Previous Article Next Article Table of Contents
CCD News (1Mar95) (from CTIO, NOAO Newsletter No. 41, 1 March 1995) As reported previously (NOAO Newsletter No. 40, p.25) we encountered unexpected problems with the installation of a Loral 3K X 1K CCD in the Blue Air Schmidt camera, to be used with the 4-m spectrographs. The science grade detector exhibited many bright columns and its performance was only marginally acceptable. We have since obtained a replacement CCD and hope to install and test it soon. This CCD has a two-component AR coating and should have better red QE and lower fringing than our first Loral. In the meantime we have taken the opportunity to make minor mechanical modifications to the adjustable CCD mount in order to simplify alignment procedures. Until the commissioning of the new CCD is completed we will continue to offer the Reticon CCD plus Air Schmidt camera and the Tektronix 1024 CCD plus Folded Schmidt camera. We definitely plan to have the Loral available during first semester 1995, but the date is still uncertain. Users should contact Steve Heathcote or Bob Schommer for information on the availability of the Loral, or for details of the characteristics of our other CCD/Camera combinations. Work on testing the STIS 2048 CCD, destined for the Schmidt telescope, has proceeded slowly due to pressure from other projects. An engineering grade CCD has been tested and it is hoped that the science grade CCD will be installed in its dewar in late January. The new filter bolt and shutter assembly, under construction at the University of Michigan, has suffered some delays and telescope tests will not occur before March. Tektronix 2048 #3 CCD, normally dedicated to direct imaging at the 0.9-m telescope, has had a disconnected bond wire successfully re-attached by Mike Lesser at the University of Arizona. At the moment we are still reading the CCD through two channels, but plan to implement quad readout as soon as the telescope schedule allows sufficient time for the necessary engineering work. Alistair Walker
Previous Article Next Article Table of Contents