Aquarius, a new infrared CCD

Aquarius is a high flux 1Kx1K Si:As array for ground-based observations in the mid-infrared, developed at Raytheon Vision Systems.

It is a high flux version of the MIRI arrays developed for the James Webb Space Telescope, with a much larger storage capacity, as required by ground-based instruments.

The Aquarius array will be used by the VLT mid-infrared instrument VISIR and also in the VLTI interferometer instrument MATISSE.

It has a storage capacity of 15 million electrons, 64 parallel video output channels and can be read out at frame rates of up to 150 Hz. The unit cell design consists of a simple source follower but also offers switchable gain (storage capacities switchable between 15 million and 1 million electrons). Centred windowing is also possible.

Credit:

ESO

About the Image

Id:aquarius7255
Type:Photographic
Release date:12 February 2010, 12:14
Size:3744 x 5239 px

About the Object

Name:Aquarius IR CCD
Type:Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Instrument
Category:Paranal

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