Large Area Focal Plane Comprising Charge-Coupled Devices And Fiber Optics

Driven by a requirement for an 80 mm square sensor, we have combined CCD and tapered fiber optic technologies to create a large area focal plane. Seven custom low noise CCD imagers are assembled onto four tapered fiber optic bundles to match the physical characteristics of a tube camera used in an operational system. Two taper ratios are used in the focal plane to meet requirements for broad search and high accuracy measurements in a single device. The entire focal plane is cooled to -40°C to reduce dark current to insignificance at an integration time of 0.6 s. The focal plane has been integrated into a camera head that has an all-digital interface. The camera preserves the low noise characteristics of the focal plane in a multichannel assembly.