KEYWORDS: Field programmable gate arrays, Design, Deformable mirrors, Thirty Meter Telescope, Actuators, Data transmission, Receivers, Oscilloscopes, Histograms, Error control coding
The NFIRAOS Deformable Mirror Electronics (NDME) system is integral to the Narrow Field InfraRed Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS) of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). Using two sets of deformable mirrors to correct wavefront aberrations, the NDME converts stroke commands from the NFIRAOS Real-Time Controller (NRTC) into precise actuator drive voltages. The NDME FPGA firmware enables real-time functionality, handling concurrent command processing with strict timing requirements. It incorporates low-latency SPI for DAC and ADC and custom 1G Ethernet interfaces. Benchmarking with the Xilinx Kria K26 FPGA demonstrates the firmware's efficiency in managing data transmission and processing latencies adhering to a critical 75-microsecond threshold. These results validate the firmware's efficiency, robustness, and reliability, which are crucial for the TMT project's success.
KEYWORDS: Clocks, Sensors, Analog to digital converters, Design, Field programmable gate arrays, Logic, Detector arrays, Interfaces, Image processing, Detector development
We present the design and initial tests of the HIgh-speed Array Controller (HIAC) developed at NRC to operate high frame rate multi-channel imaging detectors. The development of HIAC was prompted by the need for a controller to operate the SaphiraQM infrared APD array, which has 64 output channels running at up to 10Mpx/s each. No available controller had this capability. The controller is based around a Xilinx Zynq system-on-chip (SoC) module with multiple processor cores and programmable logic, which provides plenty of computing resources and real-time sequencing capability, as well as sufficient high-speed transceivers for handling the data communication. The highly flexible nature of the Zynq device allows the system to be reprogrammed to operate many types of detectors. Two compact prototype systems have been built from a Zynq development board and some custom analog circuit boards. One is designed to operate the SaphiraQM and the other to operate a large format CMOS imager with a digital interface (CIS120). Initial tests demonstrate the system's ability to handle high-speed data acquisition and processing effectively, achieving synchronization and accurate signal capture across all channels.
NFIRAOS (Narrow-Field InfraRed Adaptive Optics System) will be the first-light multi-conjugate adaptive optics system for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). NFIRAOS supports three Near Infrared (NIR) client instruments, and provides exceptional image quality across the 2 arcminute field of view. In 2018, NFIRAOS passed the Final Design Review (FDR), but there have been several substantial changes more recently. The optical enclosure (ENCL) refrigeration design was updated for CO2 refrigerant, and an enclosure wall panel was prototyped. The polar-coordinate CCD for the laser guide star (LGS) wavefront sensor camera was replaced with a commercial C-Blue camera from First Light Imaging. More recently, the NFIRAOS Science Calibration Unit (NSCU), which was previously a separate Canadian contribution, was incorporated into the scope of NFIRAOS, and has progressed to the Conceptual Design level. In addition to these changes, the team has been working to bring the last of the low-risk subsystems to final design level in preparation for the beginning of construction.
The High-speed Array Controller (HIAC) was developed at NRC to operate high-speed multi-channel imaging detectors. Originally developed to operate the large (512x512 pixel) SAPHIRA infrared APD array, which requires 64 channels at 10 Mpx/s each, it is also being used in other projects, including tests of a large format CMOS imager for the CASTOR space telescope. The design is based around a Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+ system on chip (SoC) device, which makes the system very powerful and flexible.
KEYWORDS: Field programmable gate arrays, Signal attenuation, Signal processing, Clocks, Attenuators, Receivers, Analog electronics, Transceivers, Electromagnetic coupling, Digital signal processing
The Single Pixel Feed Receiver (SPFRx) has been developed for the SKA1-Mid dishes by the National Research Council (NRC) Canada in cooperation with the University of Bordeaux, France. The SPFRx takes preamplified SPF Radio Frequency (RF) signals in two polarities and converts the RF into digital samples. The RF conditioning component of RXS applies bandpass filtering, spectrum leveling, and variable gain amplification to prepare for sampling by Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) devices. The ADC-produced RF samples are processed by a digital processor based on a System-on-Chip Field Programmable Gate Array (SoC FPGA). The FPGA firmware assembles RF samples into network packets and streams the data from each Dish over a dedicated 100 Gigabit Ethernet link to the SKA Central Signal Processing (CSP) facility. In this paper, we outline the design of SPFRx hardware, firmware, and software and present the test results for SPFRxB123 Qualification Model, a pre-production SPFRx for SKA MID bands 1, 2, and 3.
KEYWORDS: Interfaces, Electronics, Control systems, Logic, Field programmable gate arrays, Radio optics, Analog electronics, Telescopes, Electromagnetic coupling, Optical design
The Single Pixel Feed Receiver (SPFRx) is a Sub-Element of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Dish Element. Its main function is receiving RF signals captured by the SKA-mid Dish (DSH) and pre-amplified by the Single Pixel Feed (SPF) Sub-Element components. The main tasks of the SPFRx hardware, firmware, and software is to perform analog to digital conversion on the incoming RF signals and to send the digital RF samples to the SKA Central Signal Processing (CSP) Element as 100G Ethernet packets. For analog to digital conversion, of SKA-mid Bands 1-3 a 12-bit Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) is used. The ADC and its supporting electronics reside on an electronic board placed within a metal box on the telescope’s indexer. A number of measures are taken to minimize Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) created by the switching elements on the board. One of the major measures is using an optical link for performing monitor and control function of the internal electronics by the Local Monitor Control (LMC) module residing within the telescope’s base.
NRC has been involved in the ongoing development of the SAPHIRA infrared APD arrays from Leonardo MW. We present results from our characterization testing on the original 320x256 pixel device, including response speed at frame rates up to 1 kHz. We have also been working on the support electronics, including cryogenic preamplifiers and a readout system that is capable of operating a new 512x512 pixel, 64-output SAPHIRA device at 10 Mpx/s.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
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.