cryogenic System - VCS - provided by ESO. The first out of 24 IFUs for MUSE instrument has been manufactured, aligned and tested last months. First, this paper describes the optical design, the manufacturing and test results (image quality, pupil and field of view positioning) of each subsystem independently. Second, we will focus on overall system performance (image quality and positioning) of the spectrograph associated with the detector vessel. At the end, the test results (image quality, positioning, throughput, mechanical interfaces) of the first IFU for MUSE instrument will be reported. Most of them are compliant with requirements that it demonstrates that the manufacturing, integration, alignment and tests processes are mature and gives good confidence for serial production by 24 times applied to MUSE instrument.

For the first time, sub-electron read noise has been achieved with a camera suitable for astronomical wavefront-sensing (WFS) applications. The OCam system has demonstrated this performance at 1300 Hz frame rate and with 240×240-pixel frame rate. ESO and JRA2 OPTICON 2 have jointly funded e2v technologies to develop a custom CCD for Adaptive Optics (AO) wavefront sensing applications. The device, called CCD220, is a compact Peltier-cooled 240×240 pixel frame-transfer 8-output back-illuminated sensor using the EMCCD technology. This paper demonstrates sub-electron read noise at frame rates from 25 Hz to 1300 Hz and dark current lower than 0.01 e-/pixel/frame. It reports on the comprehensive, quantitative performance characterization of OCam and the CCD220 such as readout noise, dark current, multiplication gain, quantum efficiency, charge transfer efficiency... OCam includes a low noise preamplifier stage, a digital board to generate the clocks and a microcontroller. The data acquisition system includes a user friendly timer file editor to generate any type of clocking scheme. A second version of OCam, called OCam 2 , was designed offering enhanced performances, a completely sealed camera package and an additional Peltier stage to facilitate operation on a telescope or environmentally rugged applications. OCam 2 offers two types of built-in data link to the Real Time Computer: the CameraLink industry standard interface and various fiber link options like the sFPDP interface. OCam 2 includes also a modified mechanical design to ease the integration of microlens arrays for use of this camera in all types of wavefront sensing AO system. The front cover of OCam 2 can be customized to include a microlens exchange mechanism.

The demand for higher red wavelength sensitivity is being met by various technological developments of modern CCDs. We discuss techniques for achieving higher red wavelength sensitivity by using thicker silicon to make backthinned CCDs, which combines with very low read noise for enhanced sensitivity. Thicker devices requires higher resistivity material including bulk (non epitaxial) silicon. An extended wavelength range also places more demand on the antireflection coatings which benefit from corresponding optimisation.

As is only fitting, the largest Optical/Infrared Telescope (the Large Binocular Telescope, LBT) has the two largest telescope-mounted spectrographs (MODS) and the MODS's have the four largest scientific CCDs. We describe herein the design, fabrication and early use of the e2v CCD231-68 8k × 3k 15 micron back-illuminated detector designed specifically for low and intermediate resolution multi-object spectroscopy on large telescopes. The 123 mm length of the CCD231-68 is the largest of any scientific CCD. The device can be read out in full frame mode to cover the whole 6 arc-min slit length of MODS, in full frame mode for multi-object spectroscopy with short slits, or in split frame transfer mode to allow readout while integrating subsequent exposures. The four very low noise ( - RMS at 100 kPixels/second) outputs are located at the ends of the four 4k serial registers. Excellent CTE (five-9s5 per Pixel) insures good photometric accuracy across the device. Backthinned red and blue optimized variants are used on the corresponding channels of both MODS.

e2v technologies have recently been developing large area (2k*4k), high resistivity (>8 kΩcm) silicon CCDs intended for infrared astronomy. The use of high resistivity silicon allows for a greater device thickness, allowing deeper, or full, depletion across the CCD that significantly improves the red wavelength sensitivity. The increased depletion in these CCDs also improves the quantum efficiency for incident X-ray photons of energies above 5 keV, whilst maintaining spectral resolution. The use of high resistivity silicon would therefore be advantageous for use in future X-ray astronomy missions and other applications. This paper presents the measured X-ray performance of the high resistivity CCD247 for X-ray photons of energies between 5.4 keV to 17.4 keV. Here we describe the laboratory experiment and results obtained to determine the responsivity, noise, effective depletion depth and quantum efficiency of the CCD247.

