405 research outputs found
The Development of Unique Focal Planes for High-Resolution Suborbital and Ground-Based Exploration
abstract: The development of new Ultra-Violet/Visible/IR range (UV/Vis/IR) astronomical instrumentation that use novel approaches for imaging and increase the accessibility of observing time for more research groups is essential for rapid innovation within the community. Unique focal planes that are rapid-prototyped, low cost, and provide high resolution are key.
In this dissertation the emergent designs of three unique focal planes are discussed. These focal planes were each designed for a different astronomical platform: suborbital balloon, suborbital rocket, and ground-based observatory. The balloon-based payload is a hexapod-actuated focal plane that uses tip-tilt motion to increase angular resolution through the removal of jitter – known as the HExapod Resolution-Enhancement SYstem (HERESY), the suborbital rocket imaging payload is a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) delta-doped charge-coupled device (CCD) packaged to survive the rigors of launch and image far-ultra-violet (FUV) spectra, and the ground-based observatory payload is a star centroid tracking modification to the balloon version of HERESY for the tip-tilt correction of atmospheric turbulence.
The design, construction, verification, and validation of each focal plane payload is discussed in detail. For HERESY’s balloon implementation, pointing error data from the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory (STO) Antarctic balloon mission was used to form an experimental lab test setup to demonstrate the hexapod can eliminate jitter in flight-like conditions. For the suborbital rocket focal plane, a harsh set of unit-level tests to ensure the payload could survive launch and space conditions, as well as the characterization and optimization of the JPL detector, are detailed. Finally, a modification of co-mounting a fast-read detector to the HERESY focal plane, for use on ground-based observatories, intended to reduce atmospherically induced tip-tilt error through the centroid tracking of bright natural guidestars, is described.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Exploration Systems Design 201
Beyond solid-state lighting: Miniaturization, hybrid integration, and applications og GaN nano- and micro-LEDs
Gallium Nitride (GaN) light-emitting-diode (LED) technology has been the revolution in modern lighting. In the last decade, a huge global market of efficient, long-lasting and ubiquitous white light sources has developed around the inception of the Nobel-price-winning blue GaN LEDs. Today GaN optoelectronics is developing beyond lighting, leading to new and innovative devices, e.g. for micro-displays, being the core technology for future augmented reality and visualization, as well as point light sources for optical excitation in communications, imaging, and sensing. This explosion of applications is driven by two main directions: the ability to produce very small GaN LEDs (microLEDs and nanoLEDs) with high efficiency and across large areas, in combination with the possibility to merge optoelectronic-grade GaN microLEDs with silicon microelectronics in a fully hybrid approach. GaN LED technology today is even spreading into the realm of display technology, which has been occupied by organic LED (OLED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) for decades. In this review, the technological transition towards GaN micro- and nanodevices beyond lighting is discussed including an up-to-date overview on the state of the art
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Radiation Damage in CMOS Image Sensors for Space Applications
The space radiation environment is damaging to silicon devices, such as Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors, affecting their performance over time or causing total failure.
The first part of this work investigates a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) style CMOS image sensor designed for TDI (Time Delay and Integration) mode imaging, a mode commonly used for Earth observation. Damage from high energy protons in the space environment decreases the Charge Transfer Efficiency (CTE) and increases the dark current of such devices. Experimental work on proton damaged devices is presented, showing the effects on CTE and dark current. The results are compared to a standard CCD by a simulation to take into account the different dimensions and operating conditions of the two devices.
The second part of this work describes an experimental campaign to determine the effects of process variations (namely the introduction of deep doping wells and the variation of epitaxial silicon thickness) on the rate of Single Event Latchup (SEL) in CMOS Active Pixel Sensor (APS) devices. SEL is a potentially destructive phenomenon which occurs in CMOS technology but not in CCDs. Test devices were subjected to heavy ion bombardement and SEL rates recorded for a range of heavy ions causing varying amounts of ionisation. A simulation using Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) was developed to predict the SEL rates due to heavy ions and to understand the characteristic shape of the SEL cross section vs. Linear Energy Transfer (LET) curves produced by SEL experiments. The simuation was carried out for structures representative of each of the design variants
Assessing the performance of Digital Micromirror Devices for use in space-based multi-object spectrometers
A current need in space-based instrumentation is a reconfigurable slit mask. Several techniques for slit masks have been employed for ground-based astronomical spectrographs. These ground-based instruments have used large discrete components, which are impractical for remote operation in space-based deployment. The Texas Instruments\u27 Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) was originally conceived purely for display purposes, but is a viable candidate to be use as a slit mask in a space-based multi-object spectrograph (MOS). The Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturing industry has enabled the robust integration of both silicon transistors and Micro-Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS) optical components into a very reliable monolithic chip (the DMD). The focus of this work was in three areas that addressed the suitability of proposing DMDs for future space missions. The DMDs were optically characterized to assess their utility in a spectrograph. The DMDs were also cooled in a liquid nitrogen dewar to determine their minimum operating temperature. The low temperature tests indicated that the DMD can operate to temperatures as low as 130 K. In addition, several DMDs were irradiated with high-energy protons at the LBNL 88 Cyclotron to determine how robust the devices are to ionizing radiation (protons). The radiation testing results indicate that DMDs would survive medium to long duration space missions with full operability. Based on preliminary tests in these three areas, the DMD should be considered as an excellent candidate for deployment in future space missions
The Multi-Object, Fiber-Fed Spectrographs for SDSS and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey
We present the design and performance of the multi-object fiber spectrographs
for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and their upgrade for the Baryon
Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). Originally commissioned in Fall 1999
on the 2.5-m aperture Sloan Telescope at Apache Point Observatory, the
spectrographs produced more than 1.5 million spectra for the SDSS and SDSS-II
surveys, enabling a wide variety of Galactic and extra-galactic science
including the first observation of baryon acoustic oscillations in 2005. The
spectrographs were upgraded in 2009 and are currently in use for BOSS, the
flagship survey of the third-generation SDSS-III project. BOSS will measure
redshifts of 1.35 million massive galaxies to redshift 0.7 and Lyman-alpha
absorption of 160,000 high redshift quasars over 10,000 square degrees of sky,
making percent level measurements of the absolute cosmic distance scale of the
Universe and placing tight constraints on the equation of state of dark energy.
