Welcome to the Cassini/CIRS FP1 Detector Development and Assembly Home Page

Sub-assemblies for the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) focal plane #1 (FP1) detector assembly are constructed at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center's Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics, Code 693.

Links in this document

• Overview
  
• Components
  
• Personnel
  
• Images
  
• Cassini Links
  

Components:

Detector:

The detectors are made in Germany, at University of Karlsruhe under the direction of Dr. Rainer Fettig. The absorber is a 1mm diameter gold foil blackened with a "gold black". The foil thickness is roughly 100nm thick. It is a low resistance detector with excellent far infrared response (D*~4*10E+9 (cm*rtHz)/W).

Concentrator:

The concentrators are made out of copper. The copper is grown on a mandrel and then electroplated with gold. They are non imaging optics that "funnel" the radiation onto the detector. The entrance area to exit area ratio is approximately 4.5 increasing the effective detector response by this amount. The concentrators are manufactured by Infrared Laboratories in Tucson, Arizona.

Epoxies:

A variety of epoxies are used in the assembly procedure. Electrically and thermally conductive epoxies are used in the detector-concentrator and detector-mount matings. Electrically insulative and thermally conductive epoxy is used to cover the electrical leads coming out of the sub-assembly module (not shown).

Mounts:

The mounts are nickel plated aluminum.

Transformer:

The impedence matching transformer (not shown) is a low mass, 1:100 turn toriodal core. It makes the 10 ohm detector appear to be 100 kilo-ohms to the pre-amplifier, necessary for efficient coupling. It is magnetically shielded with copper and mumetal layers. It is manufactured by Airex Corp. in Dover, N.H.

Sub-assemblies:

FP1R Module: detector, concentrator and mount. The blue is the above detector with the pins not shown. The yellow/orange is the concentrator, the silver is the detector mount.

FP1T Module: detector, concentrator and mount. The blue is the above detector with the pins not shown. The yellow/orange is the concentrator, the silver is the detector mount.

Members of the Cassini/CIRS Detector Development Laboratory who relentlessly serve day in and day out, all for the sake of God and country:

• Virgil Kunde, Principal Investigator and monitor for Airex contract, 693, X5693,
  e-mail: Virgil.Kunde@GSFC.NASA.GOV
• John Brasunas, Lead FP1 Development & Test Scientist, 693 , X3488,
  e-mail: John.Brasunas@GSFC.NASA.GOV
• Mark Cushman, FP1 Development & Test Scientist, 693/STX, X1314,
  e-mail: Mark.Cushman@GSFC.NASA.GOV
• Brook Lakew, FP1 Development & Test Scientist, 693/STX, X8442,
  e-mail: Brook.Lakew@GSFC.NASA.GOV
• Dave Walser, FP1 & Calibration Engineer, 693 , X5557,
  e-mail: Dave.Walser@GSFC.NASA.GOV
• Rainer Fettig, FP1 Detector Manufacturer, Universitat Karlsruhe, Germany
  e-mail: BC14@IBM3090.RZ.UNI-KARLSRUHE.DE

Other Images

Click on them to see larger version.

	Focal Plane One with optics
	Detector Image
	Concentrator for Transmitted Energy
	Concentrator for Reflected Energy
	Side View of a Detector Foil The foil is welded onto two pyramids of Bismuth Telluride

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Rich Barney's Cassini/CIRS Instrument Home Page

Cassini Mission-Online Resources

CASSINI Mission Design

CASSINI Mission Homepage

CASSINI Info

Cassini: Voyage to Saturn

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Curator:Mark Cushman / Code 693,STX / Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics
Internet e-mail: mark.cushman@gsfc.nasa.gov
Last revised:February 5, 1996
Responsible NASA Official: John Brasunas