ESO and JRA2 OPTICON have jointly funded e2v technologies to develop a custom CCD for Adaptive Optic Wave Front Sensor (AO WFS) applications. The device, called CCD220, is a compact Peltier-cooled 240×240 pixel frametransfer 8-output back-illuminated sensor. Using the electron-multiplying technology of L3Vision detectors, the device is designed to achieve sub-electron read noise at frame rates from 25 Hz to 1,500 Hz and dark current lower than 0.01 e-/pixel/frame. The development has many unique features. To obtain high frame rates, multiple EMCCD gain registers and metal buttressing of row clock lines are used. The baseline device is built in standard silicon. In addition, two speculative variants have been built; deep depletion silicon devices to improve red response and devices with an electronic shutter to extend use to Rayleigh and Pulsed Laser Guide Star applications. These are all firsts for L3Vision CCDs. These CCD220 detectors have now been fabricated by e2v technologies. This paper describes the design of the device, technology trade-offs, and progress to date. A Test Camera, called "OCam", has been specially designed and built for these sensors. Main features of the OCam camera are extensively described in this paper, together with first light images obtained with the CCD220.

GIRAFFE is an intermediate resolution spectrograph covering a wavelength range from 360-930nm and fed by optical fibers as a part of FLAMES, the multi-object fiber facility mounted at the ESO VLT Kueyen. For some time we sought a new detector for GIRAFFE spectrograph to boost the instrument's red QE (Quantum E.ciency) capabilities, while still retaining very good blue response. We aimed also at reducing the strong fringing present in the red spectra. The adopted solution was an e2v custom 2-layer AR (Anti-Re.ection) coated Deep Depletion CCD44-82 CCD. This device was made in a new e2v Technologies AR coating plant and delivered to ESO in mid 2007 with performance that matches predictions. The new CCD was commissioned in May 2008.Here we report on the results.

ESO and JRA2 OPTICON have funded the development of a compact packaged Peltier cooled 24 µm square 240×240 pixel split frame transfer 8-output back illuminated L3Vision CCD, L3CCD, by e2v technologies. The device will achieve sub-electron (goal 0.1e - ) read noise at frame rates from 25 Hz to 1.5 kHz and low dark current of 0.01 e - /pixel/frame. The development has many unique features. To obtain high frame rates, multi-output EMCCD gain registers and metal buttressing of parallel clocks will be used. To minimize risk, the baseline device will be built in standard silicon. In addition, a split wafer run will enable two speculative variants to be built; deep depletion silicon devices to improve red response and devices with an electronic shutter to extend use to Rayleigh Laser Guide Star (RLGS) applications. These are all unprecedented advancements for L3CCDs. This paper will describe requirements and outline the design established after careful consideration of the application, detector architecture, compact Peltier package, technology trade-offs, schedule and proposed test plan.

Following successful manufacture of small-format trial devices we have now designed and manufactured large-format scientific CCDs in high resistivity silicon ('high-rho'). These devices are intended for 'full depletion' operation as backside illuminated sensors for very high red wavelength sensitivity and X-ray imaging spectroscopy at extended energies. Devices of 2k*512 and 2k*4k format, with both single and dual stage output circuits have been manufactured and tested. Design considerations, test results, and commercial manufacturing considerations will be addressed.

