A HgCdTe avalanche photodiode (APD) focal plane array assembly with linear mode photon-counting capability has been developed for space lidar applications. An integrated detector cooler assembly (IDCA) has been built using a miniature Stirling cooler. A microlens array has been included to improve the fill factor. The HgCdTe APD has a spectral response from 0.9- to 4.3-μm wavelengths, a photon detection efficiency as high as 70%, and a dark count rate of <250 kHz at 110 K. The mass of the IDCA is 0.8 kg and the total electrical power consumption is about 7 W. The HgCdTe APD arrays have been characterized at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. A series of environmental tests have been conducted for the IDCAs, including vibration, thermal cycling, and thermal vacuum tests. A description of the device and the test results at NASA are given in this paper.
A linear mode photon counting HgCdTe avalanche photodiode (APD) focal plane array (FPA) detector was developed for space lidar applications. An integrated detector cooler assembly (IDCA) was manufactured using a miniature Stirling cooler. The HgCdTe APD demonstrated a greater than 60% photon detection efficiency from 0.9 to 4.3 μm wavelength and a dark count rate less than 250,000/s. The IDCA cooled the FPA to 110K from ambient room temperature at a total electrical power of 7 W. The IDCA has passed environmental tests, including vibration, thermal cycling and thermal vacuum tests.
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