This paper presents the development of the ESO prototype detector controller for the Adaptive Optics imager in the EELT which is based on the e2v Natural Guide Star Detector (NGSD) and Laser Guide Star Detector (LGSD). NGSD is a 880×840 pixel CMOS array organized as 44×42 sub-apertures of 20×20 pixel each. NGSD is exactly 1/4 of the LGSD and therefore it is considered a scaled down demonstrator for the LGSD. The detector controller requirements present important challenges in the design of the electronics due to the low-power, low-noise and high parallel data rate of the detectors involved. The general architecture of the controller along with the front-end electronics to drive and read-out the detector are described here. This electronics is based on Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGAs.

Date Published: 23 July 2014
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 9154, High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VI, 91541M (23 July 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2054512

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9154:
High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy VI
Andrew D. Holland; James Beletic, Editor(s)