Review of the latest developments in fast low noise detectors for wavefront sensing in the visible

In this paper we describe the development of fast low noise detectors intended primarily for use in Shack Hartmann wavefront sensors for natural and laser guide star wavefront sensing in the future adaptive optics systems of the Thirty Meter Telescope Project and the Next Generation Adaptive Optics system at the W. M. Keck Observatory. This work results from collaboration among the W. M. Keck Observatory, the Thirty Meter Telescope Project, the Lincoln Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Starfire Optical Range of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Testing of backside thinned, packaged detectors has been completed and performance results including read noise, readout speed, charge diffusion, dark current, and quantum efficiency will be reported. Proposed developments of readout systems to compliment this detector will be described, and performance compared to alternative detector solutions.

[1]  Bruce A. Macintosh,et al.  erformance of the Keck Observatory daptive-optics system arcos , 2004 .

[2]  Ray Bell,et al.  The LLCCD: low-light imaging without the need for an intensifier , 2001, IS&T/SPIE Electronic Imaging.

[3]  Luc Gilles,et al.  Wavefront error budget development for the Thirty Meter Telescope laser guide star adaptive optics system , 2008, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[4]  M. F. Tompsett,et al.  CHARGE COUPLED 8‐BIT SHIFT REGISTER , 1970 .

[5]  Eric Stadler,et al.  OCAM2S: an integral shutter ultrafast and low noise wavefront sensor camera for laser guide stars adaptive optics systems , 2014, Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation.

[6]  Malcolm Smith,et al.  Adaptive optics program at TMT , 2014, Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation.

[7]  C. Leyris,et al.  Impact of Random Telegraph Signal in CMOS Image Sensors for Low-Light Levels , 2006, 2006 Proceedings of the 32nd European Solid-State Circuits Conference.

[8]  Eric Stadler,et al.  LGSD/NGSD: high speed visible CMOS imagers for E-ELT adaptive optics , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[9]  Eric Stadler,et al.  LGSD/NGSD: high speed optical CMOS imagers for E-ELT adaptive optics , 2013, Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation.

[10]  Eric R. Fossum,et al.  Active pixel sensors: are CCDs dinosaurs? , 1993, Electronic Imaging.

[11]  Eric Stadler,et al.  Backside-illuminated, high-QE, 3e- RoN, fast 700fps, 1760x1680 pixels CMOS imager for AO with highly parallel readout , 2012, Other Conferences.

[12]  G. E. Smith,et al.  Charge coupled semiconductor devices , 1970, Bell Syst. Tech. J..

[13]  Thierry Fusco,et al.  Custom CCD for adaptive optics applications , 2006, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[14]  Sean M. Adkins.  Measured performance of the prototype polar coordinate CCD array , 2012, Other Conferences.