NIFS Detector

The primary science drivers for NIFS require maximised spatial coverage and spectral resolution, while making no specific requirement for wavelength coverage beyond 2.5 microns. NIFS will therefore use the 2048×2048 18 micron pixel HgCdTe HAWAII-2 array available from the Rockwell Science Center. These devices offer the largest available format and best noise performance of contenders in the 1-2.5 micron range.

The Rockwell 2048×2048 array will have been used with SDSU-2 controllers at the University of Hawaii before NIFS is commissioned. NIFS will also use an SDSU-2 controller.

The Rockwell Science Center is developing a new HgCdTe detector technology for the Next Generation Space Telescope. This uses CdZnTe as the substrate material and delivers much lower dark currents than their previous PACE technology. An array of this sort would be ideal for high resolution J and H band spectroscopy with NIFS. Detector dark current may be the limiting noise source for observations between the strong terrestrial OH emission lines in these bands.

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