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Within the TRP program “Development of Low Dark Current MWIR/LWIR Detectors” ne MCT material was tested with reduced dark current for low photon flux applications. A specific ROIC design was set up within this program to allow a proper characterization of the material and act as a demonstrator for further ROIC derivates. Demonstrator assemblies were prepared and tested.\ud\udThe poster will highlight the specific design approaches for the ROIC and the MCT. Four different topologies for the input stage on the ROIC were implemented to allow direct assessment of the impact of the design approach. A part of these input stages were designed using radiation hardened cell library. The ROIC doesn’t contain any internal state machine but id fully controlled via a high speed SPI interface driven by an external sequencer.\ud\udA test setup will be highlighted. A liquid helium cryostat was prepared to allow dark current measurements in an environment which does not suffer from parasitic radiation sources. The same setup is capable for operation with external illumination and optical filers, which can be moved into the beam.\ud\udThe detector assemblies are presented. A two-step approach is shown which is initially scanning the performance of the different input topologies. A final detector assembly is selected upon the best performance; final assemblies are shown, the test results will be given on the poster.

This paper presents the first test results of a novel Fine Steering Mirror (FSM) for optical communication terminals. The FSM utilizes efficient variable reluctance actuators, tailored for the specific application, making it highly compact and power efficient. The test results demonstrate a high dynamical performance of

Employing compact quantum sensors in field or in space (e.g., small satellites) implies demanding requirements on components and integration technologies. Within our work on integrated sensors, we develop miniaturized, ultra-stable optical setups for optical cooling and trapping of cold atomic gases. Besides challenging demands on alignment precision, and thermo-mechanical durability, we specifically address ultra-high vacuum (UHV) compatibility of our integration technologies and optical components. A prototype design of an UHV-compatible, crossed beam optical dipole trap setup and its application within a cold atomic quantum sensor is described. First qualification efforts on adhesive micro-integration technologies are presented. These tests are conducted in application-relevant geometries and material combinations common for micro-integrated optical setups. Adhesive aging will be investigated by thermal cycling or gamma radiation exposure. For vacuum compatibility testing, a versatile UHV testing system is currently being set up, enabling residual gas analysis and measurement of total gas rates down to 5•10-10mbar l/s at a base pressure of 10-11 mbar, exceeding the common ASTM E595 test.

Technology integration of liquid crystal cells for electro-optic modulation has been implemented on the commercial TriPleX photonic platform. Design and fabrication procedure have been optimized for fulfilling the low insertion loss criterion for applications such as space communication and enabling the implementation of compact liquid crystal tuning elements for achieving high integration density. First performance testing of this concept has confirmed low-power consumption switching with 2π phase tuning being obtained within a voltage range of 2.5 V.

The next great leap forward in space-based far-infrared astronomy will be made by the Japanese-led SPICA mission, which is anticipated to be launched late 2020's as the next large astrophysics mission of JAXA, in partnership with ESA and with key European contributions. Filling in the gap between JWST and ALMA, the SPICA mission will study the evolution of galaxies, stars and planetary systems. SPICA will utilize a deeply cooled 3m-class telescope, provided by European industry, to realize zodiacal background limited performance, high spatial resolution and large collecting area. Making full advantage of the deeply cooled telescope (

Making use of all Mars observations taken by Herschel-HIFI, we present a detailed comparison of the measured and predicted beam profiles observed in space. Starting with a number of instrument beam profile models, including one based on actual wavefront measurements in the 480-1625 GHz frequency range, we developed a forward model predicting the detailed characteristics of the beam profile at the sky. Once convolved with the actual brightness temperature distribution and appearance of Mars, this forward model can be compared in detail with the observed spatial response towards Mars, using the science data of HIFI. Since the HIFI instrument is a single-mode coherent receiver, and given the availability of phase-sensitive measurements at instrument level, the results suggest that it is possible to extract some interesting optical characteristics of the Herschel telescope in addition. We discuss a possible way to extract the location of the telescope focus from these observations, which could provide useful feedback to the thermo-elastic properties of the SiC telescope assembly under zero-g and cryogenic conditions.