HgCdTe APD Arrays for Astronomy: Natural Guide Star Wavefront Sensing and Space Astronomy

2018/07/02 by Dani Atkinson, Atkinson, Dani
Engineering · #Advanced Semiconductor Detectors and Materials #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1807.00772

openalex publication_date 2018/07/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

This dissertation describes work I have conducted over five academic years 2013/14 through 2017/18 as a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow at the University of Hawai'i Institute for Astronomy. The focus has been the characterization and improvement of the Selex Avalanche Photodiode HgCdTe InfraRed Array (SAPHIRA), a 320 x 256@24um pitch metal organic vapor phase epitaxy mercury cadmium telluride array that provides new capabilities and performance for near infrared (NIR) astronomy. This has involved more than a dozen arrays, working closely with the manufacturer so as to provide feedback for improvement of the next generation.

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