Demonstration of High-Frame-Rate Wavefront Camera for Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing

Radiation-hardened, highly sensitive wavefront sensors (WFSs) with at least 256256 resolution and the capability for sustained operations at 10 kHz are necessary to support the high-speed control loops used for image stabilization and jitter suppression in MDA systems for airborne and spaceborne targeting, tracking, scoring, and ranging. To satisfy this need, in Phase I, InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) arrays in 3232, 128128, 256256, and 512512 formats will be fabricated and characterized. Several small-sized arrays will be hybridized to existing WFS ROICs, with variable gain, low-noise preamplifiers, detector gain-uniformity correction, fusing, and pixel readout circuits. Low-noise operation will be demonstrated at 10-kHz frame rates by integrating the APD focal plane array (FPA) into camera electronics and a mechanical housing designed and fabricated in the Phase I program. Features of the camera will include a user-programmable processor, Gigabit Ethernet communications, and multiple LVDS wire and fiber outputs. The results of the Phase I WFS camera demonstration and characterization will be used to design a radiation-hardened multiple-output 256256 format WFS ROIC, which will be fabricated and integrated with high-responsivity APD arrays, and the larger-format, high-frame-rate WFS camera will be delivered to MDA for further qualification.