Paper
29 July 2016 Development of low-noise CCD drive electronics for the world space observatory ultraviolet spectrograph subsystem
Mike Salter, Matthew Clapp, James King, Tom Morse, Ionut Mihalcea, Nick Waltham, Chris Hayes-Thakore
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
World Space Observatory Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) is a major Russian-led international collaboration to develop a large space-borne 1.7 m Ritchey-Chrétien telescope and instrumentation to study the universe at ultraviolet wavelengths between 115 nm and 320 nm, exceeding the current capabilities of ground-based instruments. The WSO Ultraviolet Spectrograph subsystem (WUVS) is led by the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences and consists of two high resolution spectrographs covering the Far-UV range of 115-176 nm and the Near-UV range of 174-310 nm, and a long-slit spectrograph covering the wavelength range of 115-305 nm. The custom-designed CCD sensors and cryostat assemblies are being provided by e2v technologies (UK). STFC RAL Space is providing the Camera Electronics Boxes (CEBs) which house the CCD drive electronics for each of the three WUVS channels.

This paper presents the results of the detailed characterisation of the WUVS CCD drive electronics. The electronics include a novel high-performance video channel design that utilises Digital Correlated Double Sampling (DCDS) to enable low-noise readout of the CCD at a range of pixel frequencies, including a baseline requirement of less than 3 electrons rms readout noise for the combined CCD and electronics system at a readout rate of 50 kpixels/s. These results illustrate the performance of this new video architecture as part of a wider electronics sub-system that is designed for use in the space environment. In addition to the DCDS video channels, the CEB provides all the bias voltages and clocking waveforms required to operate the CCD and the system is fully programmable via a primary and redundant SpaceWire interface. The development of the CEB electronics design has undergone critical design review and the results presented were obtained using the engineering-grade electronics box. A variety of parameters and tests are included ranging from general system metrics, such as the power and mass, to more detailed analysis of the video performance including noise, linearity, crosstalk, gain stability and transient response.
© (2016) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mike Salter, Matthew Clapp, James King, Tom Morse, Ionut Mihalcea, Nick Waltham, and Chris Hayes-Thakore "Development of low-noise CCD drive electronics for the world space observatory ultraviolet spectrograph subsystem", Proc. SPIE 9915, High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VII, 99150Y (29 July 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2231289
Advertisement
Advertisement
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission  Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace
KEYWORDS
Charge-coupled devices

Electronics

CCD cameras

Video

Spectrographs

Ultraviolet radiation

Clocks

RELATED CONTENT


Back to Top