CCD Group

 

 

Integral - OMC

 
Integral is the European Space Agency's astronomical gamma-ray observatory satellite, due for launch in early 2002. MSSL's involvement is as a member of the consortium building the Optical Monitor Camera (OMC), the instrument dedicated to simultaneous optical monitoring of the objects being observed by Integral's two gamma-ray instruments and x-ray monitor.

OMC is a refracting telescope with a field-of-view of ~5 degrees and a cooled 1024 x 1024 pixel CCD in the focal plane, capable of imaging down to m~19.

MSSL's contributions are :-

  • Managing the CCD procurement
  • Characterisation of CCDs
  • Design, fabrication and testing of readout electronics (ROE) consisting of clock sequencer, bias supplies, analogue electronics including correlated double sampler, ADC and digital interface to data processing electronics, power switching
  • Design, fabrication and testing of a PC-based EGSE to run the ROE and acquire, display and analyse the digital images for ground testing
  • The CCD is a Marconi CCD47-20 back-illuminated frame transfer device with a 1024 x 1024 pixel image area, on a custom invar plate mount.
    The readout electronics are capable of running at 328 Kpixels/s with a readout noise of ~5e- RMS.
     
     
     
    The Integral satellite structural model
     
     

     
     
     
     
     
    The Optical Monitor Camera (Left: Computer enhanced image. Above: Photos taken while assembled)
     
     
     
    Integral-OMC Links

    INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial, Spain) and LAEFF (Laboratorio de Astrofisica Espacial y Fisica Fundamental, Spain): PI institute for Integral-OMC, mechanical structures, power conditioning, on-board software, AIV (assembly, integration and verification), CCD procurement

    UCD (University College Dublin, Ireland) and DIAS (Dunsink Institute for Advanced Studies, Ireland): Camera EGSE, CCD procurement, ROE procurement, Integral Science Data Centre (ISDC)

    CSL (Centre Spatial de Liege, Belgium): Optics and Cover mechanism, AIV, calibration
     
    Marconi Applied Tehnologies (UK): CCD manufacturers and suppliers

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    Created by Dominic Walton