The Detector Characterization Laboratory (DCL) is a facility for the complete optical and electrical characterization of UV, optical, and infrared detectors. The goal of the DCL is to become a self-sufficient facility serving the needs of the GSFC scientific and engineering community, as well as academic and commercial customers.

The laboratory currently supports the characterization of CCD's and HgCdTe detectors for the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 instrument. The laboratory resides in Room 83 of Building 20 at the Goddard Space Flight Center with support from Building 21, Code 685 laboratories (Rooms 163 and G83).

DCL Capabilities:

The DCL provides flight detector screening and detailed characterization for WFC3 detectors. It is capable of extreme-accuracy characterization of a wide variety of imaging sensors. Examples of standard DCL procedures include:

• Readout noise, dark current and other low-level noise source characterization using optimized readout systems.
• Charge transfer efficiency measurements (using ⁵⁵Fe and other techniques).
• Flat field uniformity measurements.
• Absolute quantum efficiency (photometric calibration).
• Spatial resolution and MTF including PSF and low-level halo.
• Stability of detector characteristics.
• Timing pattern generation and optimization.
• Support for simultaneously measuring up to four detectors.

DCL Development:

The DCL is a joint venture between Code 680 and Code 550.

Code 550:

The Instrument Technology Center (ITC) develops state-of-the-art earth and space science instrument components and systems. The center is part of the Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. It includes over 100 engineers and technicians working in optics, detectors, lasers, microwave, and cryogenics, who work closely with earth and space scientists to develop technology that meets changing scientific needs. The ITC has developed and continues to maintain a large array of world class instrument facilities, together with the tools for developing instrument technology.

Code 685:

The Infrared Astrophysics Branch (Code 685) in the Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics (LASP, Code 680) of the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center supports a variety of space missions, suborbital missions, and detector development activities. Using these observational tools, its members explore the infrared sky in order to learn about the constituents of the early Universe and its origins.

DCL Documents:

DCL Status Review for the WFC3 SOC, November 2, 2000 (pdf) (ppt).