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Design and Fabrication of Two-Dimensional Semiconducting Bolometer Arrays for the High Resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC) and the Submillimeter High Angular Resolution Camera II (SHARC-II)The High resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC) and the Submillimeter High Angular Resolution Camera II (SHARC II) will use almost identical versions of an ion-implanted silicon bolometer array developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The GSFC 'Pop-up' Detectors (PUD's) use a unique folding technique to enable a 12 x 32-element close-packed array of bolometers with a filling factor greater than 95 percent. A kinematic Kevlar(trademark) suspension system isolates the 200 mK bolometers from the helium bath temperature, and GSFC - developed silicon bridge chips make electrical connection to the bolometers, while maintaining thermal isolation. The JFET preamps operate at 120 K. Providing good thermal heat sinking for these, and keeping their conduction and radiation from reaching the nearby bolometers, is one of the principal design challenges encountered. Another interesting challenge is the preparation of the silicon bolometers. They are manufactured in 32-element, planar rows using Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) semiconductor etching techniques, and then cut and folded onto a ceramic bar. Optical alignment using specialized jigs ensures their uniformity and correct placement. The rows are then stacked to create the 12 x 32-element array. Engineering results from the first light run of SHARC II at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) are presented.
Document ID
20030033862
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Voellmer, George M.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Allen, Christine A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Amato, Michael J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Babu, Sachidananda R.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Bartels, Arlin E.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Benford, Dominic J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Derro, Rebecca J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Dowell, C. Darren
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Harper, D. Al
(Chicago Univ. Chicago, IL, United States)
Jhabvala, Murzy D.
(Orbital Sciences Corp. Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2002
Subject Category
Instrumentation And Photography
Meeting Information
Meeting: SPIE Conference on Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation
Location: Waikoloa, HI
Country: United States
Start Date: August 22, 2002
End Date: August 28, 2002
Sponsors: International Society for Optical Engineering
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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