SDW2005, Taormina, Sicily

1
Active Pixel Sensor developments for future ESA
space science missions
2
Evolution of APS for space application at ESA

• So far the use of APS for space applications has
  been restricted on
• STAR tracker STAR 250, IRIS3, STAR 1000 sensors
  (soon in the EPPL).
• VMC (Visual Monitoring Camera) separation phases
  Soyouz, Ariane V

Star1000 chip
Recent progress Mission constraints

• Active Pixel Sensors have been identified during
  assessment studies as reference technology for
  the remote sensing imaging payload on board
• Bepi Colombo (2012) mission to Mercury
• Solar Orbiter (2013) sun observation

3
Bepi Colombo
Bepi Colombo mission take-off in 2012 toward
Mercury with two orbiters (MPO, Mercury Planetary
Orbiter, MMO (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter)
SYMBIO-SYS (PI E. Flamini, ASI) is the Remote
Sensing Imaging consortium on board MPO. It
consists in HRIC (High Resolution Imaging
Channel) 5 m/pxl _at_ 400 km, 400-900 nm STC
(Stereo imaging Channel) 100 m/pxl, 500-900 nm
HIRIS (High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
channel) Fourier Transform spectrometer,
588.5-590 nm VIHI (Visual and Infrared
Hyperspectral Imager channel) 100 m/pixel at 400
km, 400-2200 nm

• The 4 instruments are APS based (CCDs as backup).
  Two developments funded by ESA will be initiated
  in the industry in the following months
• optical APS 2k2 , 10 um, 400 nm to 900 nm,
  high QE, built-in 12 bit ADC, snapshot, lt 15 e-
  read noise, 100 krad TID, SEU/SEL immune.
• ? ITT publication imminent (DOPODOMANI!)
• optical-IR APS 5122 , 20 um, 500 nm to 2200
  nm, operating temperature 200-230 K , 100 krad
  TID, SEU/SEL immune.
• ? ITT published on the June 10th, 2005.

4
Solar Orbiter
Solar Orbiter will be launched in Oct. 2013 for
an 8 year extend mission, observing the sun as
close as 45 sun radii, with increasing
inclination.
The preliminary remote sensing payload consists
in VIM (Visible Light Imager and
Magnetograph) 400-700 nm EUS (Extreme
Ultraviolet Spectrometer) 17-100 nm EUI
(Extreme Ultraviolet Imager) 13.3 nm, 17.4 nm,
30.4 nm COR (Coronograph) 450-600 nm( 121.6
and 30.4 nm optional)
The preliminary payload is also based on APS and
at least two dedicated technological developments
are foreseen (Q1 2006), they will focus on

• Radiation hardness (nominal environment
  equivalent to modest storm encountered by SOHO).
• Increased EUV sensitivity (Hybrid or backthinned
  monolithic) as replacement to intensified CCDs.
• Solar blindness.
• Pixel size down to 8 - 5 um.
• Low dark current low temperature operation
  (typ -80 Celsius).

5
Will the APS invasion come from space?