New development of low-noise and large-format near-infrared image sensor for wide field astronomical observation

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26247029
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Astronomy
• Research Institution: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
• Principal Investigator: Nakaya Hidehiko 国立天文台, 先端技術センター, 助教 (70450179)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 柏川 伸成 国立天文台, TMT推進室, 准教授 (00290883) ; 小宮山 裕 国立天文台, ハワイ観測所, 助教 (20370108) ; 内田 智久 大学共同利用機関法人高エネルギー加速器研究機構, 素粒子原子核研究所, 准教授 (40435615)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YOSHIDA MICHITOSHI 広島大学, 宇宙科学センター, 教授 (90270446) ; TANAKA MANOBU 大学共同利用機関法人高エネルギー加速器研究機構, 素粒子原子核研究所, 教授 (00222117)
• Research Collaborator: KAWABATA KOJI 広島大学, 宇宙科学センター, 准教授 (60372702) ; NAGAYAMA TAKAHIRO 鹿児島大学, 理工学域理学系, 准教授 (00533275)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 近赤外線検出器 / 超広視野カメラ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To search higher redshift galaxies which can not be detected by an optical CCD sensor, we have improved the readout noise of a commercially available Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) small format near-infrared image sensor which is manufactured by a domestic company. Large format InGaAs sensors with a smaller pixel size have also been fabricated, which format is suitable with a near-infrared wide field camera.
The readout noise of the small format sensor achieved 22 e-, and the dark current fell under 0.1 e-/sec/pixel. Large format 1280×1280 arrays with 15um pixel size was successfully fabricated with a small amount of bad pixels, however, the readout performance was slightly degraded.

Free Research Field

光赤外線天文学