Studies of operation modes for the ATHENA WFI detectors
Abstract
The Wide Field Imager (WFI) is one of two instruments for ESA's Athena X-ray observatory. It will employ DEPFET (depleted p-channel field effect transistor) active pixel technology to provide unprecedented spectroscopic and imaging capabilities over a broad energy band from 0.2 keV to 15 keV, with a large field of view of 40' × 40' . Using prototype detectors of various sizes we have started first tests of window mode operation, where only a subset of the full sensor array is being read out, leading to a higher frame rate for this area. We also investigated the possibility of operation at room temperature for a basic functionality test when cooling is not possible, e.g. on ground after integration on the satellite.
- Publication:
-
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray
- Pub Date:
- July 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.2314182
- Bibcode:
- 2018SPIE10699E..4IB