Teledyne Imaging Sensors: infrared imaging technologies for astronomy and civil space

TLDR

Teledyne Imaging Sensors develops high‑performance infrared sensors, electronics, and packaging for astronomy and civil space. The company aims to advance infrared sensor technology by producing a high‑speed, low‑noise array for wavefront sensing and developing a cost‑effective 4K×4K, 15 µm pixel array for large focal planes of extremely large telescopes and future space missions. The sensors are hybrid CMOS arrays using HgCdTe for detection and silicon circuitry for readout, produced in various sizes and formats, and are coupled to a low‑power (<11 mW) SIDECARTM ASIC that operates in cryogenic environments. The Hawaii‑2RG 2K×2K array with 18 µm pixels delivers very low dark current (<0.01 e⁻/pixel/s) and 80–90 % quantum efficiency across a wide bandpass, and substrate‑removed HgCdTe enables simultaneous visible‑IR detection, while the H2RG and SIDECAR have achieved NASA TRL‑6.

Abstract

Teledyne Imaging Sensors develops and produces high performance infrared sensors, electronics and packaging for astronomy and civil space. These IR sensors are hybrid CMOS arrays, with HgCdTe used for light detection and a silicon integrated circuit for signal readout. Teledyne manufactures IR sensors in a variety of sizes and formats. Currently, the most advanced sensors are based on the Hawaii-2RG (H2RG), 2K×2K array with 18 μm pixel pitch. The HgCdTe detector achieves very low dark current (<0.01 e-/pixel/sec) and high quantum efficiency (80-90%) over a wide bandpass. Substrate-removed HgCdTe can simultaneously detect visible and infrared light, enabling spectrographs to use a single focal plane array (FPA) for Visible-IR sensitivity. The SIDECARTM ASIC provides focal plane electronics on a chip, operating in cryogenic environments with very low power (<11 mW). The H2RG and SIDECAR^TM have been qualified to NASA Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL-6). Teledyne continues to advance the state-of-the-art and is producing a high speed, low noise array designed for IR wavefront sensing. Teledyne is also developing a 4K&times;4K, 15 µm pixel infrared array that will be a cost effective module for the large focal planes of the Extremely Large Telescopes and future generation space astronomy missions.