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CCD News (1Mar96)
(from CTIO, NOAO Newsletter No. 45, March 1996)

The Loral 1K CCD was successfully used for a month-long block (14
November-13 December) with the 1.5-m spectrograph, and has allowed
us to retire definitely the small EEV CCD previously used for this
application. With this upgrade, we are now scheduling a total of six
CCDs (four Tek's and two Loral's). The two Loral CCDs are dedicated:
the 3K (3072 x 1024) is in an Air Schmidt camera, which is used with
the 4-m spectrographs (R-C, Echelle, Argus), while the 1K (1200 x 800)
is used only with the 1.5-m spectrograph. Two of the four Tek (SITe)
2048 x 2048 CCDs are normally dedicated to imaging, the Tek/STIS 2K
at the Schmidt and the Tek 2K #3 at the 0.9-m. Tek 2K #4 is used
for imaging at the 4-m and 1.5-m, with the 4-m Echelle long camera, and
with the 1.5-m bench echelle, while the Tek 1K (1024 x 1024) is used
with the Rutgers Fabry-Perot (RFP) Interferometer and for some 1.5-m
imaging applications.

Very recently we purchased another SITe 2K, from SITE's year-end
half-price (!) sale. This is a grade 1 CCD with two amplifiers
operative, and is intended for use in a new spectrograph camera that
will be used with the fiber spectrograph Argus and eventually with
Hydra. In the meantime, we will install the new CCD in a direct dewar;
its availability will ease the job of scheduling. The RFP will likely
use a Tek 2K in future, since read noise is lower than for our Tek 1K,
even though the large format is not needed. The Tek 1K should be
scheduled only infrequently.

Here is a brief summary of the CCDs presently scheduled. Visit the CCD
section via WWW to find out further information, or contact the
under-signed.

CCD		Type	Pix	N	RON		QE (%)
																0.3  0.4  0.6  0.8  0.9

Tek 2K #3	B	24	4	2-4	 20   60   75   60   35
Tek 2K #4	B	24	4	2-4	 20   60   75   60   35
Tek/STIS 2K	F	21	4	2-4	 20   18   40   35   14
Tek 1K		B	24	4       2-4	  0   35   70   60   35
Loral 3K	B	15	1	7-9	 70   75   90   75   40
Loral 1K	B	15	2	7-9	 20   60   95   80   50

Type: B = back-illuminated, F = front-illuminated + Metachrome.
Pix: Pixel size in um.
N: Number of operative amplifiers. The Tek 2K's are normally
   read out using all amplifiers, typical read time is 30-40
   seconds depending on gain setting.
RON: Read noise (e- rms) for the typical range of gains used.
QE: Wavelengths are in m. The Loral CCDs are UV-flooded, there
   is some concern at present that the QE of the Loral 3K CCD
   in the UV may not be as high as stated.

Alistair Walker

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