Testing and characterization of the TESS CCDs

C. Thayer; J. Villasenor; S. Kissel; B. LaMarr; E. Morgan; G. Prigozhin; I. Prigozhin; G. Ricker; T. Sauerwein; V. Suntharalingam; R. Vanderspek; D. Woods

doi:10.1117/12.2232886

29 July 2016 Testing and characterization of the TESS CCDs

C. Thayer, J. Villasenor, S. Kissel, B. LaMarr, E. Morgan, G. Prigozhin, I. Prigozhin, G. Ricker, T. Sauerwein, V. Suntharalingam, R. Vanderspek, D. Woods

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 99042X (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2232886
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is an Explorer-class mission dedicated to finding planets around bright, nearby stars so that more detailed follow-up studies can be done. TESS is due to launch in 2017 and careful characterization of the detectors will need to be completed on ground before then to ensure that the cameras will be within their photometric requirement of 60ppm/hr. TESS will fly MITLincoln Laboratories CCID-80s as the main scientific detector for its four cameras. They are 100μm deep depletion devices which have low dark current noise levels and can operate at low light levels at room temperature. They also each have a frame store region, which reduces smearing during readout and allows for near continuous integration. This paper describes the hardware and methodology that were developed for testing and characterizing individual CCID-80s. A dark system with no stimuli was used to measure the dark current. Fe⁵⁵ and Cd¹⁰⁹ X-ray sources were used to establish gain at low signal levels and its temperature dependence. An LED system that generates a programmable series of pulses was used in conjunction with an integrating sphere to measure pixel response non-uniformity (PRNU) and gain at higher signal levels. The same LED system was used with a pinhole system to evaluate the linearity and charge conservation capability of the CCID-80s.

Citation Download Citation

C. Thayer, J. Villasenor, S. Kissel, B. LaMarr, E. Morgan, G. Prigozhin, I. Prigozhin, G. Ricker, T. Sauerwein, V. Suntharalingam, R. Vanderspek, and D. Woods "Testing and characterization of the TESS CCDs", Proc. SPIE 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 99042X (29 July 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2232886

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available