Plasma spectroscopy through direct detection with CMOS imaging sensors

The goal of this proposed work is to demonstrate that CMOS imaging sensors are a viable technology for electron spectroscopy on sounding rocket missions that investigate auroral precipitation in a dense atmosphere. Traditional plasma instruments such as Micro-Channel Plate (MCP) detectors are not a viable option at the lower altitudes being targeted due to high voltage risks. This work aims to support an existing HTIDES instrument technology development effort by replacing the existing CCD sensor with a CMOS sensor, which should provide a higher performance instrument at a lower cost, mass, volume, and power. A CMOS architecture will also remove the temporal uncertainty experienced on CCD sensors, and eliminate the need for the non-standard voltages CCD technology requires. Thus, CMOS technology should yeild significant reductions to the instrument electronics package. This CIF will verify the CMOS concept through laboratory testing under conditions similar to the mission concept.

Electron spectroscopy instruments are currently being developed which use Charge Coupled Device (CCD) technology to enable measurements at altitudes that were previously inaccessible. However, CCD technology introduces some temporal uncertainty due to charge collection during the frame transfer period. CCD technology also requires non-standard voltage readout clocking, sensitive biasing circuits, analog signal conditioning, and an analog to digital converter (ADC). This all results in a somewhat bulky instrument electronics package. An alternative technology is desired to address these issues and reduce mass, volume, and power.

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