X-ray Detector Lab

The X-ray Detector Lab at MKI encompasses a range of scientific, instrumentation, and engineering interests. A major activity is the development and testing of next-generation X-ray imagers for future NASA missions from smaller Explorer to the largest Flagship class.

Similar development, testing, and calibration have been done for highly successful NASA missions over the past three decades, including ASCA, Chandra, HETE-II, Suzaku, and NICER.

The principal goal of the current work is to develop new X-ray imaging detectors with the near-physics-limited performance of those that have flown on past missions, but with orders of magnitude faster frames rates and much lower noise. Much of the effort has concentrated on Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) under development by the Advanced Imager Technology Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. One such sensor exploits a new single-polysilicon gate structure and advanced on-chip amplifiers that allow the fast, low-noise, low-power readout required by future strategic NASA mission concepts such as Arcus, Lynx and AXIS. Another sensor type is made of germanium, rather than silicon, and offers the possibility of greatly improved sensitivity to higher energy X-rays. The X-ray detector lab specializes in characterizing and understanding the X-ray response of these devices and in using that knowledge to develop and validate physical models of them.

In collaboration with other groups at MKI, we are also exploring how active pixel sensor technology, including scientific CMOS (sCMOS) sensors, can be adapted to meet the needs of X-ray astronomy. sCMOS devices have advantages over CCDs, such as very high frame rates and higher radiation tolerance, but some disadvantages. Initial tests of a relatively inexpensive commercially available device show promising results for energy resolution and low energy detection, and we are expanding our X-ray testing program to a variety of devices.