The twin multi-object fiber spectrographs utilize a simple optical layout
with reflective collimators, gratings, all-refractive cameras, and
state-of-the-art CCD detectors to produce hundreds of spectra simultaneously in
two channels over a bandpass covering the near ultraviolet to the near
infrared, with a resolving power R = \lambda/FWHM ~ 2000. Building on proven
heritage, the spectrographs were upgraded for BOSS with volume-phase
holographic gratings and modern CCD detectors, improving the peak throughput by
nearly a factor of two, extending the bandpass to cover 360 < \lambda < 1000
nm, and increasing the number of fibers from 640 to 1000 per exposure. In this
paper we describe the original SDSS spectrograph design and the upgrades
implemented for BOSS, and document the predicted and measured performances.Comment: 43 pages, 42 figures, revised according to referee report and
accepted by AJ. Provides background for the instrument responsible for SDSS
and BOSS spectra. 4th in a series of survey technical papers released in
Summer 2012, including arXiv:1207.7137 (DR9), arXiv:1207.7326 (Spectral
Classification), and arXiv:1208.0022 (BOSS Overview
Doctor of Philosophy
dissertationOptics is an old topic in physical science and engineering. Historically, bulky materials and components were dominantly used to manipulate light. A new hope arrived when Maxwell unveiled the essence of electromagnetic waves in a micro perspective. On the other side, our world recently embraced a revolutionary technology, metasurface, which modifies the properties of matter-interfaces in subwavelength scale. To complete this story, diffractive optic fills right in the gap. It enables ultrathin flat devices without invoking the concept of nanostructured metasurfaces when only scalar diffraction comes into play. This dissertation contributes to developing a new type of digital diffractive optic, called a polychromat. It consists of uniform pixels and multilevel profile in micrometer scale. Essentially, it modulates the phase of a wavefront to generate certain spatial and spectral responses. Firstly, a complete numerical model based on scalar diffraction theory was developed. In order to functionalize the optic, a nonlinear algorithm was then successfully implemented to optimize its topography. The optic can be patterned in transparent dielectric thin film by single-step grayscale lithography and it is replicable for mass production. The microstructures are 3?m wide and no more than 3?m thick, thus do not require slow and expensive nanopatterning techniques, as opposed to metasurfaces. Polychromat is also less demanding in terms of fabrication and scalability. The next theme is focused on demonstrating unprecedented performances of the diffractive optic when applied to address critical issues in modern society. Photovoltaic efficiency can be significantly enhanced using this optic to split and concentrate the solar spectrum. Focusing through a lens is no news, but we transformed our optic into a flat lens that corrects broadband chromatic aberrations. It can also serve as a phase mask for microlithography on oblique and multiplane surfaces. By introducing the powerful tool of computation, we devised two imaging prototypes, replacing the conventional Bayer filter with the diffractive optic. One system increases light sensitivity by 3 times compared to commercial color sensors. The other one renders the monochrome sensor a new function of high-resolution multispectral video-imaging
Compact microscopy systems with non-conventional optical techniques
This work has been motivated by global efforts to decentralize
high performance imaging systems through frugal engineering and
expansion of 3D fabrication technologies. Typically, high
resolution imaging systems are confined in clinical or laboratory
environment due to the limited means of producing optical lenses
on the demand.
The use of lenses is an essential mean to achieve high resolution
imaging, but conventional optical lenses are made using either
polished glass or molded plastics. Both are suited for highly
skilled craftsmen or factory level production. In the first part
of this work, alternative low-cost lens-making process for
generating high quality optical lenses with minimal operator
training have been discussed. We evoked the use of liquid
droplets to make lenses. This unconventional method relies on
interfacial forces to generate curved droplets that if solidified
can become convex-shaped lenses. To achieve this, we studied the
droplet behaviour (Rayleigh-Plateau phenomenon) before creating a
set of 3D printed tools to generate droplets. We measured and
characterized the fabrication techniques to ensure reliability in
lens fabrication on- demand at high throughput. Compact imaging
requires a compact optical system and computing unit. So, in the
next part of this work, we engineered a deconstructed microscope
system for field-portable imaging.
Still a core limitation of all optical lenses is the physical
size of lens aperture – which limits their resolution
performance, and optical aberrations – that limit their imaging
quality performance. In the next part of this work, we
investigated use of computational optics-based optimization
approaches to conduct in situ characterization
of aberrations that can be digitally removed. The computational
approach we have used in this work is known as Fourier
Ptychography (FP). It is an emerging computational microscopic
technique that combines the use of synthetic aperture and
iterative optimization algorithms, offering increased resolution,
at full field-of-view (FOV) and aberration-removal. In using FP
techniques, we have shown measurements of optical distortions
from different lenses made from droplets only. We also,
investigated the limitations of FP in aberration recovery on
moldless lenses.
In conclusion, this work presents new opportunities to engineer
high resolution imaging system using modern 3D printing
approaches. Our successful demonstration of FP techniques on
moldless lenses will usher new additional applications in digital
pathology or low-cost mobile health
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