ESO and JRA2 OPTICON have funded e2v technologies to develop a compact packaged Peltier cooled 24 μm square 240x240 pixels split frame transfer 8-output back-illuminated L3Vision CCD3, L3Vision CCD for Adaptive Optic Wave Front Sensor (AO WFS) applications. The device is designed to achieve sub-electron read noise at frame rates from 25 Hz to 1,500 Hz and dark current lower than 0.01 e-/pixel/frame. The development has many unique features. To obtain high frame rates, multi-output EMCCD gain registers and metal buttressing of row clock lines are used. The baseline device is built in standard silicon. In addition, a split wafer run has enabled two speculative variants to be built; deep depletion silicon devices to improve red response and devices with an electronic shutter to extend use to Rayleigh and Pulsed Laser Guide Star applications. These are all firsts for L3Vision CCDs. The designs of the CCD and Peltier package have passed their reviews and fabrication has begun. This paper will describe the progress to date, the requirements and the design of the CCD and compact Peltier package, technology trade-offs, schedule and proposed test plan. High readout speed, low noise and compactness (requirement to fit in confined spaces) provide special challenges to ESO's AO variant of its NGC, New General detector Controller to drive this CCD. This paper will describe progress made on the design of the controller to meet these special needs.

Sensitive, photon counting array detectors have the potential to dramatically improve the sensitivity of space-based astronomical spectrographs. We present first results from a program evaluating e2v L3 electron-multiplying CCDs as photon counting arrays. We find that L3 CCDs function well as photon counters, and see no show stoppers for our target applications. These include both ground and space-based instruments. Although we do detect spurious charge exceeding the dark current floor of the CCD, we find that physical dark current in the multiplication register is a significant component. This finding is significant because dark current, unlike clock induced charge (another potential culprit), is a problem that CCD designers have solved before.

In the past decade, new thermal modelling tools have been offered to system designers. These modelling tools have rarely been used for the cooled instruments in ground-based astronomy. In addition to an overwhelming increase of PC computer capabilities, these tools are now mature enough to drive the design of complex astronomical instruments that are cooled. This is the case for WIRCam, the new wide-field infrared camera installed on the CFHT in Hawaii on the Mauna Kea summit. This camera uses four 2K×2K Rockwell Hawaii-2RG infrared detectors and includes 2 optical barrels and 2 filter wheels. This camera is mounted at the prime focus of the 3.6m CFHT telescope. The mass to be cooled is close to 100 kg. The camera uses a Gifford Mac-Mahon closed-cycle cryo-cooler. The capabilities of the I-deas thermal module (TMG) is demonstrated for our particular application: predicted performances are presented and compared to real measurements after integration on the telescope in December 2004. In addition, we present thermal modelling of small Peltier cooled CCD packages, including the thermal model of the CCD220 Peltier package (fabricated by e2v technologies) and cold head. ESO and the OPTICON European network have funded e2v technologies to develop a compact packaged Peltier-cooled 8-output back illuminated L3Vision CCD. The device will achieve sub-electron read-noise at frame rates up to 1.5 kHz. The development, fully dedicated to the latest generation of adaptive optics wavefront sensors, has many unique features. Among them, the ultra-compactness offered by a Peltier package integrated in a small cold head including the detector drive electronics, is a way to achieve amazing performances for adaptive optics systems. All these models were carried out using a normal PC laptop.

e2v technologies has demonstrated capability in the supply of state-of-the-art CCDs for large area scientific focal planes. We discuss technical developments and lessons learnt from the manufacture and supply of large-format CCDs. Several large mosaics have now been built or are under construction, using e2v sensors- these include CFHT Megacam, ESO VST, SAO Megacam, Kepler, and GAIA. Design, assembly and operational issues are presented.

To complement previously published information on E2V CCDs, we present here some less well-known information about Marconi CCDs. We show details of the performance of deep depletion silicon variants, and discuss other subtleties of performance. We also present an update on L3vision (sub-electron noise) devices, indicating current availability, options, and ongoing development work. Finally, we will give a flavour of the range of custom designs that have been made. Many of these are not commercially available, and may not be familiar to all astronomers or CCD technologists.

Many EEV large-format CCDs are in astronomical use. Here we discuss the performance of recently manufactured devices, together with anticipated improvements. Details of the unique packaging development to facilitate mosaic applications are described, together with an effective fringe-reduction process. Preliminary results from a novel very-low noise CCD are also included. In summary, some of the main strands of ongoing EEV development of CCDs for astronomy are presented